What’s the deal with socks now?

[DC555]

I’m your standard mid 30s millennial. I wouldn’t consider myself ‘fashionable’ but I like clothes and enjoy looking well put together in any given situation.

As spring arrives, we’re about to hit the yearly moment when I move from boots worn with everything, to white trainers worn with everything - usually fairly plain, slim, low rise lace ups.

I’ve finally got my head around jeans (I still love my skinnies but am embracing wide leg, barrel and boyfriend) but I’ve heard trainer socks are now the height of uncool??

So what DOES look acceptable when your trousers/dress leave your ankle exposed?

I am tall with big feet so things that look cute on dainty feet make me look like a clown, so I fear the wrong socks will add to this issue.

Photos and links of acceptable socks greatly appreciated!

I absolutely despise the black leggings with sports socks and sliders look. I find socks just sweaty and manky and don't want to think about them! I wear normal ankle socks with trousers, trainer socks with anything that expose the ankle if wearing enclosed shoes, knee high socks with knee high boots, and nothing with sandals.

I don't car if it's fashionable, I feel ridiculous in obviously visible socks. There are no socks in existence attractive enough to want to make a feature of.

I also have big feet fwiw.

Yes, please offer guidance on the tights thing.

Though I'm still a bit miffed that my wardrobe has been 50% leopard print for years, and now it's eeeeeeeevrrywhere I feel a bit meh about it.

I am officially unfashionable. I wear ankle socks and dresses with denim jacket and trainers. Oh and I own several pairs of nude tights. I do have a few outfits that I have a coordinated visible sock for though.

I’ll also be wearing (if it ever gets warm and sunny) my midi dresses with trainers and possibly my denim jacket. I don’t care if it’s the Live, Laugh, Love of fashion.

Trainer socks are pretty dated (trainers + dress in all but the most the exceptional cases even more so - sorry!). Haven't flashed ankle for a good few years now.

I wear cheap and cheerful crew socks from Uniqlo for everyday and also have a load of bamboo pairs from Pairs which are a little thinner.

https://www.pairs-socks.com/collections/bamboo-socks

I'm a (geriatric) millennial.

Gen X here. Sock clueless 😀. Is this look ok for the gym? It’s what I wear…. If not this, then what?! Thanks @PhoebeFluffingtonFyffe. Edit for gen accuracy

I don’t care how fashionable it is- white socks should never be worn unless doing sport and certainly any socks should not be worn with sandals or crocs. I’ll keep as I am and wait for it to go out of fashion again!

My 13yo on the other hand… 🤦‍♀️

Good video!

Socks + loafers is my default. The Pairs ones I linked above are ideal for this.

Totally fine for the gym. Carry on!

and where do I find those lovely shiny loafers?

And white socks under sandals!!
MY PEOPLE HAVE ARRIVED TO INHERIT THE EARTH

I’ll wear whatever I want thanks.

I’m certain there has never been a generation that didn’t look back at photos from 30 years before and say “What were we wearing??”

It's not worse than the combination of leggings and white sports socks pulled up over them. That looks ridiculous whatever generation you are.

Ha! No socks for me. I don’t really wear trainers so I am mostly ok - like pp I have flat mary janes (several pairs in velvet) for summer. Possibly I am supposed to wear these with socks too (?), but I refuse.

Edited to add - I am an older millennial - 1982.

Yes, this is precisely why fashions change - because young women don’t want to look like their mothers (sorry guys!)

Oh God, this was a terrible look. I remember quite a few wearing this combo with a nasty acrylic black poncho at one point and it was the peak of awful fashion.

Aside from anything else, I don’t have the time in the morning to worry about what my socks look like with my outfit. Hidden trainer socks are so much simpler!

Tbh I still wear trainer liners in the summer but I usually wear leggings with a dress.

I think this is a better rule of thumb, you have to watch you don't shorten your legs with it.

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DUlcNyrCLnA/

Gen Xer here who skipped the whole trainer sock era. I tried them once and it just felt so wrong, my ankles were cold and I kept wanting to try and pull them up!
I love my socks. wear them with trainers or brogues, play with colours and patterns and the obvious....keep my feet warm! (I wear 2 pairs all winter).
I only tend to have them pulled up under trousers though, if its over leggings or tights then I scrunch.

I found a gateway sock in M&S that I’m trialing at the moment with cropped/barrell jeans and trainers, they’re called 1/4 socks - https://www.marksandspencer.com/5-pack-supersoft-ribbed-quarter-socks/p/clp61219091?color=NATURALMIX&extid=ps_ps-pla-pmax_ggl_lg_ch__-UK-_-_baussc_tier_1&cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=23698245488&cq_con=&cq_term=&cq_med=pla&cq_plac=&cq_net=x&cq_plt=gp&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23692900026&gbraid=0AAAAAD7g6bTFCE0rc9NsCy36cXI8MErSb&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyr3OBhD0ARIsALlo-OnRP0WPruA1cBZqEyUqZOvFReaEyirLWU6_TzW4sUbkt9DXjgoMv_YaAo8sEALw_wcB

I enjoyed brightly coloured Uniqlo socks with boots, so just got glimpses of them, over the winter but not quite pushed myself to wear them with trainers yet!

I take a third option: sockless. Yep, I wear shoes on my bare feet, including trainers (although I do wear socks when actually playing sport). A Mumsnet sin, I know, and lots of people don’t like sockless, but I don’t usually have ill-effects. I choose trainers with socklessness in mind.

Oh no! I hate socks. I barely ever wear them, and never outside the house. I don’t even want to look at other people’s socks. I’m not quite sure why I’m so averse to them, though.

I guess this spring and summer that I’ll have to get used to seeing them more.