Once, socks were just socks. They kept elements out and smells in (one hoped). Then, in the early 2000s, came the “fun sock.” Striped in rainbow shades or covered in funny little monkeys, cutesy hosiery flared like a beacon of levity in the small, dull space between boring suit pants and boring dress shoes—expressing a soupcon of wit that said of their owner, “See, I’m not just some cubicle-bound square!” Then they wore out their welcome. Of late, sensible publications (including this one) have warned men that fun socks have become much as fun as an office Christmas party sans open bar, but monkeys and overripe stripes...