How to match dress socks?

[Andrew0409]

I'm unclear on how to match sock colors. I wear mostly navy, blue, dark and light grey, and charcoal. I assume I match to the pants and not shoes?

 

[Phileas Fogg]

the traditional and safe method is to match to the slacks. With a suit that’s what I do.

With odd slacks you can mix it up a bit. I never was one for the bright sock fad, but you can certainly go with something multicolored that still picks up on the color of the slacks and adds a few others as well.

 

[Caesar20]

Another option would to keep that dark base color that correlates with the trouser but incorporates a touch of another colour that is repeated somewhere else in your outfit. An example of this may be to wear charcoal based sock with your charcoal suit but maybe include a colored strip or dot which you are wearing in your tie or pocket square.

You also want to keep an eye on the texture and weight of the sock cloth. As a general rule, the finer the material, the dressier the sock. For ensambles that employ thicker materials like knitwear and corduroy, you would want to opt for a thicker sock. Thinner socks like fine silk that have a bit of shine to them would be for more black and white tie occasions.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Color coordination is more with the pants than the shoes. If the pants color and sock color look the same in dim lighting, it should be good enough for most situations. Matching is more the goal in formal dress and interviews. Black pants, too, but that is a can of worms.

 

[Mikey#3]

you want to think of lines and colors. if you match the socks to the trousers, it makes that line longer, usually this is desirable. Occasionally you want to break the line up, if you're wearing dark shoes and light pants, sometimes its better to have a sock that matches the shoe (or is black).

these are guidelines and not rules, so try both and see what you like. i do also like to have the sock match the trousers or be darker.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

As a rule, you should always match your socks with your trousers. It is a common mistake that everyone matches them with the shoes.

not necessarily a rule, but a good starting point.
It depends on the formality of what one is wearing. Matching to slacks is a good start and obviously the “safest” bet.

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

Easy answer: Match the pants.

Option two: match the shoes. This can create a sort of "boot" effect that visually elongates the shoe, but it's generally fine, I wouldn't call it a "mistake."

Option three, a "lighter bridge." Charcoal suit, black shoes, light grey pants.

Option four, intentional contrast. This doesn't meen happy socks with a dumb pattern, it means burgundy or a burnt orange used in a smart way. I can't walk you through too many case-by-case examples, but... try looking at insagramers: @thatguysshoes, @weltandbarrel, @deshellvedge.

Option if you're living in 2010: no show socks with tailoring. Avoid in 2020.

 

[Steve B.]

Totally depends on the occasion. I like to wear fun socks, rarely solid, unless it’s a solemn occasion. It’s fun to match a color or pattern in your socks to one in your tie or pocket square. Maybe even to your face covering in these times of COVID. Just make sure the colors don’t clash with your trousers...

 

[robxznyc]

To match dress socks for traditional formal attire, socks should be a shade darker than the pants. I think the idea is that ankles are an extension of and elongate your legs rather than your feet,

 

[max b]

A good idea could be to match the socks to the color of the tie or the sweater

 

[johng70]

My summarization:
Conservative: socks match trousers, preferably a shade darker
More expression: Treat like a tie - coordinate the socks with the shirt and pants in a complementary fashion

Now, the above is easiest when you don't have a tie or pocket square. Each item you add makes it more complex and you have to make sure everything works together. Conservative socks allow the greatest flexibility in tie selection. If you don't have a tie, you have greater flexibility with sock selection. When you have both, you don't want the tie and socks to clash - you don't want a mess of too many different colors going on. Fortunately for me I very rarely wear a tie anymore. So, socks become my method of expression with the outfit. When I do have to wear suit/tie I tend to wear more conservative socks so the tie becomes my method of expression.