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Let’s start thinking about that spring transition. The weather’s starting to turn. Leaves are re-appearing. The sun sets later, and your mind drifts to a quick nine holes after work.
On the style front, we pack up our flannels, parkas, and pullovers, and pull out our breezy cottons, linens, and other lightweight, breathable items.
Gone (for now) are the charcoals, browns, navies, and rich jewels of fall and winter. Now, we get bright colors- pastels, pops of color, as spring beckons once again. Here are a few options to brighten up your spring flings.
A personal favorite here. I wear them all year round, with anything from a t-shirt and jeans to a double-breasted suit. Blue, in any shade, is perhaps the most versatile color in menswear, and this absolutely applies to socks.
Consider pairing bright blue socks with dark navy chinos for a tonal contrast. Or, lighter khaki/stone chinos.
These are easily dressed up with either of those pants and a soft-shouldered sports jacket. Or, a lightweight sweater and button-down shirt.
Shoe pairings are probably the easiest of the bunch, but I gravitate toward medium to lighter brown tones this time of year. Allen Edmonds’ “Walnut” is quite nice, as is the “Oak” from direct-to-consumer brand Beckett Simonon. Both derby shoes and casual oxfords with a little more broguing (that’s menswear-speak for the decorative holes in the shoes) work well, but a loafer is, in my opinion, the best medium to show off the sock.
Moving into preppy pastels, now. This is the quintessential sock for spring. Our yellow is bright, yes-but that’s kind of the point.
It’s another excellent companion to both khaki and navy chinos, and a good option when blue would be a little…safe and expected.
Or, if you’d like to dress it up, try with a navy or medium grey suit, or as a twist on the classic uniform of a navy blazer and grey trousers.
Shoe options are surprisingly versatile. As we covered above, medium browns are easy to style. But, even this time of year, some oxblood derbies or a modern tassel loafer would look very nice indeed with a pair of yellow socks.
Fortune favours the bold, and these are indeed bold. It takes confidence, charisma, and full commitment to style pink socks.
Or, does it? I think we can do away with the notion of pink as a dainty, delicate color. Historically, ‘real men’ did indeed wear pink. And quite a lot of it. In the modern area, it’s fallen out of favor as, sadly, men have fallen back on utilitarian dressing-too timid to venture out of their sartorial comfort zones.
I say give pink a chance. Try it with jeans and some white sneakers. Why not? Or, swap the grey socks you’d usually don with your menswear uniform for some of these, with a slightly dandy pocket square to match? What do you have to lose?
Style should be fun, and a pair of pink socks in springtime just might break you out of the winter doldrums.
Not a pastel, per se, but still a variety quickly becoming one of the most worn in my closet. Aside from sky blue, I’d consider it among the most versatile for spring. Why? It’s just so darn easy to wear with much of my day-to-day wardrobe.
As I work out of my home most days, I tend to gravitate toward jeans, chinos and, as the weather warms, linen trousers. But, as this is a true neutral shade, it’s easy to pair with almost everything.
Indeed, if you’re a white-sock guy on the weekend, try a pair of cream dress socks. It’s an ever-so-subtle sartorial power move. Dressed up, these work with cotton suits in most colors, and especially well in seersucker. Try it with your dirty white bucks at the Derby.
Also not a pastel in the traditional sense, but still perfectly acceptable for spring style. As white becomes more acceptable this time of year (I still wear white jeans in February), it’s a fantastic way to have a little fun with the wardrobe. Try it with an olive field jacket, striped tee, and, and some sand-colored loafers. Or, if you’re feeling more adventurous with your hosiery, take the cotton suit situation and swap out the cream socks.
If you're ready to make a bit more of a splash, opt for red dress socks. While this shade is particularly popular around the Christmas holiday season, it is also a nice way to add a pop during the spring and summer seasons.
As shown in the outfit above, this can be worn with classic business attire such as dark slacks and an oxford shirt. At the same time, you can sport solid red socks with khakis and loafers for a more casual look around town on the weekends.
I recognize most of what we’ve covered so far are bright, solid colors. If that’s you-excellent! If not, there are other ways to integrate color into your spring sock wardrobe. Consider adding a striped pair. We’ve got options in most of the colors we’ve covered-pink, sky blue, purple. Or, try some in dots or other small patterns.
As I mentioned at the outset, spring is significant for any number of reasons. Regrowth. Rebirth. And, there’s no time like the present to try something new.
It’s a pleasure, as always, to write for you.
Yours in Style,
Tony Gorga
Boardroom Socks
| Further Reading on Colorful Sock Style: |
| 5 Colors to Wear with Yellow Socks |
| The Purple Sock's Place in Your Sock Drawer |
| How to Wear Colorful Dress Socks |
