North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, left, and his wife Ri Sol-ji visit the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang in this undated picture. Ri has become somewhat of a fashion icon in the reclusive state.

/ Korea Times file



Socks with high heels are in vogue among fashion-sensitive North Korean women, China's People's Daily recently reported on its online website.



Women wearing heels with colorful socks are often seen in Pyongyang, the newspaper said.



Heels are usually worn with pantyhose or bare feet, but the newspaper did not say whether this North Korean style was reflecting a new global trend that no longer regards socks and heels as a faux pas.



The Saturday report also showed pictures from foreign media outlets on the trend of heels in the reclusive state, where women match them with outfits ranging from mini-skirts and Korean traditional hanbok to uniforms.



Ri Sol-ju, wife of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was cited as a trend-setter sporting short skirts.



It added that Kim's hairstyle _ short on sides and back, while long on top _ was popular among men.



AP reported last September about the North's fashion being "infiltrated" by such products from its sworn enemy, the United States, as jeans, with people appearing to wear brighter clothes.



In North Korea, jeans are considered a symbol of American culture and, have been shunned in the state, which resists outside influences.