Ask dapperQ: How to Wear Cool Socks?

Welcome back to Ask dapperQ, where we answer all of your fashion questions. A reader asks:

I recently attended a wedding and all the dandies were sporting cool socks. Meanwhile, when I sat down and my socks peeked out from under my pants, it revealed one solid pool of black. How do I wear cool socks? How do I match them with my outfits?

I saved this question as a follow-up to our dress shoe post. And, it’s a great question, because socks are one of the most inexpensive ways to rev up an outfit, especially if you’re on a budget. Forget solid black/blue/gray/brown dress socks that make your outfit look “robotic.” Forget thick athletic socks, unless you’re going to the gym.

Here are some guidelines to help you as you venture into the world of socks:

  1. Match your socks with your pants, not your shoes! This helps elongate your leg.
  2. No leg should ever show! It doesn’t matter if your pants are a traditional length or skinny-high-rise-hipster length – make sure there is enough pant or sock fabric to cover your leg completely…even when sitting!
  3. If you’re not ready for polka dots and owls, ease into it by picking a solid stand-out color that roughly matches your ensemble.
  4. Pay attention to fabric texture. Your socks should be in the same texture family as your pants.
  5. Take color cues from the rest of your outfit. If your bow-tie has hint of orange stripes, you can wear socks matching your tie’s “color story.” (Ask Ariel about “color stories.”) Got a little purple in your pocket square? Go for socks with a hue in the purple family.
  6. Dive into dandy with bold colors and big patterns if you’re ready for the challenge.

Now, here are some examples of street style sock lovin’:

More ideas? Show us how you wear your socks by uploading a pic on our Facebook page.

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