Quick! Call the fashion police!
Sweden, a land of style, modernism and lagom. A nation where the people are beautiful, forward-thinking, innovative, and cultured.
Imagine my shock then on arriving here and discovering that the Swedes have a secret love, a love I never would have expected, nor believed, had I been told before we moved here.
Swedish people have a place in their hearts, not only for surströmming but for something arguably worse. Much worse.
Socks and sandals!
In our early days in SkellefteÄ, I saw a man in a shop sporting socks and Birkenstocks, and it has clearly affected me as the memory has lodged firmly in the memory. You know, traumatic episodes do stick in the mind.
He wore white socks and black sandals. I noted how unusual a combination this was and may even have mentioned it to my husband. You see, back in the UK, this combination would suggest this man was a member of a religious cult or a hippy commune.
Over time, I noticed that this phenomenon wasn't just restricted to the chap in the shop. It reached further into SkellefteÄ society than that, and I noticed many people were making this footwear choice. I tried to find the number of the local fashion police to report these infringements of common decency, but to no avail.
More frightening still, young and old both seem to love nothing more than strutting their stuff in this combo. Alas, it wasnât long until even my own daughter was taking part, and she now has Crocs in various colours.
Crocs - fast fashion or fashion lunacy?
Curious about this strong fashion statement, I quizzed her, and she informed me that, "Not only are Crocs actually cool, Mum, (I may have snorted in laughter, here), they are super comfortable, easy to slip on when changing out of snow boots, and incredibly practical."
And one thing is for sure, every Swede I have had the pleasure of spending time with is practical and reliable, so they all wear them.
I have been living here in SkellefteÄ for almost three years now and the initial shock has subsided.
Alas, I even wore socks and Birkenstocks when popping out the other day. But it was only in my garden. Not in public. I am not quite ready to take that step just yet.
Also read: Nicola Foleher: I didnât expect a land of such extremes
This is a column and the views are the author's own.
This column was originally published at norran.se/english, the English part of norran.se.