Dutch deny 'war on white socks'

Dutch Finance Ministry officials have denied world media reports that they have declared war on white socks.

The reports suggested that white socks were banned after being labelled as "transgressing the limits of decent dress behaviour".

A spokeswoman told BBC News Online the comments were the personal opinion of a senior official, expressed in an interview in a staff magazine.

But she revealed that the comments were not controversial at the ministry - in fact, many people shared the view.

"Our opinion is that everyone has to dress according to occasion, and the employees at the Dutch Finance Ministry have a good dress sense", she said.

White socks, particularly under suits, would be seen as a style crime in many parts of the world.