THE REYKJAVIK SUMMIT : Changes Clothes 4 Times : Raisa Gorbachev Puts on a Fashionable Show

Soviet First Lady Raisa Gorbachev on Saturday toured museums, visited a thermal spring and put on a one-woman fashion show, changing her outfit four times during a whirlwind sightseeing tour of Iceland’s capital.

The absence of her American counterpart, Nancy Reagan, gave the elegant wife of Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev a solo role in the Icelandic superpower saga. Reporters and photographers, hungry for news because of the information blackout imposed by both countries on the talks between the two leaders, followed her everywhere.

Early in the day, asked by reporters at a city museum how she felt about Mrs. Reagan’s decision to stay away from the summit, Mrs. Gorbachev replied: “I’m sorry (she didn’t come), but there must be a reason. Maybe she has something else to do. Or maybe she wasn’t well.”

Her remark brought a solemn pronouncement from White House spokesman Larry Speakes. “Nancy is well,” he told reporters.

(In Washington, Mrs. Reagan late Saturday joked, “I feel fine, although I heard on the air that I wasn’t fine,” as she posed at an awards dinner at Catholic University, where she was honored for her involvement in anti-drug programs.

(“The invitation that came from Mr. Gorbachev to my husband was for a business meeting between the two of them,” Mrs. Reagan added. “I thought it was improper for me to go.”

(“That’s not for me to say,” she responded when a reporter asked if it was improper for Mrs. Gorbachev to go to Iceland.)

‘A More More Modest Role

The Soviet First Lady, 52, told reporters she accompanied her husband to the summit “because I have never been in Iceland.” She played down the importance of her presence here, saying that she has “a more modest role than my husband.”

Mrs. Gorbachev bundled up in a three-quarter length silver fox jacket on a raw and blustery day, making eight stops in seven hours in her Zil limousine, which was imported from Moscow for the occasion. It was a dazzling performance for the woman who, in her native land, is never explicitly identified as the wife of the Soviet leader, much less known as the First Lady.

In the past, wives of Kremlin chiefs usually remained far in the background, and some never appeared in public until their husbands’ funerals.

Almost from the start, however, Raisa Maximovna (as she is known) made a point of being part of her husband’s traveling entourage. She was a smash hit on the Gorbachevs’ trip to London in December, 1984, and indulged her taste for high fashion on a trip to Paris the next year, visiting the haute couture salons of France’s leading designers.

A year ago, on the Paris visit, Mrs. Gorbachev was chided by some fashion arbiters for wearing the same outfit for her arrival and for a subsequent appearance. But she displayed remarkable versatility Saturday, switching from one outfit to another in moments stolen from her busy schedule.

She began with a turquoise blouse, a black pleated skirt, black suede boots with stiletto heels and crystal earrings. While she retained the fashionable fur, she changed into new outfits for later stops on her tour. A fitted beige blouse and matching skirt was one alternative. For lunch, she wore a black suit and a white satin blouse. Later, it was a gray pin-striped skirt, highlighted with large rhinestone earrings.

Smiling often, Mrs. Gorbachev seemed able to keep every hair in place despite the rainy weather and her fast pace. At times, she clapped her hands in delight at something shown her by her Iceland hostess, Edda Gudmundsdottir, wife of Prime Minister Steingrimur Hermannsson.

Has to Think About Democracy

But she did not wear her heart on her sleeve. When asked what she thought of democracy in Iceland, the home of the world’s most ancient parliament, she said: “One has to think about these things a bit. Do you have an opinion?”

Although clearly captivated by high fashion when she is abroad, Raisa Gorbachev is a serious woman and a former teacher who was graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in philosophy, or Marxism-Leninism. Some Moscow observers say she is a strong influence on her husband, especially in his campaign to cut back on alcoholism and reduce restrictions on creativity in the theater and literature.

In her comments on world events, Mrs. Gorbachev seemed to follow her husband’s political line. Speaking of his sessions with Reagan, she told a group of students: “They must come up with peace. I don’t doubt that our efforts--all efforts--will end the nuclear threat. We must not give up.”

But she also displayed a keen interest in the people she met and the Icelandic history she heard about during her visits to museums and schools. Speaking in Russian except for a few “good morning” greetings in English--which she also used throughout the afternoon--the wife of the Kremlin chief exuded warmth as well as glamour.

Asked if she minded staying on a Soviet ferry moored in the harbor despite the chill winds, she replied, “It is romantic.”

And she clearly was delighted to meet young children.

“She’s beautiful,” said a 5-year-old girl wearing a pink beret who got a hug from Mrs. Gorbachev.

She was escorted by 10 generally unsmiling KGB agents who passed out licorice to children and gumdrops to the traveling press corps.