Socks and Sandals: The Rebirth

Somewhere, deep in the recesses of the family photo album, there is one particular picture from a disposable camera which has recently floated to the top of my memory. The picture itself is of me, sometime between 1998 and 2001, standing in front of a hotel in north Devon in a light blue holographic t-shirt, denim pedal pushers, white and silver platform sandals and – the key piece of the outfit – a pair of pulled up fuchsia socks.

 

Now, there are two types of people reading this. Those who would wonder why this whimsical photo from my childhood is not on proud display in a photo frame on the mantelpiece. And those like me and my parents, who are wondering who on earth, let this poor girl leave the house wearing those bright pink socks with open-toe white platforms. What a disaster. I still remember both my Mum and Dad trying to convince me to take the socks off in the most delicate way possible. But I had spent too many summers previously enduring sand in the horrible, bloody blisters that past pairs of sandals had given me, and was not going to take a chance on my much loved, pristine-white platforms.

So with that embarrassing photo still in my mind’s eye, when the AW13 trend of cut-out black leather boots with frilly socks appeared, I kept my distance. Not only did I not want my fellow Freshers students to see my extensive collection of novelty Christmas socks, but the lack of practicality – winter boots with holes in? – made this trend a no-go area.

Time passed, winter became spring, and with the massive 90’s revival trend, so did a ghost from my childhood, the jelly shoe. For the first few months I spotted work colleagues sporting angry blisters underneath rubber straps, and felt a smug satisfaction that my severely uncool stripy trainer socks were not on show underneath pink glittery JuJus. I figured that this would be another teen trend, only to be looked back on in horror and embarrassment just like (shudder) jeggings.

However my snobbishness was quickly brought to a halt after a conversation with my good friend and hairdresser. She confided in me (with equal amounts of concern) that at a catwalk show she recently worked at, the models themselves were rocking jelly sandals and socks. Not long after that, flicking through the August 2014 edition of Glamour magazine, I found myself staring directly at a fashion editorial proclaiming that socks and sandals were this month’s biggest trend. Below was a beautifully shot image of grey lurex socks sitting comfortably underneath a glamorous pair of £400 heeled sandals. It’s over, I thought to myself, despairingly. I have been defeated.

But all is not lost. Although I won’t be adopting the jelly trend myself, I will be spending the last of my summer break digging through our old holiday photos for fashion inspiration before the winter months force me back into my sheepskin coat and woolly tights. After all, it’s comforting to know that my pro-sock defiance at eight years old has paid off, and I can now give myself boasting rights that I was in fashion many years before my time. Now, if only I could find that black ra-ra skirt…