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c073186

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 2, 2007
821
3
For the guys who wear dress socks to work, does anyone have recommendations on a good brand? I know this may sound like a stupid/little thing, but most dress socks I find very unsatisfactory mainly because either:

- They won't stay up on your leg after a few wearings/washings (lose their elasticity), or
- They are way too long... nearly up to the knee. This feels suffocating to me and gets uncomfortable through the day.

So I'm just looking for something moderately high (high enough to not show any skin including when you're sitting) and something that will keep its elasticity over time.

A selection of (conservative) patterns would be nice (like plaid, argyle, etc.).

Any suggestions.
 

rdowns

macrumors Penryn
Jul 11, 2003
27,397
12,520
I don't wear suits for work anymore but I ditched dress socks for black and blue crew socks. Way more comfortable and they stay up.
 

Meister

Suspended
Oct 10, 2013
5,456
4,310
I wear black dress socks. I buy whatever is cheapest (~1€ a pair) and they never come down.
I get holes quick though. Never get expensive brand socks! Complete waste of $$$.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,410
43,304
I wear white athletic socks and sneakers with my suit. Of course the only time I wear a suit these days is for some sort of social outing. At my age, I figured I have the right to wear what ever I want and I hate wearing dress shoes :)
 

obeygiant

macrumors 601
Jan 14, 2002
4,167
4,082
totally cool
I wear white athletic socks and sneakers with my suit. Of course the only time I wear a suit these days is for some sort of social outing. At my age, I figured I have the right to wear what ever I want and I hate wearing dress shoes :)

The white socks are also a good look with sandals or Birkenstocks.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,410
43,304
The white socks are also a good look with sandals or Birkenstocks.

I've threatened to do out in sandals and socks and my wife nearly has a coronary :p

I don't wear socks with my sandals but its good to push her buttons.
 

puckhead193

macrumors G3
May 25, 2004
9,570
852
NY
i loath dress socks. Much prefer to wear my under armor heat gear no show socks when i'm forced to wear khakis, if a suite then yeah. I normally wear gold toe though
 

colourfastt

macrumors 65816
Apr 7, 2009
1,047
964
After looking at most the answers to this thread, all I have to ask is: do you prefer "fashion victim" or "ensembly challenged"?
 

vrDrew

macrumors 65816
Jan 31, 2010
1,376
13,412
Midlife, Midwest
With very few exceptions (and I mean very few) a gentleman should be wearing socks with a suit, or indeed any dress clothes.

The rule of thumb (or calf) is that a gentleman should never expose leg skin when wearing dress pants. Nobody wants to see your dead-white hairy shins when you sit down to dinner. Nobody wants to see your bronzed, smooth, tautly-muscled shins either. No shins outside the basketball court or swimming pool. Got that?

Upholding this rule can be tricky if you don't like the feel of full-length, knee high socks. Ditto for the rule of not liking socks that tend to slide down. A glance at the anatomy of the normal human lower leg will tell you why.

With the forgoing in mind here are my suggestions:

1) Match the color of your socks to your suit/trousers. And you usually can't go wrong with black.

2) Buy good quality ankle-dress length socks. Wool is better than cotton, which is better than nylon/poly. Gold-Toe is a reasonably-priced good quality brand. Buy silk blends if you are wealthy and/or really want to make a splash.

3) Socks last longer if you cut your toenails regularly. Every week to ten days at the minimum. Don't walk about on hard floors wearing socks. And wash them properly: A knit cycle, warm water, mild-detergent. Air dry if possible - light cycle in the dryer otherwise.

4) Once you find a brand/cut that you like: But at least a week's worth (ie. five pairs) identical. This makes pairing them up after drying much easier.

5) Throw away any sock showing signs of age or distress. Holes in the toe or heels won't get any better. And once elastic starts to sag its time to replace. Next to stained or torn underwear, shabby-looking socks make you look like a sad man. Unappealing to any potential (or extant) romantic partner. (Its rarely worth the time or effort to darn or otherwise attempt to repair socks. Although at one time people actually did.)

A good pair of socks ought to last at least a year. And a five-pack of a good brand can be purchased for less than $30. Sixty cents a week seems like a very low price indeed to pay for a worry-free sock experience.
 

rdowns

macrumors Penryn
Jul 11, 2003
27,397
12,520
I've threatened to do out in sandals and socks and my wife nearly has a coronary :p

I don't wear socks with my sandals but its good to push her buttons.



Socks with sandals is the only 100% effective contraceptive.
 

G51989

macrumors 68030
Feb 25, 2012
2,530
10
NYC NY/Pittsburgh PA
For the guys who wear dress socks to work, does anyone have recommendations on a good brand? I know this may sound like a stupid/little thing, but most dress socks I find very unsatisfactory mainly because either:

- They won't stay up on your leg after a few wearings/washings (lose their elasticity), or
- They are way too long... nearly up to the knee. This feels suffocating to me and gets uncomfortable through the day.

So I'm just looking for something moderately high (high enough to not show any skin including when you're sitting) and something that will keep its elasticity over time.

A selection of (conservative) patterns would be nice (like plaid, argyle, etc.).

Any suggestions.


Honestly, I've bought tons of brands, high and low end. The only difference is that the cheap stuff tends to not last as long and wear out easily, I've also had issues during long meetings of the cheap black socks filling themselves with sweat, and feeling mushy, and turning darker once I take my shoes off, even the washing machine can't fix that.

Go mid to high range price wise, your feet will thank you.
 

Meister

Suspended
Oct 10, 2013
5,456
4,310
A good pair of socks ought to last at least a year. And a five-pack of a good brand can be purchased for less than $30. Sixty cents a week seems like a very low price indeed to pay for a worry-free sock experience.
I cut my toenails very regularly, but my socks never last a year.
I can wear them about 5 to 10 times before they are done.

I've worn birkenstocks and white socks to life changing meetings successfully.
 

panerista

macrumors G5
Oct 20, 2011
12,679
10,516
Austin, TX
Don't wear men's dress socks anymore :)

Don't need them with a pair of these:
mens-black-deer-n7217.1.400x239.jpg
 

jca24

macrumors 6502a
Jul 28, 2010
825
129
DFW
I've threatened to do out in sandals and socks and my wife nearly has a coronary :p

I don't wear socks with my sandals but its good to push her buttons.

Socks with sandals is just wrong, wrong!!

I like to push my wife's button...at night, ;)and the other ones during the day :eek:

Polo and gold toe have served me well though the years.
 
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