S&D socks, anyone?

[TrailofTears]

I did a little searching, but couldn't find much in the way of information on socks in the S&D forum. I was just interested in hearing/seeing a little of what people like and don't like in terms of socks with denim and casual wear. I know that most people on S&D don't really expand their color palette past black, white, and blue/indigo, but I'd be curious to see some pics of people's favorites. Personally, I have a hard time figuring out what socks to wear with various casual outfits and I can't imagine that I'm the only one. This doesn't need to become an "Official" thread or anything, but I think it could be a good resource and an easy place to put questions about the hidden-but-oh-so-essential layer of footwear.

Potential topics:

- Color
- Pattern
- Material
- Brands
- Length

All very interesting stuff, to be sure...Anyways, let's discuss.

 

[whodini]

There's only one pair I need and Mauro has it.

 

[HEWSINATOR]

I just wear an off-white, tan coloured pair pretty well every day.

 

[Lachy]

I love Paul Smith socks. Some interesting patterns and colours. I don't like plain socks too much, seems a little boring to me.

 

[Pangolin]

I mostly wear Gap socks because I can't see myself paying more for that on my student budget. I need to find warm socks for the winter though, my feet are freezing in the snow.

 

[Lel]

I never wear white socks unless I am working out. If I run out of non-white socks, I go sockless. That's how adamant I am.

Unfortunately, I am also broke so if you need cheap non-white socks (and I do mean cheap) you can't go wrong with Old Navy when sales times hit. Lot's of socks that can go as low as $1, or 2 for $1. Normally expect between the $1-$5 range and since they tend to get snatched up quickly, anything below 4 is a pretty good deal IMO. They're cheap and don't last the longest but you should have enough that it doesn't become a problem.

As with the actual socks themselves, anything goes. I prefer simply stripes, repeating patterns, interesting "texture" look (think NdG knits but in various colors), essentially everything as long as it is not plain.

Lengthwise they usually fully extend to mid calf as most of my shoes at ankle boots.

I should post a picture to give you an idea of the variety and fun you can have with socks. When I feel I have enough of everything else I will probably save up $100 and go crazy and "nice" sock brands (as others have mentioned, Paul Smith) but for now I am set. There's also an added bonus of no one really seeing them except for yourself and at best, they catch a glimpse (which IMO is the best kind of detail).

 

[TrailofTears]

Originally Posted by Lachy

I love Paul Smith socks. Some interesting patterns and colours. I don't like plain socks too much, seems a little boring to me.

Originally Posted by Lel

I never wear white socks unless I am working out. If I run out of non-white socks, I go sockless. That's how adamant I am.

Unfortunately, I am also broke so if you need cheap non-white socks (and I do mean cheap) you can't go wrong with Old Navy when sales times hit. Lot's of socks that can go as low as $1, or 2 for $1. Normally expect between the $1-$5 range and since they tend to get snatched up quickly, anything below 4 is a pretty good deal IMO. They're cheap and don't last the longest but you should have enough that it doesn't become a problem.

As with the actual socks themselves, anything goes. I prefer simply stripes, repeating patterns, interesting "texture" look (think NdG knits but in various colors), essentially everything as long as it is not plain.

Lengthwise they usually fully extend to mid calf as most of my shoes at ankle boots.

I should post a picture to give you an idea of the variety and fun you can have with socks. When I feel I have enough of everything else I will probably save up $100 and go crazy and "nice" sock brands (as others have mentioned, Paul Smith) but for now I am set. There's also an added bonus of no one really seeing them except for yourself and at best, they catch a glimpse (which IMO is the best kind of detail).

I'm also a fan of socks that are a bit of fun, but I'm not always sure when they are appropriate and when they are tacky. I really like PS socks, but I'm rarely sure when I should/should not be wearing them. Are you guys wearing multi-colored socks with white sneaks? Brown boots?

Also, I would like to hear people's opinions on when "matching" colors are appropriate vs. when "clashing" colors are okay. How do you pair colored socks with your overall outfit and colors? Thanks.

Oh, and pics as examples would be much appreciated.

 

[Meis]

I'm poor...and well nobody sees my socks most of the time so I keep it cheap. During warm weather I just avoid shoes I need to wear socks w/, which isn't hard except for running...
During the winter I switch among: mid-calf black athletic socks, a pair of thick wool ragg socks, some cheap h&m argyle socks, and some jcrew-sale argyle socks. It'd be easier if I wasn't an 8...as the 'fits sizes 6-12' socks don't work so well if you're on the smaller end of that range.

 

[constant struggle]

Really i'd like to just have panthrellas for both SW and MC.

 

[korce]

Simon's (department store in Montreal) has some great wool blend socks under their house brand name. They're not super heavy weight, but much warmer than wearing cotton still, and come in a variety of fun patterns & colors. Retail is under $10 CDN. I have about 6 or so pairs of these, which are my favorite SW&D socks for fall and winter. I wish you could buy them here in Toronto...I pick up a few pairs every time I'm visitng friends in MTL.

 

[AlanC]

Check out Banana Republic at the end of season clearance. Their socks are always marked down to $2-$3/pair with some interesting and vibrant options.

 

[skunkworks]

I was at a local Nordstrom Rack yesterday and they had a wall full of Panthrellas for $10 and also Robert Talbott socks in nice colors/patterns for $6. I bought 7 pairs

So check your local Nordstrom Rack!

 

[Stazy]

My favorite socks are a pair of red cashmere socks by Marcoliani. So warm.

 

[CharlieAngel]

Gold Toe makes up about 99% of my socks. I don't like getting too creative with my socks for the most part.

I've got about 18 pairs of black athletic crew socks, 18 pairs of white athletic crew socks, 2 "khaki/tan" crews (a little thinner than the athletics) and a pair of brown in the same material as the khakis (got em in a 3 pack). I'd say for the money, Gold Toe has never let me down. They don't sag nearly the way cheap Target socks are prone to do, same with some "fancy" dress socks I used to own, and the top elastic doesn't bust nearly as easily. In fact, I can't think of the last time I had the elastic top bust since I switched to Gold Toe...

*hrm.. that sounded very astro-turfy. I assure you it's not. I just like my Gold Toe socks. I also like Calvin Klein boxer briefs (although my haynes are okay, they "sag" too much) and my CK undershirts. It's a personal pref thing, I guess.

 

[Johnny Amiga]

Relatively cheap and some of the designs are rather nice. Quality is nothing special, but not too bad either.

http://www.happysocks.com