I just saw a guy in my office wearing white socks with his sandals. Yeah, I’d fear for the future of the human race too, but don’t worry. He didn’t much look like breeding stock to me. However, when I overcame my abject horror at such a fashion faux-pas, it got me pondering.
Wearing “flood pants” (trouser hem high enough to show sock while standing) brands you a fashion leper, too. Stockings, knee-highs, or panty-hose with sandals or open-toe shoes is also generally a no-no, but admittedly not as dangerous to your social stature as the other examples.
I think I’m onto something, here. What is it about displaying socks that is so fashionably wrong? I know there are exceptions - notably the “schoolgirl” look, showing knee socks with short skirt. But in that case, isn’t the required footwear a nice chunky black closed-toe shoe? Why is that good but socks and sandals is bad?
Perhaps it’s the type of sock worn. Some may be displayed in public, some may not.
Is it that one mustn’t show one’s toes encased in hose? Toes must be displayed naked or not at all? Is the “flood pants” thing just a red herring?
Not that I’m advocating socks and sandals or flood pants in any way. Just MPSIMS.
I’ve never seen anything wrong with wearing white socks with sandals. I’ve done it on occasion but I rarely wear sandals. I guess I’m not up with the current fashions.
I have never worn any kinds of socks, white or otherwise, with sandles, except on rare occasions when taking the dog out for a very quick walk and I was already lounging arond in socks and a sandal was the easiest shoe to slip on. I always thought the whole point of sandals is to keep your feet cool in the summertime; if you’re wearing socks, that’s ain’t gonna happen.
Slight hijack - can anyone explain the geeky-guy-trend of wearing dark pants, dark shoes, and white socks?
I don’t really see anything wrong with wearing socks with sandals. If that’s what that guy wants to wear, who’s to judge? In my experience, this actually seems to be a trend of some sort among younger (late-teens) kids.
My sister, age 38, has been following this trend of wearing white socks with these really ugly sandals that look more like bedroom slippers. Admittedly, this is “in” with male and female teens here. She’s been on this kick for almost three years now.
It looked stupid then. It looks stupid now. Especially on women (and men) her age and older. Just my opinion, of course, but I think it’s silly looking. I can barely stand looking at the kids doing it, but hey…we were all fad-ish at one time.
[sub]reminiscing of bell bottoms, platform shoes and bust-out tops…sigh…[/sub]
Anyway, she’s gotten her kids to wearing them, also. Two boys aged eleven and seven. The seven year old is the only one that doesn’t make me laugh when he wears them.
Maybe it’s just her way of trying to “keep up” with fashion. And perhaps retain a little of past youth.
I think I’ll just continue with my flare leg pants, high stacked shoes and tie-back shirts.
Yeah, I’ve noticed socks and sandals are being worn more frequently by the young 'uns, too. Fashion-flaunting whipper-snappers. No respect!
I just think it’s fundamentally wrong, and I’m not exactly sure why. Not wrong in a horse-molesting, crime-against-humanity way. It’s more like wrong in a contradictory way, like porcupine said: sandals cool your feet down, socks warm 'em up. If you wear them together, you get confused feet and dirty socks.
I know HUGE numbers of people (myself included, on occasion) that wear fuzzy work socks with Berkinstocks.
When I traveled to Europe last year, I was warned by my Euro. friends not to do it, and not to let my then boyfriend do it, because we would be laughed clear off the continent.
Hey, I married a guy from German stock. There are black socks with sandals in my future…
No, I think the socks-with-birkenstocks thing comes from the fact that birks are so comfy, you wanna extend their wearability a few more seasons. I think LLBean and others sold really jazzy polarfleece socks especially for this purpose.
A couple of years ago my mom picked me up at the airport on a trip home–she was wearing brown pants, a brown silk shirt over a black turtleneck, and black socks under her brown birkenstock-style sandals. She looked snazzy! I was shocked. Socks with sandals CAN work. I just think it looks weird with, say, shorts.
I know a lot of people - the hippy-ish sort - who like to wear socks with Birks during the winter. I’ve never noticed socks on them when they’re walking around in the spring/summer/early fall, but as soon as it starts to get too cold out…sometimes I think it’s the only pair of shoes these people have. But it looks ok, though, as long as the rest of their clothes seem to match with the look, you know?
I wear white socks under my Tivas all the time. Otherwise my feet will make the soles of the Tivas stink like the high heavens. Tivas are worse than even Topsiders because the straps hold the sole against the bottom of my foot all the time, providing minimal breathing space, and so the sweat just concentrates right there, making a bacterial pong soup.
But I do have several pairs of cool socks - grey, brown and kelly green, and even a rainbow pair of toe socks - that I wear under the Tivas when I think I’m going to be fashion conscious.
Okay okay I too am sometimes seen wearing socks with my sandles, but I have a good reason its because my feet are to narrow for the sandle to stay on … so by wearing socks it helps me keep my foot from slipping out of the sandle. Yes I know an easy solution to this is to buy sandles for narrow feet, but is there a such thing made if so please direct me to the place because I sure as hell cant find them.
Sure, that’s easy. What you have to understand is that to the geek, function comes first. Appearance, if it is considered at all, is way down the list.
To most geeks, there are two kinds of socks: Everyday socks (white, thicker, wear with most shoes), and dress socks (black, very thin, wear only with best, uncomfiest shoes).
It’s easy to see then, the shoe determines which sort of sock to wear. Any shoes other than the dressiest shoe demand the “everyday” socks. The pants color has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Seattle. I’m an engineer at an enormous aerospace company. 'Nuff said.
Yeah, my Tevas stink, too. But I’d rather live with the embarrasment of stinky feet than the heartache of unfashionability. I am basically way too uncool to pull off socks with sandals and look like I know what I’m doing.
Check out a brand called Teva. Most of the models have fully adjustable straps. They’re also ultra-comfy and very stylish, especially on the west coast.
That’s perfect!
It does appear that funky socks with Birkenstocks has become a stylish thing to do. I saw just such a thing advertised in a shoe shop a few weeks ago. A friend of mine’s been doing it for years, but most of the time she dresses like a rodeo clown. Not sure I get it, but then I didn’t get white shoes and belt with your polyesters, either.
Sandals are to keep the feet cool so I agree the socks have to go. Like porcupine I only have sandals on with socks when I have to take the dog out, but living in the country no one can see me.
Many people can’t wear dark socks because of various foot problems. So they stick to white because white socks are supposed to be better for your feet, no dye in the material, etc.
Also, like a lot of folks, I’m diabetic and I’m not supposed to go barefoot for any reason, any where. The feet seem to be the main area of concern and can harbor a lot of problems with this disease so I do wear white socks most of the year.
Of course working in an environment where sandals and open-toed shoes are not allowed also helps. We all wear about the same kind of shoes.
Well, I pass the socks with sandals test (never, but then again, I rarely wear sandals), but what’s the groupthink on another sock issue:
If I’m wearing socks, I keep them pulled up. However, I have been informed by she-who-is-obviously-hipper-than-me that if I do this while wearing shorts then I am the biggest nerd going. The “correct” method is to push them down and let them bunch up around your ankles. What say you good people?
