It seems the daggy German tourist stereotype of wearing socks with sandals has been making waves on the red carpet and runway of late.
Burberry popularized wearing black ankle socks with heels when they sent the look down the runway with their Burberry Prorsum Spring 2008 and Spring 2009 ready-to-wear collections.
The trend had already enjoyed a brief debut in teen fashion mags in 2004 in punk-style shoots inspired by musos like Good Charlotte and Avril Lavigne... before that, it was most often seen in the 1950s, when bobby socks and poodle skirts were all the rage.
Burberry brought the trend to the fashion pages of Vogue and InStyle with a simple black ankle sock, which can, admittedly, look pretty decent when teamed with the right (black) heel - almost like the chic bootie style which has also enjoyed some good press in recent years.
Christian Dior and Prada also paraded the trend on their spring runways.
Anna Sui brought the trend out again but rocked it with her own flavour, teaming pretty, girlie sun dresses with strappy heels and low-cut sheer ankle socks in bright (but complementing) colours. Very girlie, very hip, very spring.
Celebs have been photographed all over the red carpet wearing their own take on the trend - from Rihanna and Leighton Meester to Agness Deyn and the queen of kooky clothing (or, at least, her alter-ego is) Sarah Jessica Parker.
It seems the trick to avoiding a fashion faux pas with the current trends is to choose a thin knit or sheer sock, in black or bold colour (depending how brave you are!) and team with a hemline at least a few inches above the knee or full-length jeans or pants. If you've got legs for miles, you might get away with a knee-length hem, too.
Fashion trend or tragedy? You be the judge. But, just before you make too quick a decision, remember - it's not just Hans from Berlin that gives the look a bad wrap. As a dedicated follower of the trend for a number of years, it seems Ugly Betty has been perhaps the most fashion-forward of all...
Words by Jade Kennedy
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