When you live in a cold and/or grey place it is not so desirable to do two things that are frequently done in warmer climates: 1. Wear bright socks and 2. Go sockless. Having lived in NYC for a year now I have started to do more of both. It is just so hot here and wearing dark colors just makes you feel hotter. And some days wear anything (on your feet) is just a challenge in itself. But wearing bright socks is an art in itself. Doing so in the wrong way could leave you with a lot of negative looks as sometimes it just doesn’t go or is way too much.
Things to be wary of:
- A strong contrast between both trouser and shoe i.e. wearing black trousers, black shoes and yellow socks. Keep one of those things on the more subdued side.
- Colors that don’t go well together i.e. lime green socks and black shoes.
- Super dark denim doesn’t go so well with bright colored socks.
Things to do:
- Use suedes. The depth of the material allows for pairing a bright sock more easily than a calfskin does.
- Lighter colored shoes go better with brighter colored socks
- Chinos are your best friend for this, particularly the classic tan/sand color chino. Bright socks always look good with those
When in doubt and it’s super hot, just go sockless. But make sure you have a tan because nothing is more unattractive than pasty white feet, trust me!
Don’t be afraid to go a bit bold and give those bright colored socks a try!
Sincerely,
Justin, ‘The Shoe Snob’
Boring navy/charcoal suits do not apparently match bright coloured socks, do they?
I’ll try them anyway!