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Let’s just say, the reason the Berlin Wall fell was not because of a fashionista stampede.

Though we can laugh at the dress code for East Germany’s notorious secret police force, nicknamed “Stasi,” today, these looks represent the very last thing you wanted to see walking through the door…or walking you out of it.

Photographer Simon Menner has been studying the Stasi for years and ran across these examples of their dress code.

According to The Verge:

Menner’s collection includes many example disguises, which were formulated to help agents blend into everyday East German life. It’s a stark contrast to the Nazi Gestapo’s ominous black uniform, showcasing the insidious nature of the Stasi’s integration into East German life. The photographs were shown at Stasi seminars, as a guide for undercover operatives. “The sad thing is they had to try hard to dress up like ordinary citizens. Something that normally should come easily.”

“Friends of mine who are older than I am and who grew up in East Germany tell me that this is exactly what [Stasi operatives] looked like.”

Though their outfits might make you cringe, even more terrifying than those collars is the fact that nearly 2.5% of the population was enlisted as spies upon the common citizenry.

Full story at The Verge.

Dark chapters of (fashion) history.