While experts in the field of economics and textiles have long established that the shortening of skirts goes hand in hand with periods of overall financial prosperity, it is urgent that they turn their attention to socks in order to confront a nagging question: What does their current shortening foretell? The collapse of the markets or the world itself?
Indeed, the normalization of short sock styles – ankle socks that leave the ankles exposed or barely covered, depending on the model and the energy put into putting them on – can only be seen as a bad omen. Why? Quite simply because the ankle sock belongs to a lineage of uninspiring garments, incapable of shaping their own destiny. Just like the three-quarter sleeve, lost somewhere between elbow and wrist, or the cropped pant, adrift between knee and ankle, the ankle sock wanders aimlessly.
Does it serve to protect against the cold or to limit perspiration? Classic socks do both far more efficiently. Is its purpose to lighten the silhouette by removing an unnecessary element between shoe and trouser? Invisible socks – covering only the arch of the foot – are designed precisely for that. But it would not be as entertaining if ankle socks merely served no purpose.
In the first few days, they grip the ankles so tightly they leave a mark as unsightly as the rings left by overly tight swimming goggles. A few months later, once the elastic has relaxed, things are hardly better. Inevitably, with every step and rub, ankle socks have a tendency to slide gently under the arch of the foot, leaving the heel exposed and the nerves on edge.
In the end, the severity of them seems a painful irony. If ankle socks, invented in the mid-1940s to reduce women's consumption of tights and thus nylon, once contributed to the postwar reconstruction effort, today they seem to carry with them a destructive and ominous sign. Bring on the collapse of the markets. Or perhaps worse.
Find all the 'Is it ever a good idea...' columns here.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.