This month, if you make like a Victorian letch and try to check out the ankles of any hot, young 20-somethings breezing about our summery city, you’ll be sorely disappointed. All of them are covered up! This isn’t further proof of the prudishness of Gen Z, but rather evidence that this year’s hottest accessory has successfully made its way into the summer months. The sock is in, and it's here to stay.
Years ago, the idea of wearing socks with a pair of sandals, let alone heels, would be considered sartorial suicide. The very idea of such a pairing conjures up visions of being five years old, or trying on a pair of shoes in a shop, or putting the bins out. Not exactly the height of glamour.
But over the past few years, our taking-the-bins-out footwear has become increasingly chic. From the oft-maligned Crocs to the modest Birkenstock Boston clog, it’s been proven that a homely shoe can be hot, when styled correctly (i.e. not with your mum’s gardening clothes). Now, it’s the humble sock’s time to shine.
“It’s the year of the sock,” says Evie Stothert, a senior stylist at Harrods. “Socks are like the perfect wardrobe pick-me-up. They’re very inexpensive ways to update your wardrobe when it’s feeling quite stale and samey. You can just pair a red sock with the same shirt and skirt and loafer combo that you’ve been wearing for the past three months and suddenly it feels really new and fresh.”
It’s something that’s been noted on the runways too: at Gucci’s cruise show earlier this week, models traversed the Tate Modern’s Tanks in striped sports socks and loafers, paired with everything from skirt suits, to oversized leather jackets, to sheer co-ords. Elsewhere, in the spring/summer 2024 collections, we had embellished black socks paired with Crocs at Simone Rocha, long socks with brogues and bodysuits at Victoria Beckham, and striped knee-socks with mini dresses at Marni.
And just as the catwalks foretold, these socks quickly made their way onto the streets of London. Practically, it makes a lot of sense: you get to swerve any pesky blisters, and it means shoes normally reserved for summer can be worn in all sorts of weird British weather situations. Also, you save money on a pedicure when you’re not quite ready to have the toes out 24/7.
Plus, the right sock adds a dash of youth to an outfit. As observed in a viral TikTok last year, there’s nothing more of an age giveaway than a trainer sock. “This is exactly how you can tell the difference between a millennial and a Gen Z, just by looking at their feet,” decreed TikTokker Phoebe Parsons. “Are their socks up, or are they wearing hidden ankle socks? Because Gen Z’s exclusively wear their socks up and millennials still wear ankle socks.” We’ll reiterate this - a trainer sock is barely acceptable inside the gym, nothing will ruin a great shoe more than a sad, mimsy little sock. To pull them up, is to be proud.
But with a world of sock styles and colours to choose from, and likely a whole selection ready-made in your own sock drawer, which is the type to pick? “I’ve been seeing girls wearing red socks everywhere,” says Stothert, “and I love those especially because I think they just feel really preppy. It reminds me of really dapper men at fashion week, especially at Pitti Oumo. It feels almost like a reference to funky men’s tailoring. They go with everything — brown shoes, red shoes, white shoes, black shoes, everything.”
White socks and block colour socks are the safest bets, advises Stothert. “I think having a really nice sock in a bright colour makes you look a lot more pulled together,” she says, “you look a little bit more professional if you wear them to work, it finishes your outfit off perfectly.”
So when in doubt this summer, don a sock. It might just make your outfit.
