During the 80s, in Italy, the use of short socks became very popular, mostly worn during the summer or during sports activities. These shoes, today as then, are recognized with a curious nickname: “fantasmini”. But for what reason? What do ghosts have to do with socks?
Well, it seems that the nice nickname was born to make such clothes more “nice” to capricious children. The association with ghosts is actually very logical: they are so small that they disappear below the ankle, just as if they were ghosts. Furthermore, this type of connection is reinforced by the lightness that characterizes short socks, which they don’t even seem to wrap around the foot!
So yeah, alas, there’s no exciting story behind the moniker fantasmini, but it is still interesting to note that this nickname has become very well known in Italy. They were designed just to be invisible once the shoes are on.
Usually, they are tucked in together with comfortable shorts, remaining consistent with the seasonal period in which they come back into vogue. And you? Love i fantasmini? Or you hate them because you accuse one annoying irritation above the heeldue to the rubbing of the shoe with the rear end of the shoe?
In short, now you know why short socks are called that way!