A Man's Guide on Socks

Section: Men's Footwear - Blog

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Socks may be among the smallest things you wear with your outfit. They will easily be dwarfed and overshadowed by your classic men's suit, necktie or bowtie, belt and other accessories. However, wearing an inappropriate pair of socks at the wrong occasion could lead to the wrong kind of attention. Learn the common rules concerning socks. Learn the nuances behind the construction of socks and how to choose the fibre of socks from among various types.

Men's socks seldom get any attention from their wearers, even though they enhance our overall comfort in several ways. They protect our feet from abrasion, absorb perspiration and also serve to either pull your outfit together or attract the wrong kind of attention. When poor quality socks are matched with a high quality suit and shoes, they risk weakening the strength of your entire presentation. In terms of utility, they keep your feet nice and comfortable, regardless of whether you are scaling a mountain or walking into a boardroom.

Common Rules Concerning Socks

• Socks with No Holes or Stains: While this may be incredibly obvious, failure to adhere to this could lead to an embarrassing situation, especially if you have to remove your shoes. If this happens during an encounter with a prospective business associate, you can well imagine the repercussions.
• Matching Socks with Trousers: If you follow this advice, your socks will create a streamlined look that enhances your tailor made men's suit by providing no unnecessary colour contrast. For men with an innate sense of their personal styles however, we recommend that they break away from tradition to introduce a wide range of patterned and lively coloured socks into their wardrobe. If a man can coordinate his socks with his neckwear and shoes, he could well end up livening up an otherwise dull outfit.
• Knee Length vs. Ankle Length Socks: A flash of white hairy skin while wearing a dark men's suit can be quite distracting. Hence, wearing knee length socks over ankle length socks is recommended, as far as possible.
• Socks that Match the Dress Level of Your Overall Ensemble: If you wear a black tie, then match it with a quality, lightweight, knee-high sock with a sheen appearance. For sports jackets and grey flannel trousers, heavy woollen argyle socks are a good choice. A dark sock that pulls the shoes and the denim together works well for jeans, a t-shirt and leather casual footwear. White tube socks can be perfect for wearing to the gym.

Sock Construction

High-quality socks are manufactured using better materials and often exceed the time taken to manufacture regular socks by 50%. The extra time is consumed by focusing on creating stronger seams, a higher percentage of hand-guided sewing and higher quality controls. Quality sock manufacturers also make a wider range of sizes that translates into a better fit for consumers. However, they also cost 5 – 20 times their mass-produced counterparts.

Sock Fibre Selection

• Wool: Not easily found today, woollen socks were the earliest yarns used in sock production. While they are more expensive than the mass-produced variety, they are perfect for hikers as they have been blended with synthetic fibres to enhance their strength and abrasion resistance. They absorb the skin's moisture and release it outside the sock. In cold weather conditions, woollen socks keep the feet warm while in hot conditions, they keep the feet cool on account of their insulating properties.
• Cotton: Since cotton fibre is inexpensive and durable, these socks are the most commonly available in the markets. They can provide an excellent fit if they are blended with lycra or other man-made fibres. They can be washed roughly with any type of detergent, and while their absorption and insulation properties do not compare favourably with wool, they remain a convenient and popular choice for many because of their overall acceptable performance.
• Cashmere and Silk: When paired with quality dress shoes and a fine worsted woollen suit, this luxury blend suited for dress socks, fits the bill perfectly. They provide benefits similar to wool, but are lighter and less bulky. Nylon, acrylic, olefins, spandex, linen, bamboo and mohair are other fibres blended with cashmere and silk so as to enhance feel, performance, elasticity and durability.

Types of Socks

• Athletic Performance Socks: Primarily worn to enhance a man's physical performance, these socks increase comfort levels and can even help a snow sport enthusiast avoid frostbite. Varieties include the simple sport cotton tube socks to the low-cut running socks with strong sweat wicking properties to specialty designed skiing socks meant to wick moisture and trap heat.
• Dress Socks: Meant to be worn with men's suits or casual clothing, these usually stick to darker colours i.e. black, charcoal grey, medium grey, bottle green, brown and burgundy. Lighter shades like tan work well with lighter clothing. The classic argyle remains the most traditional pattern used.
• Protective Socks: These utilise heavier weaves and higher concentrations of insulating fibres to enhance extremity protection. Socks of this type include wet suit footwear that keeps the feet warm even if they are wet.