The Rules To Wearing Men’s Socks

Too many men are spoiling great outfits by wearing the wrong kind of socks. And guys, there aren’t a ton of sock rules to remember, but there are a specific few that are key to making sure you look well put-together. For example, some socks are only for specific occasions and certain colors should only be worn with specific outfits. Are you starting to question your sock choices yet?

To make sure you’re not sabotaging your own style, take a glance at these simple sock rules and make an effort to apply them the next time you get dressed.

White Socks Not For Dress Clothes

One of the most violated sock rules — wearing white socks with dress clothes. Just the other day, in fact, I saw a carefully groomed man wearing a quality black suit with black dress shoes. He looked great, but when he sat down, two inches of white socks poked out of his shoes. This instantly downgraded his appeal and look into a sloven amateur.

If you’re going to the gym, white socks are fine. They’re also fine if you’re playing sports outdoors or going on a run. Apart from physical activities, however, white socks are a big NO. So take the time to section off your sock drawer to keep black socks and other dress socks separate from your white ones and workout attire.

Wear Dress Socks For Dress Shoes

If you’re going to wear dress shoes, you simply cannot wear athletic socks — no matter what color they are. It’s not enough that your socks are black either. The reason for this rule is as follows: Athletic socks are often bulkier than dress socks since they’re usually made of heavier cotton or other materials, so they tend to bunch over dress shoes. Plus, athletic socks are frequently ribbed and the contrast of cheap, ribbed socks against smooth, high-quality dress shoes looks odd. Instead, wear dress socks with dress shoes. They’ll be easier to slip into your shoes and the finer, thinner material ensures any attention focused on your foot area will remain on your sharp shoes.

Keep attention on your face, not your feet.

Your Socks For Your Pants, Not Your Shoes

When wearing dress pants or casual pants apart from jeans, the color of your socks should be dictated by the color of your pants and NOT by the shade of your shoes. Black pants should obviously go with black socks, and brown pants with brown socks. The same goes for blue and gray pants. Choose your socks carefully for pants in other hues.

Try out a few pairs of socks in order to determine which socks match best with your pants. If you’re in doubt, a darker color tends to work better. It’s important to match socks with your pants because if they are ever exposed, those that coordinate with your pants make your outfit appear more fluid and sophisticated. On the other hand, socks that don’t match your pants will break up an otherwise awesome ensemble.

Wear Your Socks Pulled Straight Up

Aside from looking like you’re stuck in the ’80s, rolling your socks down around your ankles looks downright sloppy. Folding your socks looks slightly neater than rolling them, but it’s still odd because it makes your ankles appear bulky, especially when you wear slim-cut pants. Wear your socks pulled straight up. Doing so will create a lean, coherent silhouette with even the most narrow-leg pants.

Buy New Socks Often

Buy new socks at least once every six months. You probably don’t need to buy an entire new collection of socks, but you should buy at least three new pairs. Socks go through a lot of wear and tear, and since they’re often not made from the best-quality cotton, they easily get holes.

It seems obvious to say, but too many people wear worn out socks that it warrants comment: Socks with holes make you seem like you were too lazy to buy some new ones (not exactly the impression you want to make on the ladies). In addition, socks that are worn out, have holes or are seriously faded can ruin outfits that otherwise suggest you have a great sense of style.

Do Not Wear Socks With Shorts

Another all too common sock mistake is wearing them with shorts. This inadvertently results in two other faux pas. Inevitably, you’ll have to either roll, fold or scrunch up your socks when you wear them with shorts since you usually don’t wear them pulled straight up your calf — at least we hope not. However, as we’ve already discussed, rolling and folding socks also violates the rules of proper sock etiquette.

Second, wearing socks with shorts visually cuts your leg almost in half, thus making your legs appear shorter and stockier. If your body type is short and athletic-looking to begin with, wearing socks with shorts definitely won’t do your appearance any favors. Since you don’t want to go around wearing shoes without socks, invest in a few pairs of ankle socks that are not overly visible when you wear them with your sneakers. And for the record, steer clear of socks with sandals.

While there aren’t too many sock rules and most of them are pretty obvious (so we hope), a surprising number of people break them every day. Now that you are well aware of the dos and don’ts of sock etiquette, selecting the correct pair of socks should come naturally. –Source

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Originally posted on December 30, 2015 @ 2:16 PM

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