Despite the colder weather, sandals are still very much in vogue

No matter how much you love open fires and knitwear it’s never easy saying goodbye to summer.

Certainly it’s a parting laced with bittersweet sorrow as we pack away our bikinis and strappy cotton dresses along with the rosé-drenched memories we made in them. 

This autumn, though, as tan lines fade into obscurity, the style world has come up with a foolproof way to keep our summer dreams alive. At least it’s come up with a hugely effective delaying tactic in the form of a seasonally appropriate sandal that will continue working for you way into October.

It was during the recent round of fashion weeks that the style — thick-soled with a tweed upper — made its presence known with every other UK editor spotted in a pair. For a select few, the trans-seasonal sandal of choice comes with a Chanel label embossed on the sole. But for many autumnal show attendees it was all about Kurt Geiger with the brand’s navy Orson sandal (£129, shop them here) as commonplace on the front row as bitchy resting face.

The joy of this shoe, aside from the fact that it looks really lovely with everything from cropped jeans to a slip skirt, is that it’s substantial. Granted, you wouldn’t want to be stranded in a hailstorm or a morning when the mercury teeters just above freezing in a pair but on an average autumn day they may be the sort-of-sensible shoe your wardrobe is missing. 

For those reluctant to place their extremities on display on days when the  when the weather bites. The fashion gods have a workable solution.  Any ideas? You got it: Simply team a neat sock under your sandal of choice and you’re good to go. This combo is strangely popular with a host of supermodels — among them Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, who pull off the sock-plus-sandal look with aplomb — and remains a regular on the catwalk from Miuccia Prada to Lacoste.

For mere mortals, this look works particularly well when combined with denim and the cosiest of chunky knits — provided you can cope with a few puzzled glances. While socks and sandals are now met with full approval from the fashion crowd, it’s not everyone who’s on board. Though it’s perfect weekend foot fodder, notably because it’s ridiculously comfortable.

For Birkenstock, the long-time provider of no-nonsense footwear, the autumn sandal-wearer is an expanding customer group. So much so that the brand now offers a cotton slub sock in a shade to complement some of its more popular styles. A hiking-style sock in marled beige is recommended as a fine accompaniment to the popular rose style, while Birkenstock suggest a dark grey to wear with black. The resulting look is hugely popular — nowhere more so than on Instagram where #birksandsocks is a favourite hashtag.

So you see, the onset of winter may not be as dull as you think.