Dress Socks

[leighton]

Yes, I know. Weird topic. But one that apparently does not have a thread of its own. Unless its under a different name, but I would like to think I'm pretty good at googling.

Anyway, what are everyone's favorite brands of dress socks? Which ones are better? What makes a better sock?

I'm using the regular Gold Toes now, every other sock in that price range that I've tried has proven to be either uncomfortable or really sweaty. I'm hoping there is a better option.

[Mr. Scruffy]

You've already found the Holy Grail of hosiery and its toes are golden.
I'm wearing a pair of their argyles right now, haven't had to pull them up once today.

[Doc4]

I am very pleased with my Pantherella OTC socks.

[The Knize]

I kind of agree with M Scruffy. I pretty much stick with Golden Toe. So what is not to like about them? I used to get the over-the-calf size, and I guess I still prefer them that way, but, frankly, Costco seems to constantly have the regular length at such a good price, I have found it hard to justify going with the longer version. Mostly I like the longer version because they stay up better. But I find that the regular Golden Toes do a pretty good job of staying up.

What makes a better sock? Well, one that stays up even after a few washings. That is biggest problem I remember having. Socks that became shapeless and tended to droop to one's ankles after a few washings. Socks that do not seem to pill up and collect all sorts of lint when washed seem like a plus. It has been a long time since I have worn a sock that seemed sweaty or that shrank up excessively, but if they are still out there, I do not like them. (For all I know, Golden Toe makes a 100% nylon sock. I would not like the look of them and I would expect them to be sweaty.) I guess I like a sock that is supposed to be opaque to be thick enough in all the right places to actually be opaque. I would not want anything so thick that the socks bunched up or filled up my shoes excessively, but it is hard to imagine that really happening with a standard dress sock. I guess I have had an occasional sock that got runs, but that seems like an unusual problem, too.

I guess I have had dress socks that were partly cotton that tended to get kind of bleached out looking. There was a time when I would highly favor all wool socks, or socks with a high proportion of wool, but whatever Golden Toe is using these days that seems to be all synthetic seems to do pretty well in all respects.

[leighton]

Yeah...the cheap cheap price of costco has deterred me from searching for a "better" sock. My only problem really is that the socks tend to feel sweaty and would prefer a sock size that fits my feet better, rather than one size fits six.

[Doc4]

Putting 2 and 2 together here ... is Golden Toe from Costco?

[leighton]

Putting 2 and 2 together here ... is Golden Toe from Costco?

Costco has their kirkland brand, so I'm fairly certain GT is not Costco. BUT, it seems that virtually all costcos stock the GT dress socks.

[The Knize]

<My only problem really is that the socks tend to feel sweaty and would prefer a sock size that fits my feet better, rather than one size fits six. >

Over time Costco has had GT socks made with different types of materials, I have noticed. Maybe you are having a different experience with the all synthetic ones than I am. I was afraid they might not breath very well. I think before this latest round where I am Costco had GT is some kind of wool blend that I actually liked a bit better and you might like a lot better.

Before I bought from Costco I actually used to order up big batches of GT socks from time to time on line. I do not recall whether it was Amazon itself or some store associated with Amazon that sold through Amazon, but I remember they would have GTs on sale at what seemed at the time--before Costco started carrying them--truly excellent prices, and I could get exactly the length of sock and the wool blend that I wanted.

Hate to keep leading you back to GT, but I wonder if you couldn't what works better from you that way.

In the past I ordered socks from places like Lands End, that were advertised as great, but never were very good from my perspective. Maybe LE has gotten better. I end ordered very expensive socks made by someone famous in Europe, etc., that did not seem so great. I suppose they might have been especially soft and as I recall some brand has lots and lots of sizes.

There must be someone out there besides GT!

[jones2289]

Call me a hillbilly, but I despise dress socks. I buy black athletic socks to wear with dress shoes, and no one can tell the difference. I will say that of the dress socks that I do own, I like the Gold Toes the best.

[mk-ultra]

Another vote for Gold Toe.

[Doc4]

Call me a hillbilly, but I despise dress socks. I buy black athletic socks to wear with dress shoes, and no one can tell the difference. I will say that of the dress socks that I do own, I like the Gold Toes the best.

Hillbilly!!




(well, he asked for it ... )

[JonDC]

You can't go wrong with Gold Toe.

Maybe I'm hard on socks, but I find that the cotton ones look worn and old very fast. I stick with the nylon ones, which wear better.

[Kouros]

Brioni socks are the bomb, but at $40/pair are quite prohibitive as well.

[ProphetNoir]

Pantherella.

[LeverTime]

Surprisingly (to me, because I don't like anything else they sell), Old Navy makes some decent socks, and they are frequently on sale for a decent price. I like argyle, and they have a huge selection. I've only tried the "Made in Korea" ones, but I like them.

I've tried a few expensive socks, and I didn't think any of them were worth even close to what they cost.

[leighton]

What about nylon v. wool? Don't think I've ever tried nylon socks. Polyester yes, bamboo, yes. Nylon, no.

[Nicks&Cuts]

I just make sure that my socks match my trousers and not (necessarily) my shoes. Oh wait, maybe its the other way around. Darn it, I hate it when that happens!

[danstar250]

I'm not brand loyal, but OTC is the only way I roll when it comes to my dress socks.

[The Knize]

What about nylon v. wool? Don't think I've ever tried nylon socks. Polyester yes, bamboo, yes. Nylon, no.

Shear all nylon, like some tux socks or some blend of wool and nylon?

Former is very hip and old school in some groups. Need garters though. They fall down. Not business wear

[wilsonent]

I have a Brooks Brothers outlet not too far away, and I have found they last a long time. I wear the ones that are thin on the legs, but thicker in the heal and toe. Little more expensive than Golden Tow, but not nearly as sweaty.