Normally, trying to get a pedicure this time of year is harder than securing a table at a new restaurant that just got a five-star review. But as April rolls into May and the weather shows no signs of warming up, splashing out on a foot makeover may feel a little futile. Why spend hard-earned cash on toes that are too frozen to be flashed? As a result, many of us are switching toe tactics. Welcome to the season of the statement sock.
They were once bunged in the back of a drawer. Lost in the wash. And even when they were worn, they were not meant to be seen. But socks have stepped into the spotlight, pivoting from an outfit no-show to the main character.
Take a look at the feet of your co-workers, fellow commuters and coffee shop customers and you’re guaranteed to spot a statement sock. These aren’t secret Santa novelty socks bought in a last-minute present panic. These are socks that are intentional and thought out – the fabric and the colour mused over. Even the length is considered, having become a gen Z vs millennial battlefield.
We have come a long way from socks and sandals being something you’d spot your school geography teacher wearing as they did the supermarket shop at the weekend. In 2024, socks and sandals are standard for many.
The Romans did it first, but nowadays fans span David Beckham to Bella Hadid. Naturally, this type of mass mainstream-ification means fashion folk are upping the ante. Just like the viral wrong shoe theory, in which the stylist Allison Bornstein advocates using an unexpected shoe to “signal that there is some intention and choice and therefore it gives your look personality”, the wrong sock theory can also apply.
For his debut menswear collection at Gucci, its newly appointed creative director Sabato de Sarno paired smart black horsebit loafers with white socks that hit mid calf. Fans who managed to nab a pair of Crocs from Simone Rocha’s sell-out collaboration are teaming them with sheer socks, while wearers of Collina Strada x Ugg are opting for tie dyed socks with their spiked Mary Janes. Even the lookbook for Keen, an American brand that makes performance sneakers, suggests styling its cut-out corded sneakers with contrasting silky coloured socks (think cream with burgundy).