Surprise Find @ Target- Fun, comfy, mid-calf socks (almost OTC). Crazy Cheap!

[NukeMeSlowly]

I am happy that these are too short for me.

 

[Osprey Guy]

As EyTan (EL72) correctly recalls my socks are stored in clear, Tupperware-like containers-organized by color and/or designer. They are kept on 4' shelves that run from the floor to the ceiling, attached to the wall behind the bedroom door (The shelves are blocked from view when the bedroom door is in the open position). Unfortunately, due to remodeling construction that's currently going on in the bedroom it's rather difficult for me to snap a photo of that setup. The easiest way to explain why I've amassed so many socks is for me to explain about my shirts... I spent most of my career in the graphic design business. Most of our work was focused on high-end corporate identity and communications. 6-figure logos... along with comparable annual reports and "sexy" 4-color brochures. By the late-80's we were flying high and I was dressing the part. Not only did our clients like to be associated with a firm that looked successful, but I learned early-on that the wilder I dressed the better it was for business. My clients liked (and expected?) me to look "artsy." I seldom wore a tie...mostly sport shirts, and I had a lot of them. My clients and associates would almost always take notice of the shirts and would typically comment every time I wore a new one (For a number of years one of my clients was a multi-billion dollar satellite company and the CEO gave me a nickname... whenever he saw me in the halls he would call out to me, "Hey shirts!"). Back in those days (late 80's/early 90's) it wasn't as easy to find well-made, "fun" shirts as it is today. So whenever I saw one that I liked I grabbed it. More often than not it would be by Versace (along the way I bought a lot of other Versace items...suits, jackets, belts, SOCKS, etc). At around the same time, some companies began popping up that were making "fun" socks. And it wasn't long before my clients took notice... They would make a point of saying "wild shirt"... followed by, "Okay, let's see the socks." And my sock collection was off and running... For well over 20 years I've been purchasing an average of 2-4 shirts/month. Almost as many socks. And I have held onto most of them. You do the math. When our daughter moved out a couple of years ago we decided to convert one of the spare bedroom into a closet. And I took over the walk-in closet in the master bedroom....it's pretty much just for my shirts. About 2/3rds of my shirts are kept in there. I recently grabbed a few quick shots with my Blackberry to show to a friend... Here's a typical section. As you can see I've pretty much maxed out the space.

This is just a portion of my Versace shirts (with a few other similar types mixed in):

After all these years, and with all the shirts I own, I'm still buying at that rate. And I still "agonize" over each new shirt I buy. It's an agony that I truly enjoy. Here are a couple of pics I recently took while shopping at Filene's. There were some shirts I was considering so I snapped some photos (I came back the next day and bought both).

Hope I didn't bore you with all that... Dennis

 

[btinl]

No skulls at my Target. I picked up a few fireflies and fish. They also have decent casual socks in a 3 pack for $6...some argyles, etc.

 

[Mentos]

Awesome.

At first I was so iGent that I couldn't compute your shirt collection, but then I realized it rules.

 

[Osprey Guy]

They also have decent casual socks in a 3 pack for $6...some argyles, etc.

The 3/pack socks are not made the same as the individual pairs. Although they don't totally suck, they are definitely not as nice as the socks under discussion in this thread.

Awesome.

At first I was so iGent that I couldn't compute your shirt collection, but then I realized it rules.

Thanks! Dennis

 

[Don Carlos]

Originally Posted by Osprey Guy

A Hope I didn't bore you with all that... Dennis
Just the opposite, actually. Not only are you a great writer with a compelling prose style (totally serious), but your story is great. And though your taste and mine might differ, I totally respect your collection and your approach. You've got a distinct personal style, and that alone puts you head and shoulders above most people here or elsewhere. You, sir, rock. I'm also jealous that you've stayed in consistent enough shape to fit into your shirts over the decades.

As I hinted a bit earlier on, I am much the same way with ties that you are with shirts and socks. I have a collection nearing 300. I strongly suspect it's my visual and artistic sensibility that's responsible for the abundance of ties. I just really get a kick out of visualizing great new shirt/tie pairings. And, once my reptilian brain locks onto a tie I like, there's pretty much no stopping me from buying it. Combine that impulsivity with my refusal to throw away most of my ties, and you've got the makings of a massive collection. I try, to whatever extent I can, to wear as many of the ties as possible. As I'm sure you do with your shirts. No sense in having so many if you're not gonna use 'em, right?

 

[leon12]

I picked up a bunch and am wearing them today. Very nice, thank you.

I really wanted grey skulls and ended up having to go to a second store to find them.

If anyone is still looking, Target's mobile website allows you to search for the socks and check stock at stores in your area. For some reason, the full site does not.

Here is a search for "skull socks":
http://sites.target.com/site/en/spot...cks&category=2

1. Black
2. Grey

 

[designprofessor]

Originally Posted by Master Squirrel

Yes. And unlike most Target stuff, they may actually last through one wash.

hhmm,not my experience. i have several linen shirts that are a decade old and two pairs of seersucker (trim flat fronts in blue /khaki)that are 3 years old -get alot of wear

 

[underwearer]

I saw these a few weeks ago, I had a pair in hand but for whatever reason I didn't pull the trigger. Seems like Target=H&M these days, in a good way.

BTW I dunno whats more disturbing having 400 pairs of socks or knowing you have 400 pairs, that must take at least 1 hour to count.

 

[razl]

First, thanks for the tip! I'll be checking them out this weekend (if you haven't started a run on the market).

Originally Posted by Osprey Guy

As many of you know, I'm almost as fanatic about my sock collection as I am about my sport shirt collection
...
400+ pairs of socks
....
Most of the socks that I've acquired over the years have been of the $35+ variety

So, is my back-of-the-napkin analysis correct in computing ~14K investment in socks? Even if it's over time...wow.

 

[Don Carlos]

Originally Posted by razl

So, is my back-of-the-napkin analysis correct in computing ~14K investment in socks? Even if it's over time...wow.
LOL, yeah. I bet if many of us crunched the numbers on the costs we've sunk into our current wardrobes, we'd be similarly shocked. It's probably a good, disciplinary exercise to go through.

Originally Posted by underwearer

BTW I dunno whats more disturbing having 400 pairs of socks or knowing you have 400 pairs, that must take at least 1 hour to count.

It doesn't sound like he's counted an exact 400, but rather, is giving an estimate based on his length of purchase history, and the frequency and volume of purchases over that history.

 

[MrG]

I picked up some last night. They were pretty light at my store, but I did manage to find some skulls. I didn't realize they had purple skulls, though. I'll have to keep an eye out for those. Maybe I can get someone to proxy for me.

OP is right - they're not quite OTC on me, but they're close. They also don't feel quite as substantial as some others I own, but they're not bad for $2.50. Plus, the selection of funky stuff is great.

Thanks again to the OP for the heads up. There aren't any decent closeout stores in my area, so I always end up paying full retail for stuff like PRL. This is a great alternative, and, even if they last half as long, they're so much cheaper it won't really matter.

 

[my19]

I grabbed five pairs the other night -- a few argyles, the black-and-gray stripes and brown with the dragonfly design. Didn't find the sculls, so it's off to another Target on the way home today.

Thanks for the tip on these ...

 

[Osprey Guy]

So, is my back-of-the-napkin analysis correct in computing ~14K investment in socks? Even if it's over time...wow.

Sounds about right. And a very conservative estimate of over 100K in shirts.....

I'm also jealous that you've stayed in consistent enough shape to fit into your shirts over the decades.

I wish I could say the same for the way I now fit into pants. Happily I've lost 31 lbs over the past 12 months. I was actually starting to push a size 40 when I decided that something had to be done (weight gain due to 35 years of tightly controlled Type 1 Diabetes). I'm now down to a much "slimmer" size 36. BTW-Thanks for the nice comments. Due to the nature of this forum (and so many members in constant pounce/attack mode), you have to really enjoy the nice comments when you get 'em. D-

 

[musicguy]

Just went to Target today and picked up three pairs. Thanks for the heads up. I got two argyle and a firefly one... not much was left. These are better socks than the crappy ones I have from H&M which are rather thin and oddly enough, continue to shrink after many washes.