Why I Always Wear Knee-High Socks
Knee-high socks are nothing new to those who wear a lot of tailoring. Regular socks with a suit can look unpolished, as sitting down can make your trousers ride up and reveal skin between sock and trouser. That’s why I believe we should always wear knee-high socks with a suit.
But the idea of wearing them with casual outfits always seemed silly to me, so I continued wearing regular socks, only to be annoyed every time they slipped down, especially when wearing loafers, which I do often. But since loafers can’t be tightened for a very firm fit like lace-up shoes, your foot often moves a bit, which causes the socks to slip down and gather at the instep. As they are the most open footwear style, loafers also make this problem more noticable.
My annoyance eventually turned into frustration, as with some shoes the problem is much worse than with others. At one point, I decided it was time to overcome my hesitation about wearing knee-high socks with casual outfits. Looking back, I even feel a bit silly writing about this “first world problem,” but wearing loafers in colder weather has been far less annoying ever since!
The reality is that nobody knows if you are wearing knee-high socks, on the other hand it looks messy if half the sock’s fabric gathers at your instep. It can also be annoying when you have to costantly pull up your socks in public. So if you want to completely avoid this problem, simply wear knee-high socks.
My new rule is to always wear knee-high socks with tailoring (except in warmer months, when I like to show my ankles) and also with casual outfits when I wear loafers, or any footwear that doesn’t provide a snug, locked-in fit.
Are you dealing with the same first-world sock problems, or is this not an issue for you?
Read this article if you want to learn How to Find the Right Balance Between Value and Price in Socks or to discover the Best Quality Sock Makers.
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If your socks keep slipping down when you wear loafers, you know how annoying it can be. Switching to knee-high socks completely solved that for me - no bunching, no exposed skin, and no constant adjusting. In this article, I explain why I wear them with both tailoring and casual outfits.