# Can I wear white socks with black sneakers? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707 "2003-06-18T14:35:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/1 "2003-06-18T14:35:36Z")
I own these [Chuckies](http://www.converse.com/zproductdetails.asp?zcatid=1&zsubcatid=1&zgenid=&sku=1J632) in black. Being that I am fashionably inept, I really don’t know if I can wear white socks with them. Or if I can, but in only certain circumstances. In jeans it doesn’t really matter, but in shorts I have no clue… -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/2 "2003-06-18T14:54:01Z")
Yes, but make sure they are short socks, the kind that come up just over your anklebone. It would probably be a good idea to choose a shirt with some white in it… ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/3 "2003-06-18T14:58:19Z")
Is the white in the shirt to go with the socks or the white stripe in the shoes or both? Isn’t there some rule about matching shoe color and shirt color? So in this case wearing a black shirt with white letters or trim or ??? would make me joe cool? -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/4 "2003-06-18T15:08:34Z")
No, no, no. You’re supposed to match your shoe and hosiery color to your pants or skirt. Women are also expected, in casual dress only, to match shirt color to sock color, but since guys’ socks don’t come in all colors they get out of this one. I’d say go on and wear white socks. **Blonde** is right, though, make sure you wear ankle-length socks that won’t stick out over the top of the shoe. The calf-length socks are right out, I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/5 "2003-06-18T15:10:01Z")
I actually envision those shoes with black shorts, white socks, black/white/red shirt. And Joe cool black sunglasses. ---
**Author:** ![Contrary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@Contrary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrary)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/6 "2003-06-18T15:12:44Z")
Can you? Yes. Should you? Well no. ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/7 "2003-06-18T15:17:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Contrary \* > \*\*Can you? > > Yes. > > Should you? > > Well no. \*\* But, what’s the option? If he wears black socks, from a distance doesn’t he look like he’s wearing shorts and black BOOTIES?? In the summer?? ---
**Author:** ![Contrary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@Contrary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrary)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/8 "2003-06-18T15:34:13Z")
Those footie things, the ones that don’t even reach the ankle bone but do come over the heel, so they stay on his foot. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/9 "2003-06-18T15:59:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blonde \* > \*\*But, what’s the option? If he wears black socks, from a distance doesn’t he look like he’s wearing shorts and black BOOTIES?? In the summer?? \*\* And…? ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/10 "2003-06-18T16:26:11Z")
Shoot I do it all the time (white socks, black sneakers). I like the short white socks, the are not the little “cover only the foot” kind, crew socks I think is the name. They will scrunch down where there is only a couple inches showing above the shoe. Main difference, I think, is I don’t really care what type of image I project while wearing black sneakers, white socks, and shorts. I mean, really. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/11 "2003-06-18T17:15:33Z")
Well, you might look like a mime artiste. Or an Iian Dury fan > [@](#): > > white face, black shirt > white socks, black shoes > black hair, white strat > bled white, died black > > sweet gene vincent > let the blue roll tonight > > … ---
**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/12 "2003-06-18T17:33:52Z")
I’m the last person in the world whom I ever suspected would be dispensing fashion advice, but I learned a couple of things from some ex-girlfriends of mine. Match your socks to your pants, regardless of what colour your shoes are. Thus, you can wear white socks with black shoes, but only if the pants are white. -FK ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/13 "2003-06-18T19:06:01Z")
Would you rather be happy and other people think disapprovingly of you, or be unhappy and other people think approvingly of you? ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/14 "2003-06-18T19:18:53Z")
**Can I wear white socks with black sneakers?** No, you cannot. And I don’t want to hear any more about it. Damn kids, $55 sneakers, why in my day we didn’t have any sneakers at all and we did without and we were happy to do without cause we didn’t need no stinking sneakers. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/15 "2003-06-18T19:30:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fuji Kitakyusho \* > \*\*… > Match your socks to your pants, regardless of what colour your shoes are. Thus, you can wear white socks with black shoes, but only if the pants are white. > > -FK \*\* Being in the UK, I had to stop and translate “pants” not seeing _quite_ how many people would view my underwear in the course of the average day. (Hmm - none at all - something wrong with life there) But, even so, I have some trousers with a wild selection of colours on them - must the socks match entirely? Yours, Worried, of Planet Celyn ---
**Author:** ![herownself](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8baadc/32.png) [@herownself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herownself)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/16 "2003-06-18T19:47:07Z")
No. Just, no. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/17 "2003-06-18T20:53:02Z")
Sweaty feet in sneakers deserve white cotton socks. Period. Doesn’t matter what color the shoes are. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/18 "2003-06-18T22:47:41Z")
You can if you’re an artist… ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/19 "2003-06-18T23:09:21Z")
In america you can wear whatever you want. Not sure what the law is in CZ though. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BadBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BadBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBaby)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707/20 "2003-06-18T23:51:22Z")
I’ll chime in with yes, only short white socks. Athletic shoes get athletic socks. Normally the rule is as **Fuji** stated, match the socks to your pants. **Celyn** , in the case of multi-colored pants (I picture rainbow colored pants for some reason), I’ve been taught to match your socks to the predominant or background color. If the pants are red with little yellow triangles, then you would wear red socks. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-wear-white-socks-with-black-sneakers/182707.md?page=2)