Section:GDN 12 PaGe:6 Edition Date:190821 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 20/8/2019 17:13 cYanmaGentaYellowbla

• The Guardian
  6 Wednesday 21 August 2019
  Style

Perfect pairs:

the long and

short of socks

What kind of socks should I be

wearing now?

What kind of socks would you like

to wear? Given the proliferation of

styles, there is a good sock option for

everyone. According to the stylist

Bemi Shaw, you can never go wrong

with a sports sock. “They add a bit

of edge to a basic outfi t and make

streetwear look more authentic.”

A Matisse-bright pair, like you’ll

fi nd at Arket, is an easy way to

elevate a thrown-on outfi t. At John

Lewis, according to Elena Bergonzi,

a fashion accessories buyer, classic

sport socks are proving popular, “but

also glitter and animal prints for the

fashion-forward customer”. EVB

Is it ever OK to wear socks with

sandals?

To this, the answer is a defi nite: Yes.

But again, make clear it is deliberate.

As the sock-styling expert and Man

Repeller journalist Harling Ross

has noted , explicit coordination

makes it clear that any unusual

use of accessories is intentional. If

you’re feeling a bit hesitant, see the

sophisticated version of the socks

and sandals look as touted at the

most recent Agnona show. Socks

were paired with sandals of the same

shade or just a little diff erent – a

subtler way to dip a toe. EVB

Should I wear my socks pulled up?

“Is there another way to wear your

socks?” Shaw asks. For her, pulling

them up “looks the best but also

avoids the awkward bunching that

can look like cankles”.

There’s an easy sartorial win to

be had for men in shorts and sports

socks just by pulling them up. Charlie

Teasdale, Esquire’s style director,

also thinks socks should be pulled up

“in any vaguely formal situation” – he

even suggests investing in some sock

suspenders. EVB

Are white socks acceptable?

Yes and no. Yes, when playing

sport; no, when wearing a suit –

until recently that is. Now, it is the

subversive nature of white socks that

makes them so appealing, says the

fashion stylist Tom Stubbs, who wears

his with Prada penny loafers. “That’s

what’s so good about them, they’re

wrong!” he says. S carlett Conlon

Where is a fi ver best spent on socks?

“Asos has a great selection of socks

for decent prices,” says Shaw.

PHOTOGRAPHS: CANADIAN PRESS/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK; GETTY IMAGES; @VETEMENTS_OFFICIAL/INSTAGRAM

Y ou may have

noticed that socks aren’t what they

used to be. Think back: for a long time

socks were just something you used

to cover your feet. Possibly black,

probably ankle-height and defi nitely

an afterthought. Socks are now an

important part of your outfi t at the

least, the making of an outfi t at most.

Socks have become a n area of

diplomacy and woke-signalling –

the C anadian prime minister Justin

Trudeau is perhaps the biggest name

to use socks in this way, choosing

pointedly themed ones for public

occasions. Or a telling insight into

a political mind: Boris Johnson was

criticised recently for not washing his

lucky socks often enough.

In fashion, statement socks have

been big for a few years. In 2017, they

became “the most loaded accessory

of the year”, according to the GQ

columnist Justin Myers. Prada played

with pulling socks up to men’s knees

and socks have become a more

aff ordable way for fashion fans to buy

into their favourite designer labels.

If none of this is ringing any

bells, then it might mean it’s time

to reassess your sock game. This is

where the rules come in , because,

in the words of Monica Geller from

Friends : “Rules help control the fun.”

Ellie Violet Bramley

White or bright?

Pulled up or

barely visible?

And are novelty

ones ever OK?

The Guardian

fashion team

decode the new

rules for socks

Matisse-bright

pairs from Arket

Vetements’

DHL socks

Canadian

prime minister

Justin Trudeau

(right) makes a

sock statement

Polka-dot socks,

Calzedonia, £4

Socks with

suspenders at

London fashion

week men’s, 2018

Mid-calf length:

fashion

infl uencer

Veronika

Heilbrunner

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