Rules on the Proper Wearing of Socks
January 23, 2008
At a company training meeting a few months ago, I was introduced to a new co-worker. This guy was extremely motivated and on the ball. I was pretty impressed with him, until I looked down and saw that he was wearing white socks with a pair of dark dress slacks. Maybe it’s superficial, but at that moment this guy’s credibility as a sharp shooter and go-getter entirely evaporated. I suddenly saw Steve Erkle standing in front of me. Other people at the meeting noticed as well, and got a laugh out of it. No one took the guy seriously.
You don’t want to be this guy. If you want to impress people, you have to pay attention to the details. It doesn’t matter if you’ve put together an awesome outfit; if you don’t have the right socks, you spoil your whole look.
To help you not sabotage your image or credibility like the guy at the meeting, follow these simple rules when selecting which kind of sock to wear with your ensembles.
Wear dress socks with dress shoes
Don’t try to wear athletic socks with dress shoes even if the socks are black. Athletic socks are thicker than dress socks and don’t match the refined style of dress shoes. If you try wearing gym socks with a pair of dress shoes, they’ll bunch out over the shoe and look goofy. Stick to dress socks. The thin material feels nice on your foot and looks sharp.
With jeans there’s a little more wiggle room. Preferably, you should have dark socks even with denim, but you can get away with wearing gym socks with jeans.
Sock color should match your pants, not your shoes.
This is a rule that many people are confused about. I’ve heard numerous arguments about whether you should match socks with shoes or socks with pants. You should always match socks with pants because when you sit down and your socks are exposed, you want a solid line of color from your pants to your shoes. Socks that don’t match your pant color create a jarring break in your outfit. So black socks go with black pants and brown socks go with brown pants. Absolutely and under no condition should you ever wear white socks with dark pants unless you want to look like Steve Erkle or 1980’s Michael Jackson.
No socks with sandals or shorts
The goofiest thing is to see people who wear socks with sandals. Society’s ability to take you seriously will be reduced to zero if you do this. Sandals were designed to be worn with bare feet, so please, do not wear socks with sandals.
Socks with shorts should be avoided as well. Wearing socks with shorts visually makes your legs look shorter. If you need to wear socks while wearing shorts, invest in some ankle socks that aren’t visible when you wear you sneakers.
Novelty socks are for elementary school teachers
No man should own a pair of orange novelty socks that say “Boo!” on them and are adorned with little bats. The only excuse you have for wearing these is if you’re an elementary school teacher named Mrs. Heart. Keep you sock collection simple and classic and you’ll never go wrong.
Smartwool (http://www.smartwool.com) makes a male dress sock that feels like a comfortable pair of white socks with all the visual of a dress sock.
I’ve heard different advice from different style gurus on the what color socks question. Some have indicated that you should match the shoe because matching the pant makes you look like you match the sock to the pant with a much differently colored shoe it can make you look like you’re wearing stirrups.
I think the sock color matching pant color is a good general idea-
However, I think black socks are fine with black shoes and a charcoal suit or navy suit. If you are wearing brown or maroon/cardovan shoes with either you need to match the suit color. With khaki or taupe pants and brown shoes I think you can easily match either the shoe or the pant. With clack shoes I pretty much always match the pant- I think the black socks would be far too jarring.
And though it’s become somewhat acceptable I just don’t think you should ever wear black shoes with a brown suit or brown shoes with a black suit.
I typically wear no-show socks with my shoes when running- though for basketball I prefer a little bit taller sock. I think White athletic socks are fine with athletic shorts when doing basically any athletic activity, though style guidelines are somewhat less strict for exercise attire.
The reason why socks match the pant is because you are trying to create a seamless line from your waist to the top of the shoe. A different sock color actually breaks off the visual line and makes it look like you’re wearing a boot, except that you’re not.
With a matching sock, you create one visual transition: from gray cloth pant and cloth sock to black leather shoe. By matching the shoe, you create two transitions in a short space: from gray cloth pant to black cloth sock to black leather shoe. It can be jarring, especially if the pant, sock and shoe are of different shades.
I think it’s really hard to match some of the grays, but I avoid a black sock whenever possible, it just never looks right.
hey! David Letterman wears white socks with loafers … its hip as all hell !!!
Good rules in general, but… My Dad, perhaps the best dressed chap I know, occasionally wears socks that do not match his trousers. Picture it- Grey dogs tooth weave suit (two piece), red tie, red handkerchief expertly tucked (not folded) into breast pocket, and… red socks. Black brogues under this, polished to a military shine.
To me, this does not look “novelty”, or to draw attention to the fact that his trousers are tailored to him, not 8″ too long, it looks confident. He manner of dress is different (he laughed at a colluegue who asked him why he doesn’t wear something a bit different, like.. well… jeans and a T-shirt) and perhaps just a little eccentric.
I don’t think it is particularly manly to follow the most common style of attire- although perhaps it takes an older man to break rules like this so ruthlessly!
@Basil Moss:
You’re dad sounds like he’s a well dressed guy! I think you nailed it on the head at the end of your comment. I think it takes an older man or well established man to pull something like this off. It takes a certain kind of bravado. It’s like an artist or a writer. You can only break the rules of art and writing after you mastered the basics. It sounds like your father has mastered the basics of fashion, so he’s able to break them to create fresh looks.
Dress socks also match well with casual sneakers. When wearing denim matching socks to shoes is appropriate.
Let us not forget the birth right and exclusive luxury of southern gentlemen…no socks at all. Obviously inappropriate in the boardroom, but in many places where business is done, sockless is acceptable. Boardrooms and cubicles are but a small part of the business world. The clubhouse, the power breakfast, the local watering hole; all places where business meets casual in a way that is not nearly as confusing as “business casual” actually is.
umm… i have a pair of orange socks with a ghost that says boo.
You missed one of the most important details involving socks, especially with suits. Buy socks that are long enough that you never show skin between the bottom of your pants and the top of your socks. I can’t think of anything (other than white gym socks) that can destroy your look quicker than sitting down and exposing your legs over your sagging socks. Especially when sitting in front of a crowd, as you would be during a panel discussion or an on stage presentation.
“invest in some ankle socks”? Anyone who wears ankle socks may as well get the ones with the little pink pom-poms on them.
Russ, what would you suggest to wear with sneakers? High socks look dorky, and going sans socks makes your shoes smell.
I agree with the above that socks can be boldly colored as a piece of bravado. The most important thing is to limit the bravado to a single item or risk looking like a buffoon. Also, don’t forget about argyle, they go good with business casual dress.
Brett, get the low cut no-show socks or ones that come up to ankle. Nike make comfy sports socks.
@Jaime-
I do wear the the socks that come up to the ankle, that is what I meant by ankle socks.
I like your comment about a single piece of bravado. Very true. Also, argyle is a nice touch.
Actually, except for wearing denim/jeans, the socks should be either a shade darker or a shade lighter than the trousers.
If you think this hard about socks, or would cease to respect someone because they wore the wrong ones, you have no claim to manliness. Get back to the kitchen or your knitting, because your manliness cred is utterly gone.