Summer Socks [0:00:00]
When are summer socks appropriate? What exactly are no-show socks? Are they the same as ankle
socks? Are the same as sock liners? In fact, in hot weather, can you just skip wearing
socks altogether or will it damage your shoes? In today’s video, gents, I’m going to
answer those questions and a lot more as I share with you everything you need to know
on summer socks. [Music]
So today’s video started off as a question from a viewer, Chad, he’s in the Midwest,
he’s a wealth planner. He reached out and said, “You know what, Antonio? I’m meeting
people more and more outdoors. It’s really casual.”
He’s wearing these shorts with polos, feeling he’s feeling pretty good, but he had questions
about socks. Oftentimes, he’s wearing really nice leather sneakers, occasionally slipping
in some loafers. But, he’s question is when is it appropriate to wear these no-show socks?
Should he even wear socks at all? It’s a great question and here in a minute,
I’m going to get into all the different types of summer socks and when you should
wear them, when they’re appropriate. But first up, let’s address the question,
why does a man need to wear socks with shoes? In a nutshell the purpose of socks is to protect
your bigger investment, your shoes. When you spend $500 on a really nice pair of loafers,
you don’t want them to only last one season. Because when you’re wearing them without
socks, you’re sweating directly into the shoe leaving a whole lot of bacteria and really
the shoes start to decay. They start to breakdown sooner than they would
if you wore socks that would absorb more of the moisture. We do a better job of keeping
that bacteria closer to the feet. So, a man always has to wear socks with shoes?
Not exactly. There are shoe types out there may be made from a perforated leather or a
leather substitute in which actually they work great without socks. They’re going
to actually allow the feet to breathe a bit more especially in really hot weather.
Or if you’re going to be slipping the shoes on and off going down the pool, going to the
beach, there are also particular styles like espadrilles, sandals in which, yes, you don’t
want to wear socks with those and it makes sense because of the design of the shoe.
So, for a pair of shoes made to last only a few seasons, socks can be optional. But
for shoes that can last ten to twenty years, you want to probably take better care of them
and that’s exactly what socks are going to do.
And this applies to casual shoes as well. Those made from a higher quality material
such as leather that have a nice leather inner lining, I’m going to say pretty much require
socks. But, if you want to wear a pair of canvas sneakers that you could throw into
the wash without socks, I don’t think it would be super comfortable, but you can do
it. That being said though, as a former collegiate
cross country runner who went to a phase of not wearing socks because he thought it was
cool, I will tell you that if you do not wash your shoes regularly, you will have your roommate
point out that your shoes smell so bad, they are not allowed in the room. True story.
Now, gents, I know you got an opinion, so I want to hear from you down in the comments
where do you stand on this debate. No socks or socks? What do you do during the summer?
All right, gents. So now, let’s talk about the different summer socks styles and when
they’re appropriate. First up, we have the no-show sock also known as the invisible sock.
Now, this particular sock style is relatively new and is one of my personal favorites because
what it’s able to do in terms of functionality and style.
So, functionally the no-show sock the invisible sock as the name implies allows you to wear
it with a low cut shoe without it being seen. So, basically when you wear this sock, it
looks like you’re not wearing socks. However, it’s there and it’s doing the job of protecting
the inside of your shoe, at the same time, it’s making the shoe more comfortable to
wear. Now, when I say it’s relatively new design,
it’s more about it’s only been perfected I think in the last fifteen years. And that
is because they’ve have this sew that sock in a particular way that it not only fits
the foot very well, but also it will have adhesives on the inside, which really keep
it in place. And that takes us to the drawbacks of the
sock because if it doesn’t fit you properly, if it doesn’t have a strong elastic around
the bottom of the ankle and if it doesn’t have an adhesive in the back area of the heel,
this sock is very likely just to come off whenever you’re wearing it.
My advice here, go out and try a variety of brands. I found that price isn’t always
the determinant of quality. It really comes on to what brand is going to work with your
foot. What you don’t want to have is something that keeps slipping off the back of the heel,
something that, yeah, that doesn’t look good and you don’t want to be taking off
your shoes throughout the day. Now, because they’re a new style, yes, no-show
socks are considered trendy and they’re also considered casual, but I do think you
can wear them with a wide variety of different pieces of clothing in the right situation.
That situation, hot weather. So, shorts, of course. Jeans in hot weather, of course. Chinos,
performance pants in hot weather, of course. Even a casual suit in hot weather with the
right shoes, I think you can pull it off. In fact, the only hot weather situation I
can think off that you probably couldn’t pull this off with, black tie.
Now, gents, in today’s video, I cover a lot and I don’t know if you know this, but
over at my website, RealMenRealStyle.com, I’ve got tons of free infographics. I break
out ebooks to explain, yes, everything from socks to how to dress in casual weather to
how to understand sunglasses and find the right pair for you.
Now, gents, you want to go over and grab these ebooks today because I will warn you, I pull
a lot of the ebooks down. The reason is I’m updating them I’m wanting to improve them
and so, all the ebooks are not always available, so make sure to use the link down in the description
to see what’s available and to grab it right now.
Next up, we’ve got sock liners and ankle socks. Now, technically these are two different
types of socks. In fact, you’re going to see some performance socks out there that
go up to the ankle and have a little bit of a tab on the back end. I’m going to throw
those in as well. [0:04:58]
Now, the distinguishing feature here from the no-show is notice how much farther they
go up, right below the ankle and in some cases right over the ankle.
Now, performance ankle socks, you’ll notice they actually curve oftentimes right underneath
the ankle and at the back and the front, they have a little bit of a tab. This is made specifically
to hug that part of the foot, so when you’re out running or performing in an athletic event,
that you’re not going to have to worry about the sock tucking in under the foot.
Now, ankle socks had been around for a long time, they’re a menswear classic especially
in casual wear. Why? Because if you’re going to wear a pair of sneakers, you don’t want
to – I mean you could go no-show with these. But the problem is, you’re going to have
this part right here rubbing against your foot.
And for a lot of guys, they don’t like that feeling, it can rub them raw. They just simply
want to have a sock here, but they don’t want to have a high sock, so the ankle sock
comes in and actually does a good job of protecting the ankle from the shoe.
Traditionally, ankle socks have been very casual. You can definitely wear with running
shoes, with sneakers, you probably though would not wear them with loafer. There’s
something off about it. It just doesn’t look right. I would recommend if you want
to wear socks that go up a bit higher, then simply just go for a lightweight pair of mid
calf socks. So, of course you can wear an ankle socks
with shorts, but when it comes to jeans, any type of pants and especially any suit, I would
recommend going for a mid calf sock. So, what is the mid calf socks? So, as the
name describes, this is going to be one of the more traditional socks that we see out
there that goes up about the area of the mid calf. Of course, there are socks that are
a little bit lower, a little bit higher. We’re not going to get into them in this video.
But I’m going to say with the mid calf, one of the advantages you have here would
be one of the most common socks out there on the market is a wide variety of materials.
Now, with the other two styles of socks, we didn’t talk about materials and that’s
because the vast majority of them are made from cotton, which makes sense because cotton
dominates when it comes to socks. It’s inexpensive, it’s durable, it gets the job done.
But, when you get to mid calf socks, you’re going to have a few other options. You’re
going to see wools out there, you’re going to see a lot more synthetics, and of course
you’re going to see cotton. Now, this applies to any style of sock, but
understand there isn’t a perfect materials. It’s more about what do you want from the
material and how is it been sewn and what properties are you going to get from it.
So, wool, a lot of people, oh, that sounds incredibly hot. Well, there are lightweight
very – merino wools out there that actually very breathable and they do a great job of
wicking away moisture. And, if you’re going to go hiking, a lot of people know the benefits
of wool socks when you’re hiking. On the other hand, synthetic materials, there
are many I would say stay away from especially the cheaper ones, but I know certain companies
make performance socks which is specifically designed, again, for hiking if you’re going
to be putting on a lot of miles. If you want something that’s incredibly durable, maybe
look to a synthetic. That being said, for the vast majority of
you all, cotton is going to be perfect. Why? It’s going to be the right price and you’re
going to have tons of options out there. And if you see a little bit of synthetic material
mixed in with it like spandex, understand it’s usually there to give a little bit
more stretch, so not a bad thing. So, what can you wear mid calf socks with?
Well, pretty much anything except shorts unless you want to set off a fashion statement, which
is cool, do your own thing. But, yeah, when it comes to jeans, when it comes to chinos,
yeah, mid calf socks are perfect when it comes to wearing a suit, when it comes to black
tie, mid calf socks are where it’s at. So, what video to watch next? How about the
ultimate guide to men’s shorts? In this video, gents, I explain the exact length that
you want in proportion to your body. It’s a detailed video, so if you are wearing shorts,
I want you to look good. I don’t want you to look like an oversized kid. So, check out
this video, guys. I will link to it down in the description.
[0:08:15] End of audio