{"id":4531,"date":"2026-06-12T08:52:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T08:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arkivet.no\/from-parachute-to-weddingdress\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T08:17:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T08:17:24","slug":"from-parachute-to-weddingdress","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/arkivet.no\/en\/from-parachute-to-weddingdress\/","title":{"rendered":"From parachute to wedding dress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From parachute to wedding dress<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The exhibition \u201cFrom parachute to wedding dress\u201d will be on display in the foyer of ARKIVET from June 2026 and features the wedding dress worn by Olga R\u00f8dland when she married Oddvar Ver\u00e5s on 23 March 1946. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This wedding dress is made from parachute silk\u2014meaning that it was once an actual parachute. Before becoming a bridal gown, the fabric had floated high above the ground, carrying vital supplies for the Norwegian resistance movement before ensuring their safe landing somewhere during the Second World War. Perhaps the symbolic power of the dress also contributed to a safe landing for Olga and Oddvar as they began their life together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Olga R\u00f8dland was born on 5 May 1925 in Kvinesdal, Norway. She spent her early childhood in Brooklyn, New York, before returning to Kvinesdal, where she grew up as the eldest of four siblings. Olga enjoyed a happy youth in Kvinesdal, surrounded by close friends. However, the final year of the Second World War was overshadowed by concern for her sweetheart, Oddvar, who was in hiding from the Gestapo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Olga and Oddvar married in March 1946, Olga and her mother, Agnes R\u00f8dland, skillfully sewed the wedding dress themselves using a parachute that Oddvar had brought back from the mountains of Fyresdal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The witnesses at the wedding were \u00d8ivind and Borghild Ver\u00e5s, the groom’s brother and sister-in-law. The dress, the wedding, and the love story of Olga and Oddvar are still remembered as deeply romantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agnes R\u00f8dland: The Craftswoman Behind the Dress<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bride’s mother had trained as a dressmaker in her youth. Agnes R\u00f8dland (n\u00e9e Jakobsen) was born in 1901 and lived until 1989. During the early 1920s, she emigrated to the United States in search of work. She found employment as a housemaid in Brooklyn, where she met Elias R\u00f8dland, whom she later married.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The couple returned to Kvinesdal, where both had family roots, so that their first child, Olga, could be born there. They subsequently moved back to Brooklyn, where more children were born. In 1932, the family returned permanently to Norway and settled once again in Kvinesdal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although Agnes never pursued a professional career as a dressmaker, her skills were evident in the garments she created for her family. This wedding dress stands as a beautiful example of her craftsmanship and her ability to transform an ordinary parachute into an elegant bridal gown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Olga appears to have inherited her mother’s talent with needle and thread and may well have learned sewing from her. She played a major role in making her own wedding dress. Olga and Oddvar’s children remember a childhood filled with the sound of sewing, as their mother regularly made clothes both for the family and for sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About the Dress<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dress is made from a white parachute, using the fabric commonly known as parachute silk. The parachute most likely dates from the mid-1940s, although the “silk” is in fact probably nylon. The material is smooth, lightweight, and slightly transparent, with a delicate sheen. To provide additional coverage, an underslip made from the same fabric is attached to the dress at the shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The matching belt is also made from the parachute fabric and fastens at the side with three press studs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dress is a classic example of 1940s fashion, featuring a wrap-front bodice, a V-shaped neckline, and strongly defined shoulders. Decorative appliqu\u00e9s made from parachute cords accentuate both the shoulders and the waist. The shoulder embellishments evoke the epaulettes found on military uniforms. As the groom wore a military uniform (albeit without epaulettes), it is possible that these design elements were chosen\u2014whether consciously or subconsciously\u2014to create a visual harmony between bride and groom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The exhibition \u201cFrom parachute to wedding dress\u201d features the wedding dress worn by Olga R\u00f8dland when she married Oddvar Ver\u00e5s on 23 March 1946. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4544,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4531","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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