Pop culture tells us that spies are the most smartly dressed agents in the field, and they always look good whether they’re embroiled in a gunfight or disguised and deep undercover.
But the truth is many spies looked downright goofy when they went undercover, especially those who spied for the East German secret police and intelligence service, aka the Stasi.
It's said that East Germans could spot a Stasi agent a mile away thanks to their ridiculous outfits and terrible acting, and yet nobody dared say a thing lest they be dragged away and executed for causing trouble.
A book released by Simon Menner in 2013 called Top Secret: Images From The Stasi Archives reveals the Ostalgie inducing styles worn by undercover Stasi agents, who apparently believed the best way to avoid being pegged as a spy is to dress like a sterotypical spy.
-Via Dangerous Minds