The Bridal Costume: Where Did It Come From and What Is Its Story? [Icelandic]

On Sunday, 4 October, Sigrún Helgadóttir will give a lecture on an Icelandic bridal costume held by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which is currently on display in the National Museum of Iceland’s exhibition A Voyage in History – The Bridal Costume.

Sigrún Helgadóttir is a teacher and biologist with postgraduate studies in natural resource management and environmental education. She developed an interest in traditional costumes at a young age. She has long been a member of the Icelandic Handicraft Association and served as its chair for many years. She became fascinated by the Victoria and Albert Museum’s bridal costume when it was loaned to Iceland and exhibited at the National Museum in 1969. Sigrún decided to make a similar costume for herself and sought the assistance of textile specialist Elsa E. Guðjónsson. Elsa provided her with patterns and instructed her in embroidering a border for the skirt and apron of a faldbúningur, a traditional Icelandic women’s costume.

Later, with her half-finished faldbúningur stored away in a chest, Sigrún encouraged the Icelandic Handicraft Association to offer instruction in making these costumes. Around the turn of the millennium, the association’s working group Faldafeykir began researching how they were made. The group consisted of around fifteen women who met regularly to study written sources, examine historic costumes in museum collections, conduct research and exchange ideas. This led to courses in faldbúningur making at the Icelandic Handicraft Association, attended by many women who have since made a wide variety of costumes based on historic patterns and traditions. In 2013, Sigrún published her book Faldar og skart. Faldbúningurinn og aðrir íslenskir þjóðbúningar (Headdresses and Jewellery: The Faldbúningur and Other Icelandic National Costumes).

When discussing traditional costumes, Sigrún often connects their development with environmental changes following natural disasters and periods of hardship. She has also sought to uncover the history of this beautiful bridal costume, drawing primarily on the research and writings of Elsa E. Guðjónsson, as no one has had the opportunity to study the V&A bridal costume as thoroughly as she did.

Please note that this event is in Icelandic.

Admission to the event is included with a museum ticket. Please note that a museum ticket also serves as an annual pass, providing admission to all museum exhibitions and events for one year from the date of purchase. Admission to exhibitions and events is free for children under the age of 18.