Forget Socks With Loafers—It Girls Love the Punk-Rock Tone of Socks and Heeled Mary Janes
Take it from Olivia Rodrigo: The unlikely duo looks so grunge with babydoll dresses.
Pop stars know they've made it when fans associate their personal style with a specific shoe trend. While bedazzled Christian Louboutin booties belong to Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande is synonymous with platform knee-highs. Olivia Rodrigo, on the other hand, welcomed the heeled Mary Janes trend and socks to the punk-rock Rodrigo-verse.
The 23-year-old started styling socks with Mary Janes years before she won her first Grammy Award. Her now-signature set even joined her at the White House in 2021. Earlier this year, it became the leading motif for her third studio record, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, appearing at listening parties, on the album cover, and everywhere in between. That said, it's no surprise Rodrigo slipped stark-white socks into platform Mary Janes before celebrating her collaboration with The Lego Group.
This week, Olivia Rodrigo celebrated her Lego collection in socks and the heeled Mary Janes trend.
Rodrigo's opaque hosiery seemed to be from Hue, the New York City-based legwear brand behind her socks in the "Drop Dead" music video. Similarly, the Mary Janes—specifically their glossy black leather garnish—bared a resemblance to the pair on her album cover. To complete her current era's outfit formula, it's only right she wore a vintage babydoll dress, too.
The school-uniform socks stretched all the way to her knees.
Much like babydoll dresses, women have been wearing the Mary Jane trend with socks for decades. Almost a century ago, after Shirley Temple popularized the pairing, it became the school-mandated uniform for thousands of students. By the '90s, singers like Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland reclaimed it with a punk-rock twist. Are you getting babydoll déjà vu yet?
Fast forward to the 2020s, and Mary Janes and socks are still helping fashion girls embrace their edgier sides. In August 2024, Swift went full Gwen Stefani mode in a plaid Vivienne Westwood skirt set, colorless crew socks, and olive green block-heel Mary Janes from Sézane. One year later, the unlikely duo earned a close-up in The Devil Wears Prada 2, thanks to Simone Ashley's black knee-highs and pointy pumps. As recently as April 2026, McKenna Grace styled frilly socks with double-strap Mary Janes the Olivia Rodrigo Way.
Last summer, Simone Ashley was spotted in socks and Mary Janes on the set of The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Earlier this year, McKenna Grace wore similar socks and Mary Janes like Rodrigo would.
Gone are the days of school uniform styling. Socks and Mary Janes are keeping the punk-rock aesthetic alive in the age of less-is-more looks. Take any outfit (extra points if it includes a babydoll dress) to the grunge-girl limits by shopping the Rodrigo-approved pieces below.
Shop Socks and Heeled Mary Janes Inspired by Olivia Rodrigo
