Socks become fashion for summer 2010

Socks become fashion for summer 2010

Socks featured in the spring/summer 2010 collections of Christian Dior (left) and Marni. Centre: Alexa Chung, as always, gets it right Photo: AFP/ REX

Pull ‘em up to your knees; or push ‘em down around your ankles. It’s all about socks appeal this spring. Whichever way you wear them - tight and neat, or as wrinkled as the sad, saggy scraps of yarn that once drooped around Ena Sharples’ tired old legs - a pair of socks is the instant way to update your foot-looks.

Socks-and-shoes; it might sound a bit too uncool-for-school, but it’s a catwalk trend that has been doing a slow burn for several seasons.

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Ankle-socks and knee-highs have long been a favourite look to accessorise the flat lace-ups, platforms, wedges and stacked heels on the catwalk for Milan’s Consuelo Castiglione of Marni, and London’s Margaret Howell, as well as the high-priestesses of style, Miuccia Prada and Rei Kawakubo. Burberry’s Christopher Bailey clearly regards socks as the new tights, while John Galliano made glitter-ball socks the finishing touch to his strappy 40s-style wedges and lacy little wisps of dresses in Christian Dior’s spring/summer 2010 runway parade.

First of all, don’t even try this at home if you’re over 30; this is very much a girl’s game - and a girl with great pins, at that. Mind you, socks are not such a bad idea for disguising thick ankles - as long as you choose a dark colour and you don’t suffer from thick calves, as well. (Great for avoiding blisters in new shoes, too).

The trick to getting it right rather than warped or naf, is to play it casual. It’s the funky, slightly geeky contrast that makes the look work.

Socks have not been such a big deal since the days of the 1950s "bobby-soxers" - teenage fans of Frank Sinatra and the like - who wore white socks, rolled down to the ankle, with their saddle shoes and full "poodle" skirts. The comeback became big in Japan in 2000 and was given a boost by Prada and Sex And the City’s Carrie Bradshaw in the original television series.

It’s far from being just a spring/summer fling this time around; socks continued their grip on the calves and ankles in the designer catwalk shows for next autumn/winter. Rag & Bone, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Daks, Antonio Marras, Hussein Chalayan, John Rocha, Sportmax, and Alexander Wang, who mixed leg-warmers and socks, are just a few of the names adding socks to the accessories repertoire.