Our reverent adieus to one of the most spectacular events of the past month—Paris Fashion Week—have surely flung us fashion aficionados into a rather exciting next stage in which we may now look back, extract, and embrace.
That is, our beloved Parisian couturiers have provided us with the unique blueprints delineating their precise visions for the modern woman, and we are now able to extract and adopt whatever elements resonate with us best—whether they are Hermes’ botanical belted dresses, Valentino’s folkloric motifs, or Stella’s cool take on playful femininity.
The most striking PFW adoptions—and adaptations—seen on the streets since the glorious event two weeks ago have been the outrageously fun and versatile interpretations of the “visible sock” trend seen on the runways at Miu Miu, Yves Saint Laurent, and Chanel.
Miuccia Prada’s spring Miu Miu collection displayed a chic take on “nineteen-seventies chic”, incorporating the pairing of knit stockings with the brand’s signature round-toe platform heel, under matching pastel-colored outerwear and skirts, and bright chiffon blouses.
Yves Saint Laurent took the trend in another direction, channeling the fun, flirtatious party girl scene with bright graphic-printed mini dresses paired with ultra-feminine ankle socks and pointy-toed booties and pumps.
Chanel’s “visible socks” were ribbed, crème-colored, mid-calf socks paired with classic rounded, black-toe, white pumps. Interestingly, Chanel used the same crème-ribbed-sock-and-pump not only for its signature “tweed jacket and matching skirt” ensembles, but for its more daring pieces as well, such as its colorful mini flyaway shirtdress.
Bloggers at one of the most prominent fashion blogs, "The Sartorialist," have recently photographed women sporting the trend. However, it is evident—and worthy of immense applaud—that these fashion enthusiasts have merely extracted from the trend seen on the runways, and have indisputably made the look their own.
One woman was photographed wearing multi-colored platform tennis shoes with pink ankle-high socks, paired with a pink oversized sweater and floral skirt. Another incorporated the visible sock into a gorgeously polished look consisting of a white buttoned oxford shirt, a noir black tuxedo jacket, tailored crimson pants and, of course, black ankle socks underneath shiny black patent leather loafers.
My favorite visible sock adaptation, featured on "The Sartorialist," is the darling ankle-high polka dot socks one woman was photographed wearing underneath transparent laced oxfords. Talk about visible!
The ever-popular blog, "The Fashion Medley," features some of the most original adaptations of the trend. Ankle-high socks with skyscraper-high sandal platforms were paired with shirtdresses, graphic miniskirts and high-waisted denim shorts. Sheer ankle-high nylons and pointy-toe pumps were worn with long pleated and belted skirts, as well as cool pleated wide-legged mid-calf pants.
Most wore large fur jackets, trench coats, or slouchy sweaters to complete the look, by reinforcing the laidback vibe so clearly sought after—evident by the sheer presence of the understated sock underneath a usually extravagant heel.
Haute Couture houses luckily provide us with an ever-changing, always-interesting and undoubtedly aesthetically pleasing array of creative elements stemming from none other than the brilliant minds of our most beloved Parisian designers.
At the end of the day, even the most upscale trends look best not on the runway, but on a girl daring and original enough to adorn her favorite established element of fashion with her lively wit, inimitable quirk, and irresistible charm.
