Never be naked in just your socks (and other guidelines)
Marshall Roy — October 19, 2009 @ 9:11 am
Shoes? Check.But what about what comes between the two? Most men own a few pairs of black and/or gray socks that they wear with business attire. Nothing wrong with that, but aren’t you curious about your other options?
(This goes without saying, but just for the record: Unless you are Fred Astaire, white socks are for sneakers ONLY. Preferably only when exercising, too. Choose black or gray for casual wear, even with jeans.)
Read on to expand your dress sock horizons.
When it comes to socks, you can always play it safe by choosing solid colors that match your trousers. SmartWool and J. Crew are great places to find these simple staples.
Then again, like umbrellas, it’s an area where if you have more of an inclination toward nontraditional colors, you should indulge. In public, no one sees more than an inch or two of your socks, so think of them as any other accent piece, like a tie or pocket square. Choosing dark colors that complement your trousers is a great way to start—for example, deep purple socks with navy pants (or dark jeans) is regal, interesting, and has personality without gaudiness.
When you want to get a little more advanced, you can try wearing socks a bit lighter than your trousers. Sky blue, lavender, light gray, champagne, and muted pinks are definitely on the table, but they’re trickier to find, and may require moving to a higher price bracket. I found a few nice options from Paul Smith and Pantherella (the latter of which is renowned for ridiculously luxurious socks in cashmere, silk, and the like).
The same rules apply when it comes to patterns, you’re just dealing with more colors. Make sure each color of the pattern is a welcomed player in the overall look. Solids with flecks of color throughout are great, as is argyle. Don’t be afraid of wearing something totally outrageous if you feel like it, but consider your audience. You want to appear expressive and fun, not clownish, or like you’re just trying to get attention!
12 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Great post. I’d love to have a listing of recommended sock/shoe/belt styles and colors to go with a given pair of Bonobos. It could even just be part of the product page, I guess.
[Reply]
Marshall Roy Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Brad—
Agree 100%! We’re brainstorming on how to incorporate something of a “recommendation engine” on our product pages that extends beyond just pants and polo shirts. We’ve got mighty plans for 2010! One step at a time, though….
[Reply]
Marshall,
Definitely fun to rock out some patterns and different colors. I mix it up once in a while outside of the socks matching the pants dress code by throwing in a few days of sock to tie matching. Especially in a conservative work environment – considering you dont always have a chance to be too daring fashionwise – it makes it that much cooler.
Any suggestions on retailers to take a look at for moderately priced options?
[Reply]
I like happysocks. Ever check them out?
[Reply]
I’ve had good luck with a few retailers of wild socks in the past – Top Man, Smart Turnout, and HappySocks. Happy socks are really reasonable compared to Paul Smith at 10 a pair and free shipping.
http://www.happysocks.com/
http://www.smartturnout.com/products/socks.html
For your standard socks – I found an awesome bonobos-esque company in black socks – they make an awesome product!
http://blacksocks.com/
[Reply]
Great post Marshall; love the new thematic direction of the blog.
I would throw in Banana Republic and Uniqlo (if you’re in NYC or other parts of the world) for cheaper options as well (FYI Kyle).
I’ve worn the Banana Republic socks I purchased back in March (http://www.acuriousmonogram.com/2009/03/stocking-stuffers.html) like crazy and they’re still holding up really well. Can’t beat the value proposition considering high quality; and they typically go on sale pretty often. Most importantly though, they have just the right amount of elasticity to help them stay up throughout the day. The elasticity hasn’t faded with wash/use either, which is my most common complaint about socks.
[Reply]
alright, so we’ve talked about pants, shorts, trunks, polos, dress shirts, outerwear, undies, shoes, and now socks. the only thing i can think of that’s left is under shirts. if you all know of a company that makes under shirts that are pit stain resistant, write a blog, post it on facebook, tweet it all day, send us personal emails. other than stinky gym shoes, this is one of the purest downfalls of every single guy’s wardrobe. we all have the drawer full of crew and v-neck hanes or fruit of the loom white t-shirts; each of which has ugly yellow stains in the underarm area. we need help here.
sorry to get off the topic of socks….
[Reply]
mark Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 12:40 am
Change your deodorant…it is not the shirts fault.
You can also soak your shirts in oxiclean (the powder kind).
[Reply]
Don Richman Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 12:52 am
mjl – this isn’t an issue with the undershirt, it’s an issue with your deodorant combining with bacteria in your sweat. Switch to a different deodorant without aluminum-based compounds in it (most antiperspirants, vs. deodorants are aluminum-based). I use Old Spice High Endurance stick and never have the yellow issue. If anything, sometimes it’s blue from the color of the deodorant, but it comes out in a normal wash cycle.
Best way to get rid of yellow pit stains is OxiClean though (yes, OxiClean, of informercial fame).
On a related undershirt note, I was just informed of the best new undershirt concept – an a-shirt, v-neck hybrid. Gentlemen, hate to break it to you, but crew neck undershirts should really only be worn when wearing a tie. An undershirt, just like underwear, should never be seen or heard from when fully clothed. V-necks are the way to go with one button open for work, only the issue I’ve found is that when unbuttoning some shirts in a more casual setting (2 buttons undone), the neck creeps up on occasion. I’ve taken to cutting some of my v-necks to make them a little deeper v (but avoiding the man cleavage look – bizarre trend in my opinion), but it looks like this style could solve the issue.
http://www.theushirt.com/
[Reply]
Don Richman Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 12:54 am
Mark – eerie timing with the same suggestion.
[Reply]
I totaly agree with Troy, for the price Happy Socks are amazing !
No wonder why you find them in most of the best stores in the US (Opening Ceremony, Barneys….)
[Reply]
I used to have the strict socks-match-trouser creed. Now i’ve switched to socks-match-shirt.
[Reply]