When the socks maketh the outfit
I remember coming across a social media post that read: One mark of adulthood is getting excited over receiving socks for Christmas. I felt that. I felt that hard.
Cool socks, unusual socks, practical socks––they all spark joy (and maybe even trigger a mild obsession worthy of a thorough examination next time). But for now, here I am, making a beeline for the socks section at every sale, slowly hoarding pairs and working on filling in the pieces of my dream sock wardrobe (where the dream is also that socks stay in twos and never go missing).
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Rise up, fellow sock-obsessed peers, because the upcoming sandal season is also our season. At least the folks at Salvatore Ferragamo, A.P.C., Fendi and Simone Rocha seem to think so. In both spring and fall shows at fashion week, socks with sandals littered runways and made cameos in a number of lookbooks, giving us a generous supply of style inspiration to make our own in real life. Socks with sandals: realistic? Comfortable? Sustainable? Unsurprisingly, yes, yes and yes. And I implore you to give it a shot.
Long Live the Frilly White Sock
There are plenty of ways to spin a socks-with-sandals look that primarily reads a little first Holy Communion and a little, well, Little House on the Prairie. This, worn with a long, flowing cotton dress with eyelets would have done prairiecore dressing justice. But in this instance, I opted for a lilac power suit and a Pink Floyd concert tee, heading in the other direction. Hard on top (save for the soft-serve ice cream color choice), delicate on the bottom. But really, any excuse to bring back the grade school-approved frilly white sock.
Zara lilac suit, Bershka Pink Floyd t-shirt, Cotton On ruffled socks, Charles & Keith heeled sandals and micro mini bag.
A Commanding Color Is Always Welcome
A pair of striking red socks that demand to be seen call for a strappy open-toe sandal. If it means building your entire outfit around your footwear, then so be it. In this way, you get to pay closer attention to crucial aspects like proportion. A vibrant sock that ends a little above the ankle can cut you off and make your legs look short. Select pieces with this in mind and maybe throw on a dress with a thigh-skimming hemline. This draws the eyes up and, in effect, lengthens you.
Zara leopard print dress, AC+632 drop earring, Charles & Keith strappy sandals.
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Chic Grandma Coming Through
I consider this an ode to my daster-socks-and-tsinelas loving grandma who further pushed limits by insisting on wearing print on print on print. With workplace-friendly granny dressing in mind, here’s one way to tweak the formula: pair printed socks with a printed sandal and wear them together with, you guessed it, a printed skirt or pair of trousers. The key here is to match even clashing prints by making sure they either belong to the same color family or share similarities in terms of pattern.
Zara oversized sweater and printed skirt, Charles & Keith heeled mules.
The socks with sandals combo is one of 2020’s most promising fashion trends. Interested in seeing the complete roundup? Tap here.
Photography Alexandra Lara and Matthew Fetalver
Art Matthew Fetalver
