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There’s probably no shortage of ‘New Year’ resolution guides out. Perhaps you’ve got a few yourself. Spend less time on your phone. Lose a few pounds. Donate more of your old clothes for a wardrobe refresh as many are moving back into offices. Here at Boardroom Socks, we’ve kicked (pardon the pun) around the idea of a sock drawer refresh for a little bit. If the airline lost our luggage and we had to start again, where would we begin? Below, we’ll execute this little thought experiment.
Quick, think of a suit. Is it navy? Good. While black is very much back, the place to start with tailoring should be blue. From a full suit to a classic blazer, navy is far easier to style with a variety of outfits.
This also extends to your socks. Your first pair of socks should be navy. They are the easiest to style with anything from a full suit to a pair of jeans or chinos. Cotton or wool is up to you. But, if it were me, I’d go with wool. It breathes better- is warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Much like a second suit, we’d advocate for going charcoal grey with a second pair of socks. It’s easy to pair with a grey suit, and works well with any color of shoe. Darker colors are easier to dress up, which is why we’d start here.
At Boardroom, we think we’ve got just the right shade of grey.
Moving a little lighter up the grey scale here. A mid grey suit works very well for spring and summer attire, and this absolute works here as well. Try it with the mid-grey trousers for a classic ‘menswear uniform’; or try it with jeans on the weekend.
Brown is where I’d advocate going next. As style, in general, has gotten much more casual, brown has taken a more prominent place in our wardrobes. From dark chocolate cords to a lighter, sandy chino, there are far more shades to play with. This makes brown far more versatile than, say, a black pair.
In the same color family is khaki. While you can, certainly, go with a solid pair of khaki socks (they’re very easy to style), I’d suggest incorporating a little pattern here. Consider it like your first ‘sports jacket’ in a sock. I usually recommend going with brown for a first sport coat, and this is the same general idea. It’s easy to dress up or down.
I know, I know. I just wrote that brown is far more versatile than black. I still believe it and probably always will. But, black is not only making a comeback, it’s gotten more interesting. Gone, I hope, are the days of cheap polyester black suits. Here are more interesting fabrics- flannel, linen, and hopsack. You can also consider black jeans, too.
It should track, then black socks would be of interest and definitely one to incorporate into your wardrobe.
This is a blank canvas on which to paint. It's neutral and goes with literally anything. Dressed up, it lends a rakish twist to grey flannels and a seamless transition from the highly underappreciated cream pair.
They’re also easy to dress down. If you still wear white crew socks, try these instead.
Once we have our neutrals covered, we can start to branch out a little more. The next two are interchangeable, but I prefer green over red.
Olive socks are more subtle and refined than, say, a Kelly or forest green. Try them with jeans, yes. But, also with most pairs of chinos and, yes, the ubiquitous grey flannel trousers.
If you tend to wear more jewel tones or blues, this is probably where you should go next. They'll of course work great with those grey trousers. But, also navy suits, all pairs of jeans, and even a darker khaki suit.
Much as with olive, though, the key to versatility is to keep the color darker and richer. If you’ve got a bolder style, you can certainly go with red. But, burgundy helps you cover the most ground.
Now we can start to integrate a little more pattern into the wardrobe. After white, light blue, off-white, and a few striped varieties, I think a very pale pink is a great shirt to add to a business wardrobe.
You can tie your hosiery in here, too. Try adding a little color with a neutral base (like charcoal) and some pink dots.
Getting a little more bold, now. Stripes can be done well so long as they’re not too funky. We think this does it about right. Try it with just about any of the outfits we’ve mentioned so far and you’ll be golden.
We’ve covered stripes, dots, and little accents so far. But, we’ve not yet covered something where the entire sock is a pattern itself. Our new houndstooth dress socks or herringbone patterns are perfect for this. They’re both classic menswear patterns done at a scale that complements your outfits.
Every wardrobe needs a statement piece. Something out of left field, unexpected. This is our multicolored dot sock. It’s a little festive. A little funky. And plenty of fun. It’s a true wildcard.
It’s the thought that counts in a thought experiment. We at Boardroom craft our socks in the United States using the best quality merino wool and cotton we can. Our designs are tasteful, timeless, and engineered to stay up all day.
We’ve worked with a local box maker to create specialty sock gift boxes. If you’re starting over, solid may be the best place to begin. But, we’ve got them in patterns as well.
Thanks for reading.
Yours in Style,
Tony Gorga
Boardroom Socks
