Socks To Be You

Consider the humble sock and its many remarkable and mostly unglamorous roles: impact cushion, friction barrier, sweat absorber, insulator, and, yes, fashion accessory. Too often, for too many would-be dapsters, its chief role is, regretably, outfit killer. [Though, for the record, that pair in the middle is kinda fly.]

The good news is that nowhere in the modern dapster's wardrobe is there more room for sartorial expression and play, more opportunity for comfort, and bigger bang for your buck than in the sock drawer.

Socks--along with undershirts and skivvies--are on the very short list of items for which I will shell out my hard-earned cheddar for new merchandise at full retail prices.  In my experience, sock quality starts at good even near the bottom of the price spectrum and goes up to great, tracking closely to quality. If you want to cheap out, you'll get a decent sock. If you can afford to pay a bit more, you'll get better quality. That said, as with undershirts, the correlation between quality and price begins to fall apart well before you hit ridiculous price levels. I kind of like this sock, but at $35, it is not giving you appreciably more than you'd get from this sock, and I invite anyone who may be of the mind and means to pick the first sock because it's more expensive consider the following:

Buying three pairs of cotton socks for yourself: $35
Donating the other 11 pairs you got for that $35: priceless

Or...

One pair of cotton socks for yourself: $35
Walking around in $35 socks like a boss: feckless

The traditional, safe advice for those of us looking to project a masculine vision of fashion has always been to match the color of the sock to the color of the pants. In some settings, this advice is iron clad, chiefly for formal occasions. Please, do not have zany fun with your socks where formal wear is required. If you must flip up your kilt at the style police during a black-tie function, go with some nice, tasteful azure dots or a little texture. Better yet, if you're feeling scrappy and itching for a dust-up, go sockless.

[This space reserved for discussion of socks with sandals, should it ever become necessary. It is not necessary, is it, dapsters?]

Beyond the formal, however, the rule fails. It fails in that, as with the tie, the sock offers the modern dapster much room for flair. The explosion of stripes, dots, contrasting colors, patterns, and textures of modern socks leave us a palette so marvelous and enticing that the mind boggles.

And lest you think that good, edgy socks are for hipsters only, consider this: among the earliest adopters of the fun sock is former POTUS George Herbert Walker Bush, always an icon of preppy fashion, as discussed in this excellent piece over at Ivy Style.

An aside on politics: let it here be noted that, when it comes to fashion, The Dapper Tightwad knows no political boundaries. Appreciation for style, as with charity, breaking bread and sharing wine, is an opportunity for coming together. I will always compliment the thoughtfully attired, regardless of political orientation, and will confine the expression of my politics to the way I live my life, the way I rant on the facebooks, and the way I vote. Mostly.

The final word on socks from TDT: when it comes to foot-forward fashion, have some fun, but as with all other outfit choices, chose color compatibility or delightful contrast over shock and awe.

Frugally yours,

TDT