Socks!

Oh, the sorry, sorry state of one of the apparently simpelest portions of my wardrobe. Top notch shoes? Check. Custom shirts, check. Perfect tie, check. Suit or slacks...done. But then, when it comes time for my socks, I have this mismatched drawer full of worthless garbage I should just throw away. Finely dressed gentlemen of B&B...your help please!!

I can never find socks that stay up, so I think I am going with over the calf. I need socks that will work with slacks, khakis, and suits (have casual socks and formal socks).

What is out there? I would like them to look good, feel good, and be well made. Cost is not really a concern....quality isn't free.

I will be forever in your debt for the assistance.

Oh, and PS---I KNOW I've seen threads on here about socks. I tried to search, but just entering "socks" didn't really work.

I bought some gold toe over the calf socks that are mostly mercerized cotton with some nylon at Macy's. They stay up for me. If you want a warmer sock for the winter months you'll have to look for wool or wool blends. I haven't bought any of those yet but I understand Pantherella is a top shelf brand.

Byford makes nice mens socks.

shirt garters are a good way to keep shirts down and socks up.

BTW, anyone have a great online for colorful dress socks? And by that I mean cheap.

BrownShoe said:

BTW, anyone have a great online for colorful dress socks? And by that I mean cheap.

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http://www.joyofsocks.com/products/Bright-Cotton-Dress-Socks-%28Men's).html

Nordstrom has great over the calf socks (their house brand). Great quality and they stay up. They may be a little pricey, but Nordstrom has a men's sale twice a year and you could stock up.

Nordstrom Rack or Saks Off 5th Ave.

Sometimes, you can find what you want at Marshalls and TJ Maxx but usually, I want something that is smooth, not ribbed, and solid colors. Prefer gold toe because I can differentiate between navy and black easier in the morning.

So I went to Macys last night and got a 3 pack of Gold Toe in black, and then two pair of khaki colored Perry Ellis, one in a taupe/light brown/olive hue for olive pants, and then a brown and a navy. No matter the brand, over time, it black loses its color and so does navy, and then they wear out in the heel and back of the heel. So I go cheap and replace them about once a year. I have tried nylon ones (Metropolitan in the gold toe line) but they do not feel as nice as cotton. Oh, also got two dark charcoal socks to go with grey, and they are a tad darker than my pants.

The hard thing to do is match pants with socks. Easy for black or navy pants, but usually with olive or khaki you get a shade lighter or darker. And then with say taupe/black houndstooth, what do you do? Brown or black? I tend to have half my socks black, maybe 9 pair out of 20.

Thanks gents! I think I need to hit the mall for something pretty soon anyway, I'll check out Nordstroms.

I hate to hijack this thread but this is about socks as well. My problem with socks is that I have never found any that fit right. I pull them on and the heel of the sock is hanging out with my achilles tendon. Then, I put shoes on and the heel is completely out of the shoe. What gives? Do these from Nordstrom or Saks have sizes? Do socks from other places have sizes? Or should I be wearing my socks loose in the foot, so that the heel lines up right?

MacBraun said:

I hate to hijack this thread but this is about socks as well. My problem with socks is that I have never found any that fit right. I pull them on and the heel of the sock is hanging out with my achilles tendon. Then, I put shoes on and the heel is completely out of the shoe. What gives? Do these from Nordstrom or Saks have sizes? Do socks from other places have sizes? Or should I be wearing my socks loose in the foot, so that the heel lines up right?

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Dave, I'm glad you jumped in! The two pairs of socks I have that DO stay up (over the calf) have had that exact smae issue you mention! I'd love to hear what the guys have to say!

J2010 said:

I understand Pantherella is a top shelf brand.

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Yes!!

M80 said:

Byford makes nice mens socks.

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Yes!

MacBraun said:

I hate to hijack this thread but this is about socks as well. My problem with socks is that I have never found any that fit right. I pull them on and the heel of the sock is hanging out with my achilles tendon. Then, I put shoes on and the heel is completely out of the shoe. What gives? Do these from Nordstrom or Saks have sizes? Do socks from other places have sizes? Or should I be wearing my socks loose in the foot, so that the heel lines up right?

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Those socks are too big.

Most (well, all the ones I've ever seen) dress socks are made with 'sizes' such as M, L, XL or the like, each meant to cover a range of shoe sizes. Maybe you grabbed one size too big? Maybe you found a "one size mis-fits all" sock? Either way, you need to move to sized socks and get the right size.

http://www.pantherella.co.uk/size_guide.htm?cms_id=162

Once you find the style of sock that fits and stays up, they key is to make the sock an extension of your whole leg--it needs to match the trouser/pant as closely as possible. It should be one long line from your belt to whatever part of your shoe shows when you're standing. And never let your bare leg show when you cross your legs--if that means over-the-calf, so be it.

Doc4 said:

Those socks are too big.

Most (well, all the ones I've ever seen) dress socks are made with 'sizes' such as M, L, XL or the like, each meant to cover a range of shoe sizes. Maybe you grabbed one size too big? Maybe you found a "one size mis-fits all" sock? Either way, you need to move to sized socks and get the right size.

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I am glad to find out that there are sized socks, maybe now I can get socks that fit right. As for the ones I've bought in the past, they said "fits shoe size 8-12" or something like that. I generally wear shoes in the 10-11 range. I will have a look at some sized socks and try to get my problem solved that way. Thank you for the information.

MacBraun said:

I am glad to find out that there are sized socks, maybe now I can get socks that fit right. As for the ones I've bought in the past, they said "fits shoe size 8-12" or something like that. I generally wear shoes in the 10-11 range. I will have a look at some sized socks and try to get my problem solved that way. Thank you for the information.

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Glad to be of help.

I have found Banana Republic socks to be a very nice sock. Not too thin or thick.

go to your local target and try to find these. read the labels carefully, they have 4-5 different varieties that look nearly identical--you want the bamboo rayon ones.

then, go to the mall and buy a bunch of other highly recommended pairs. wear them all for a few weeks or months.

report back with your findings and see if you come to the same conclusion that i did.


seriously, i love socks in general, and these socks more than most. after all that i've tried, this is the only pair i've found that does everything--stays up around my calf, fits correctly in the heel area, light compression and modest padding, soft, breathes well but keeps warm when its cold out, doesn't stretch, fade, or shrink after multiple wash/dry cycles. plus they're cheap. the only downside i've found so far is that the argyle patterns tend to fuzz up a little at the borders where two different colors meet. i'm pretty sure nobody notices but me. the other colors/patterns are fine.

If in doubt, go with a little darker sock.

Also, I found a bunch of gold toe socks on sale once and didn't realize they were over the calf until I went to put a pair on. Didn't think I'd like them but now, I prefer them to crew length. It is nice to cross your legs and not have skin showing.

I have found that Gold Toe socks have served me well over the years. I have found them on line at excellent prices. If you have a Kohl's store in your area, they have them and put them on sale for 25% off at least twice a year.

Cheers,

Doug

I have a number of socks from Viccel - they are located in Turkey and make some very nice mercerized cotton socks.

http://eshop.viccel.com/

If you are a Styleforum member you get an automatic 20% discount. OTC socks are around $7 shipped. An outstanding value.

The colors are BRIGHT and the socks are very thin - even winter socks. But they are very durable and comfortable. Might be worth a look.