A guide to wearing socks

By Todd Sample

For many men, socks are one of the most overlooked parts of the overall look.

While appreciated for keeping the feet dry and free from abrasion, how or even whether those tubes of cotton or wool we slip on our feet every day should play a role in expressing one’s style isn’t, for most men, high on the list of considerations when putting an outfit together.

This may be true because compared to a suit, shirt or pants, socks are the least consistently visible part of an outfit.

However, anyone residing in Korea knows that once indoors, there are many occasions when we have to remove our shoes - be it at home or at a restaurant. Thus, we should be aware of some of the basic things to keep in mind regarding our socks.

First and foremost, make sure your socks are the same color and have no holes.

It may sound simple, but wearing mismatched socks is something almost every man has done.

There are fewer situations more embarrassing in Korea when you’re invited to someone’s house and upon walking into the living room, everyone there can see that you’re sporting one blue and one brown sock. Even worse is when one of your toes is sticking through a big hole.

Once we have those key points down, we can move on to color.

In order to maintain the continuity of color from our pants down to the shoes, the basic rule is to wear a pair of socks that matches the color of the pants- simple and easy.

A visit to any men’s store nowadays proves that men are no longer simply wearing standard sock colors, but multi-colored socks with all kinds of patterns woven into them.

In fact, injecting a touch of color into our hosiery isn’t as harrowing as it may seem.

An age-old rule of thumb is to match the color of the socks with that of our neckwear. The idea is that there is some kind of common color theme throughout the outfit. For example, if you envision a navy suit paired with sky blue check shirt and a pink tie, an acceptable sock choice would be one with a navy base and a pink polka dot or stripe. To really be noticed, reverse the dominant base color and try a pink sock with a navy polka dot.

The length of the sock is also something we should pay attention to.

Simply put, when seated, no one wants to see any part of your hairy leg sticking out between the bottom of your pant leg and the top of your sock. If hose, the top of which should rest above the calf, are too long for comfort, try finding socks that at least reach the bottom of the calf. Ankle socks with suits are a big no-no.

As is true with suit fabric, socks also come in a variety of thicknesses. Even though thick wool socks may keep your feet warm throughout Korea’s colder months, they should be worn with pants of a similar thickness like wool or corduroy and not with a suit. The more formal the outfit, the thinner the sock should be, with socks worn with a tuxedo being practically sheer.

It’s true that socks are perceived as less of a priority when we dress than a suit, a shirt or a pair of pants. The amount of consideration we give to our socks, however, can determine whether our overall presentation is successful or not.