Iceland review - 2014, Qupperneq 32

30 ICELAND REVIEW
that makes sense it helps to be well versed
in ancient norse poems such as Hávamál as
well as nordic mythology. people love to
be told stories; they start creating images
in their mind. i must admit that i always
put immense effort into my speeches. Back
then it was a lot more work; there was no
turning to Google,” she smiles.
This remarkable wool dress gave a
taste of what was to come. Throughout
her presidency, vigdís proudly promoted
icelandic craftsmanship and production
by wearing garments made from wool and
sheepskin. She recalls an official visit to
denmark in 1981 where she wore a sheep-
skin coat with the wool facing outward.
“i can’t help laughing when i think about
how i came down the airplane stairs like a
snowball and faced the queen in her dark
mink. This coat got an enormous amount
of attention, with a memorable headline in
the danish press saying “Queen in mink,
iceland’s president in sheep”.
tHeAter And PoLitics
one of the most iconic photographs of the
1980s shows vigdís during a stroll with uS
president ronald reagan at iceland’s pres-
idential residence, Bessastaðir. reagan was
here for the 1986 Summit with Mikhail
Gorbachev—a historic event, which con-
tributed to ending the cold War. When
asked by the international press to take
a walk outside for a photo op, she ran
upstairs and grabbed a red italian knitted
coat she knew suited her well. “reagan
was a true gentleman, quick to offer me
his arm, calling me his ‘theater friend’. A
former actor, he was so impressed with
my answer to the question i was frequent-
ly asked: How could a theater director
become president? in the theater, human
“This exhibition is about so much more than the
dresses. It’s about history.”
FaShion
former President vigdís finnbogadóttir continues to campaign for the causes
closest to her heart: iceland’s culture, language and nature.