First of all a clarification!
When I talk about socks or their little sisters the socks, I’m talking about pretty socks, not the old pilled and faded black socks that are lying around in our drawers for the coldest days!
There are now some very nice sock models: cashmere, twisted, lurex, lace, fishnet…
It is these socks that we are talking about here!
The 3 pairs of socks I recommend to you to have a maximum of outfit possibilities:
- fancy socks with lurex
- fancy tennis socks
- thick cashmere socks
You can distinguish different situations in which you will wear socks:
Stylish looks with socks:
Trousers + socks + boots
This is a fairly “classic” situation, so don’t take too many risks!
Wear trousers rolled up above the ankle and in the space that is created with your boots, make pretty cashmere, wool or cotton-cashmere socks fall down in an accordion pattern, with little twists.
Opt for neutral and contrasting colours (ecru, mottled grey…).
Beware of socks that are too thick and won’t be comfortable in your boots!
Stylish look idea with socks :
Trousers (or skirt or dress) + socks + sneakers
Instead of the traditional mini socks in your sneakers (which always slip off), opt for a nice pair of visible socks in lace, fishnet, lurex or frilly.
They will undeniably bring a touch of chic and femininity to your outfits.
Or the other possibility is tennis socks that will give your outfit a street style feel. You can opt for a classic white model but also for colour or even a print (
In any case, roll up your trousers high enough to leave a small strip of skin and the top of the sock visible.
With your sneakers, you can also wear the cashmere or wool socks mentioned above, which will reinforce the casual aspect of the outfit.
Stylish look idea with socks:
Leggings + socks + boots
Wear slightly thicker socks and pull them up by creating little accordion pleats on your leggings.
You can wear biker boots, Rangers, lace-up boots, Timberlands, Chelsea boots or high heels.
Stylish look idea with socks:
Dress (or skirt) + socks + boots
You can wear the same type of thick socks with a straight dress, jumper dress or skirt, over opaque tights, by pleating them over the ankle (a bit like gaiters).
Stylish look idea with socks:
Dress (or skirt) + high socks
Wear high socks (above the knee) over your tights to give a waders effect.
Add derbies, flat heels or lace-up boots.
You can wear this combo with a skater skirt, a printed dress or your little black dress or even better, with winter shorts.
For your knee-high socks, choose charcoal grey, navy, black or a dark colour that will slim the leg.
Make sure you choose a pair of socks that will stay in place without rolling up the thigh.
Stylish look idea with socks:
Socks + pumps or babies
Finally the ultimate trend… wear feather, lurex or lace socks with your pumps or babies.
This is clearly out of your comfort zone! It’s the next level for a very sharp look.
I suggest you start with a small pair of tone-on-tone socks with your shoes at the weekend, to go out for example, then once you are more comfortable, you can take some liberties with coloured or fancy socks!
Another possibility is to start with socks that are halfway between a real sock and a knee-high, like the photo at the top of this article.
This sock option will allow you to wear open shoes even when autumn is well advanced … and then have fun with your style!
So obviously we stay on very thin socks to not widen the shoes nor weigh down the leg and we show creativity and imagination!
How to choose your socks and sockettes
Fancy socks (lurex, fishnet, lace, etc.) are often made of synthetic materials, so it’s hard to avoid them.
There are plenty of brands that now offer pretty socks, the best known being Calzedonia.
Otherwise, for thicker socks, I really recommend you to be careful with the material.
