If by any chance you missed the pocket square post on the “Mind the details” series, i recommend you catch up with it here.

Socks are by far one of the most underrated pieces of items which are not given much attention for many reasons. To appreciate the value of socks compared to the rest of your look, one much first of all understand the use of this accessory. Are you wearing socks for protection, for athletics, comfort or for style? Once you decide the main purpose of use then other things will start to fall into place. As you would have guessed, my focus is on style and how dress socks can be used to greatly enhance an overall look.

You might be thinking whats the point of paying attention to a piece of item that is barely seen. Well first of all, if your socks is never seen when you wear a dress trouser then you might be doing something wrong and the chances are your trouser length is longer than it should be. Granted when standing straight one might not always see your socks but I guarantee this will change the minute you put one foot in front of another and start walking or when you make good use of your bottom by sitting down.

The tiniest of details could make or break a look to the trained eye. The sock you wear says a lot about your dress style than you imagine and has the potential to separate the men from the boys. Let’s just say the wrong pair of socks can completely ruin what could have otherwise been a perfect look.

There are certain basic rules you need to follow when pairing your socks with the rest of your outfit. Personally, I love breaking rules as it means I get to explore beyond what is conventional and acceptable. Breaking out of a particular mould is something every style conscious person need to do from time to time but there is a big caveat here. If you going to break the rules then make sure you learn the rules first of all so you know what you are doing. You can’t break rules you do not even know exist can you?

I have put together five rules everyone need to know about.

1. Dress socks for dress shoes

Let be honest here, why would you want to wear sports socks with a pair of nicely polished oxfords? To me it is logical to just match your dress shoes with a nice pair of dress socks

2.       Match your socks with your trouser

This is one of the most basic but yet important rules when dealing with colours. Matching your socks to your trouser is one thing you can be sure of getting right consistently. It is simple, straight forward and effortless. Black socks for black trouser. Only break this rule when you feel comfortable with your dress style and know your colour scheme well.

 3.       Never wear white socks

Unless you are Michael Jackson, please DO NOT even consider anything remotely white. Do yourself a favour and never wear white socks outside of the sporting arena, simple!

4.       Match your socks to the rest of your dress ensemble

This is a combination of point 1 and 2 above and a bit more things to consider. For example, if you’re wearing a black-tie or indeed going to a black-tie event, then choose a good quality lightweight socks with sheen on it to bring out the sophistication of your look.

 5.       Your socks should cover your leg at all times

The length of your socks should always be long enough to cover your leg whiles sitting down. Make sure no skin shows whiles the ends of your trouser dangle when sitting. Do not under any circumstances roll or fold your socks.

There you go, the main rules you need to know about wearing socks. And just before I end this post, I know I said earlier that I love to break rules and all. If I am being honest, rule number 2 is just about the only one I break on this list so be mindful when you break any of these rules.

Please feel free to tell me of any other rules you think is important when it comes to wearing socks in the comment section below.

Photos by Rita Colson and August Child