The question of whether a man’s shoes should match his socks is one of the most frequent questions relating to men’s style. The answer, while it may seem simple, it somewhat complex, but not complicated at all.
Being aware of a few things when you are choosing your shoes and socks is essential if you want to make sure you will look good.
Basically, what you need to be aware of is the type of shoes you are wearing.
Dress shoes
Dress shoes, including oxfords, brogues, and all other types should never be worn with white socks. Sporty socks in general are also a big no-no. Once you make sure you don’t choose any white socks (we would also not recommend gray socks, as they can pass for white), in most cases you can get away with anything. Colors such as brown or black are most suited. Generally, brown shoes go best with brown socks and black shoes go best with black socks, but you can also interchange them if you can’t match them. It’s not “wrong” to wear brown with black, they are both neutral colors and thus, they go together, but the issue is that brown and black are too similar and thus, the overall effect will be that you look wishy-washy. If you have to choose between these combinations, brown shoes with black socks look better than black shoes with brown socks.
If you want to make a bolder move, you can opt for other colors. Neutrals such as khaki, beige or ivory don’t really work, as they are too close to white and, even if you go for a more military green, it will still look dirty, which is not a concept you want to associate with socks. However, very bold, powerful colors work really well with dress shoes. You can go for socks that are red, orange, blue, purple, violet or even yellow. If you want to go even further, you can choose socks that are multi-colored. “Crazy socks” as these are called can even be mixed up with each other. The main rule to remember when mixing patterns is that patterns of different sizes or that contrast greatly in terms of colors go together well. For example, small dots go with thick stripes and red and orange stripes go with blue and green stripes. It’s all about making sure that there is a clear difference between the elements.
The occasion for which you dress is also important. Generally speaking, when you dress up for a more formal occasion, it’s best to match your shoes to your socks. Otherwise, you can go more colorful.
Sneakers
When you are wearing running shoes, sneakers or any other type of sports shoes, you can wear white socks. In these instances, you should probably skip your dress socks and go only for sporty socks. In terms of colors, you can wear even outlandish colors like neon green and still look good.
If your sneakers are colorful, you may want to coordinate their colors (wear something similar or something contrasting) or patterns, as otherwise, you may find yourself wearing way too many colors in a small area of your body. Also, you will draw other people’s attention to your feet, which can be confusing.
Additional information: No-show socks
If you are wearing no-show socks, these should be as close as possible in color to the color of your shoes. Short, but visible socks can be white or in any other color (these are casual, sporty socks, so you wouldn’t wear them with dress shoes).
To conclude, we can sum up the guidelines as follows: you should match your socks to your shoes in a more formal context, otherwise, you can go for colors, but strong, saturated colors. White socks only work with sneakers, but basically any sock as long as it’s a sporty sock works with sports shoes.
Wearing the right socks may be a small detail, but it is a very significant one. Getting it wrong, you will simply look off key, which is why it is recommended to follow these rules for great sartorial results.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
Further reading:
Colorful Socks for Men: A Style Adventure
How to Incorporate Colorful Socks in Your Wardrobe
The Different Types Of Men’s Dress Shoes
P.S. We want to hear from you! What type of shoes do you wear? What socks do you match with them? Why? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!
One reply on “Should Your Socks Match Your Shoes?”
Hi, if brown dress shoes like loafers are worn with shorts, hence much less formal, can black or dark blue ankle socks go with it? I often also think of a matching yet different more off purple color or off reddish color for ankle socks though. And once in a while no socks.