Let me just say right away that for me socks are an afterthought as compared to shoes, belts, ties, or suits. And there is a simple reason for that: socks are less important to my wardrobe than all those other items. Can they add a ton of pizzazz if done properly? Sure. Can they kill my look if they are way off the mark? Yes, for sure. And they are therefore definitely not an item of clothing that you can ignore. Now, I used to always play it safe (I’ll explain what that means later in the article) and not think about them too much. But I realized that I had definitely been missing out on some fashion opportunities when playing it safe, so I’ve started to experiment with some more sock-ual flavors, and here’s what I’ve learnt.

Playing it Safe

Most people (like the old me) will find that playing the sock game safely is the smart way to go. How do you play it safe? Follow these 3 simple rules:

1. Matching: Do not ever, ever, ever match your sock color to your shoe color. Just don’t. You can literally pick anything else to match it to and you will be fine 90% of the time. You can match it to your pants, your tie, your shirt and even your hat if you are so inclined. All of these options will work and still keep you classy. But if you match it to your shoes then you will almost always ruin your look. Why? This is a simple one: If your socks match your shoe color then it will look like your socks are an extension of your shoe resulting in the classless “bootee” look. (On the flip side, matching your socks to to your pants color will result in your legs looking longer, and you looking taller.) Trust me. Steer clear of matching your socks to your shoes.