Westfjords, Iceland

 

You will not find this lingerie, or sales assistant, in La Perla. A lugubrious, weather-hammered Iceleander named Finnbogi - wasn't he in Father Ted? - is threading a coarse rope between his sturdy legs. "This," he explains, "is the world's first G-string."

It clearly has more potential for severe chafing than eroticism, but the most important quality for fishermen was that it saved lives in the wild icy waters off the country's north-west coast. "It acted as a grip if you fell overboard so the person next to you had something to grab hold of. It has saved many lives this G-string." Which is not something La Perla can claim.

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