The Dressing Bell: Thoughts on socks

A joyful deep dive into the sock drawer

Jan 10, 2024

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of The Bell!

I’ve been dropping hints about my passion for socks over several previous newsletters and here it is: an entire edition dedicated to that oft-overlooked but all-important wardrobe staple: the sock.

Prologue: Before socks

If you were a tween/teen in the 2000s to early 2010s, you remember how uncool socks were. We would go out without socks in winter, as surely as we’d go out without a coat in the snow—they would both “ruin” your outfit. We were obsessed with no-show “footie” socks, and accepted our fate that we’d constantly be fishing around inside our shoes to pull the heels back up after they slipped down. (Walk for ten minutes, repeat.)

Socks (or the lack thereof) were an important part of my high school uniform—and my high school social quagmire. I believe that the more strict the dress code, the more significance the small areas of freedom of expression take on.

We were required to wear black or brown leather shoes, so girls mostly wore footies or below-the-ankle socks underneath. So weird in retrospect to have a bare leg ending in a clunky leather shoe with absolutely no transition. I remember browsing the hosiery section of my local department store (definitely not targeted to my age group) and scrounging for the handful of minimalist sock options they carried. This was before you could order anything you wanted online. Bleak times.

Then, there were Tuesdays when we went to chapel and had to wear “formal uniform.” We swapped out our polos and sweatshirts for button-down oxfords and blazers, and girls had a choice between knee-highs or tights. The cool girls wore tights even on warm weather formal uniform days, again, to give the appearance of a sockless existence. Sheer, nude tights were big—because they followed the dress code technically, while breaking it in spirit. Not being cool, I wore a lot of knee-highs or black opaque tights.

We also wore the lightest-weight, most low-profile shoes we were allowed to get away with. I think we even pushed it to ballet flats at some point. Doc Martens were in during middle school, definitely out in high school. It was all about a barely-there foot, I guess.

I would bet you a lot of money that if I dropped into that high school today, the girls will all be wearing crisp, white ankle socks with a chunky-soled black patent loafer. Some of them might even have the Prada loafers that started it all. I will not place any bets on whether they wear coats in the winter. Not feeling the cold might just be a teenager thing.

(This Clueless clip felt relevant.)

Now in my thirties, my feet hardly ever go sockless, except on the hottest of summer days. Part of it I can attribute to getting older and more self-assured. For the rest, I do thank the changing tides of trend that make our eyes like to see a sock again.

This is going to read like one long ad for Bombas, which it is not. They just make a great product. From tallest to shortest, here we go. My thoughts on socks:

Knee-high socks

While I may not be doing the schoolgirl knit knee-high with a plaid skirt anymore, a key category of sock is a knee-high made of tights material. Say you’re wearing a trouser that covers the top of your shoe while standing (so the sock is not an intentional part of your look) but when you sit, the hem of the pants rises up to reveal some leg. You do not want a skin gap. You do not want a think woolen sock that clashes with your dressed-up attire. You do not want a calf sock that slides down and pools over your ankle. You need a knee-high.

Men have been wearing these for ages with suits. A knee-high with elastic at the top is a well-designed thing. It grips you at the thin part of your calf below the knee, so it’s unlikely to stretch further and slide down over the wide part of your calf. It stays in place like a charm.

Wolford is where I go for this category, as the gold standard of tights. They are expensive and worth it. They don’t snag, they don’t bag, they don’t shine, they wash beautifully (on delicates, inside a mesh washing bag), and they last forever. Word on the street is that Catherine, Princess of Wales wears this brand for all her tights—and that girl wears tights almost every day of her life.

For a lower price point, I recommend Sheertex. They will not snag, but they have more sheen than Wolford and I like matte.

For an even lower price point, I recommend Italian hosiery brand Calzedonia. They will bag, they will snag, but if you’re okay with replacing your knee-high tights every winter, this is a great option. Also, if you’re looking for colors and patterns! They have it all.

Dotted sheer for $4.50!
Opaque thermal
Burgundy for $2! (More on red socks next)

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March 2023, a burgundy sock to tie into the burgundy scarf and turtleneck I had on underneath. Did I start the red sock trend???

Calf socks

I wear wool calf socks all day, every day, all winter. I even wear them to sleep because my toes get so cold. This is where the Bombas “ad” starts. I have two 4-packs of these in ‘Neutral Mix.’ They have a little elastic so they stay up, even after walking miles all over Boston. The colors are really nice neutrals that go with the rest of my wardrobe. And I like the little textural detail of ribbing at the ankle.

I wear them with casual outfits in cold weather, when I will have some sock showing (usually with cropped jeans and sneakers or ankle boots). Delightfully, fashion girlies are doing this with red socks this winter. I tried it myself and loved the cheerful pop of color at the ankle! Why not! I’m loving this cashmere-blend version from J.Crew, currently on sale, and these are great with a little sparkle.

Via Instagram account @databutmakeitfashion

My only word of caution is that if you walk around your house all day in stocking feet, they will wear holes. I think my sisal carpet is the culprit more than the wood floors. This was easily solved by wearing slippers over socks at home—even cozier, win win! Or you can try these grippy socks, they look promising.

I also sometimes wear a white cotton calf sock over my leggings with sneakers in the summer, and I love the look of a wool calf sock with heeled clogs, scrunched down.

Quarter socks

Now we’re getting into warmer-weather territory. The youths have brought back over-ankle socks when wearing loafers or clogs and it’s such a relief (see Prologue).

White (or colored) cotton ones are adorable with short hemlines for a slightly sporty twist to your outfit. Sheer ones are nice to bridge the gap in weather that’s too cold for bare ankles and too warm for wool socks.

I don’t think the quarter sock + skin gap + midi skirt is ideal here, but I took a risk on a spring day that was a little late for tights and a little early for bare legs. The skirt should be shorter to make the most of the sock look.

The same pair of quarter socks, worn in the fall.

Ankle socks

Otherwise known as, sporty socks! I pretty much only wear a sock cut right under the ankle with my athletic sneakers, when exercising.

Bombas are, of course, the best. I have a zillion pairs of these, split between the French and Boston houses. And I go colorful; I think it’s fun to have that little bright heel tab peeking out over my gym shoes. These are specifically designed for running.

No-show socks

These days, I prefer not to be barefoot in shoes, except sandals. Occasionally, I’ll do talcum powder, but if you’re asked to take your shoes off in someone else’s house, the white footprints (and white powder-encrusted bare foot) are embarrassing.

So, there is a place for no-show socks: lightweight shoes where you would otherwise be barefoot, like ballet flats, loafers, and canvas sneakers.

Bombas to the rescue here, too. They actually stay up and come in several colors approximating skin tones.

Super low-profile (for ballet flats)
Slightly higher (for sneakers and loafers)

A moving van on the highway was probably not the place to rock Gucci loafers with no-show socks, but as the truck in front of us says, Vive La France. And yes, those are Piment d’Espelette + goat cheese flavored chips. They’re fantastic. The Prince cookies are my husband’s thing, a favorite from childhood.

Epilogue: Socks, and…

There comes a time in every woman’s life when she throws caution to the wind and slips her socked foot into a shoe that is not designed to be worn with socks. Socks and Birks. Socks and Crocs. We’ve all done it, we’ve all felt the tickle of guilt followed by giddy effervescence, as if we’ve just gotten away with a petty crime. We are rebels. We are icons of the counterculture.

Until we realize that no sirens are blaring in the distance. The fashion police are not on their way to lock us up. There are simply no rules anymore about what’s cool and what’s not. If you wear just about anything with enough confidence, you’re good. Enjoy your life. Wear socks and sandals.

30’s Jane would like to tell teen Jane to just wear the socks, girl. Cold feet are not worth fitting in. You successfully didn’t peak in high school—and that’s worth celebrating.

At long last, I think I’ve said all I have to say on the subject of socks! Tell me your thoughts on socks in the comments. I would love to hear from you.

The Bell