Switching to ski boots was a smart idea.

Alpine racing champion Lindsey Vonn, 33, tells The Post she was once a total dork with terrible taste in footwear.

“I wore socks and Birkenstocks. I really had no style,” the 2010 Olympic gold medalist recalls of her preteen years from a front-row perch at the Naeem Khan show. “I had a perm and bangs and braces, all at the same time.”

The awkwardness was pervasive, adds the Minnesota native: “I was definitely not popular or on-trend in any shape or form.”

It’s a different story these days. When Vonn isn’t training for her final season of competition, the 5-foot-10 athlete enjoys rocking designer finery on the red carpet. “Naeem’s dresses actually fit me really well, which is shocking considering all the beadwork,” she says. “I’m very far from fitting into a sample size.”