Sockless in Summer? No Way
I know it seems crazy that going sockless is a big deal in menswear but it is and doing it the right way is tricky.Magazines and fashion shows always propose men go sockless in the summer but I do it right now , in the Spring, when the temps are between 45F and 70F.
Any hotter than 70F and my feet sweat too much but my feet don't sweat at 50F or 60F and they don't get cold either. I just wish my legs were already a tiny bit more tan.
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Anonymous said ... (7:47 AM) :
post a commentI think sockless is nice, acceptable at any rate, in cool summer evenings say on the Amlafi coast with jeans and Superga tennis shoes or casual mocassins. However, in the city, or at ny time when the temperature is above 20 deg. celsius, sockless just plain SOCKS - as do sandals (and those nasty flip flops)wqw on men in the city.
Why would you want to go sockless at any time? It looks ridiculous.
god, i miss ny so much...
First of all, those are beautiful shoes! I often wear shoes without socks and put those lambswool liners in - a friend of mine gets them in Germany, but nicer shoe repair shops carry them sometimes. That way your feet don't sweat on the shoe itself and they're nice in cooler weather.
oh, i covet that coat. just right the length. no flaps, no belts.
I prefer to go sockless as much as possible, but it can be rough when the temperature rises. I'm thinking about going with the socks that barely cover the bottom of the feet to get as close to sockless as possible in the summer.
This is one of the best looks I have seen. Very cool and the omission of the socks is a great detail.
I definately agree that it is a more tropical look than city...and you do need a really good tan. I think the gentleman in the photo should tan his legs before going out again...
Sart, I am very impressed that you even noticed this man was sockless!
I would prefer sockless on cool summer time, on a casual venue, and using driving mocs, or other casual shoes.
Fabulously polished look on the gentleman. Tres chic!!
I'm not sure about going sockless in the summer either. I tried wearing sandals/flip-flops once last summer and ended up with a piece of broken glass slicing my toe open in the East Village. Never again!!
I always go sockless a lot here in Cali. Some loafer and high waters, good to go.
Hmm, I have a bit of a problem with this sockless thing. Why do it at all - just because the magazines push it?
There are good practical reasons for socks - to keep feet cool and to protect shoes from sweat. Also esthetic reasons - to add colour, to cover up pale (or whatever) ankles...
I don't have sweaty feet but if I went sockless I'm sure that would change.
And won't the sweat ruin the shoes?
OK, these aren't esthetic arguments, just highly practical ones. I think practicality takes priority in this case...
Curious to see what other posters think...
ciao friends!
definitely a good look; soft insoles a must though
Nothing to do with the post -- but there is a flier posted at Vassar College with a recent photo of you, with the title: The Sartorialist Wants You. Apparently, students at Vassar are starting a fashion and style magazine (which is stupifying, as there is no style in Poughkeepsie), but I had a brief flight of fancy that YOU would be snapping pics around campus today. Alas, I was wrong.
I don't know how to ask this delicately, but doesn't going sockless make one's feet and shoes more stinky?
Hey Sart, where can we find those "sockless" socks that women wear in the summer but that never seem to come in men's sizes? I once tried to trim a pair of old socks down but that did not go over so well. Maybe we can buy a large size women's sock. It would make our feet much more comfortable.
LOVE that look. I live in Texas and do sockless a lot...just go out and buy those "no socks" bascially looks like a white cotton chinese slipper...doesn't show at all, whether you are wearing captoes, Tods drivers or Margiela tennis shoes...
Oh and the sockless socks I just mentioned that I wear...Neiman Marcus carries them. Come in white and in black.
He got all the lengths right somehow.
And he looks like Paul Weller.
Love the sockless look...but love the wingtips more. that vintage black/brown look is so great. Does anyone know who makes the shoes.
As a possible solution to your 'summer' predicament, Scott; I just bought a pair of Stefano Branchini wingtips at Bergdorfs, which are beautiful, very lightweight and have discreet little holes along the sides of the shoe. Result; they breathe! They have an excellent shape and handsome brown 'fade' tanning. Not inexpensive though...
I use those super-low athletic socks when I want to look 'sockless', as I tend to walk a lot and need the barrier against shoe leather. These can't be seen on any shoe more enveloping than sandals. Any good athletic supply store or tennis shoe emporium should carry them. I even wear them with my Varvatos Converse, as rubber soles seem to exacerbate perspiration.
I still say Brrrrrr...
i love your photos! now i can stare at interesting people without creeping them out. your blog is also a wonderful resource for my clothed figure drawing class.
Wouldn't you get blisters?
Sockless is fine as long as feet do not sweat. I wear sandals in the city - I got a Camber pair, very stylish and elegant and minimal. I love elegant sandals on men in the city as long as feet are groomed. If it is too hot, with shoes, I wear the low socks thad do not show outside the shoe - but these are good only with sporty-styled shoes. The classic leather shoe to me is best worn with a sock.
A stylish guy! But sockless while wearing a coat and a scarf looks strange. He should wait for higher temperatures. Sockless is for summer and more casual occasions.
He is the male version of women wearing woolly scarves up top and bare legs and open-toed sandals. (Mind you, he does look good.) I don't like season confusion. Reminds me of the women in Bondi who parade around in the middle of Sydney winter (not that it compares to a real winter in the northern hemisphere) in scarves with bare legs and flip flops. Looks ridiculous!
I like sockless for certain outfits - sockless emphasises the ankle.
Women have the option of sockettes (spelling?). They're not very attractive, but they are unseen and do the job for going sockless and stop your feet from sticking/swelling and all of the above. Is there a male version?
I also never wear socks during late Spring and early Fall, usually Easter to mid September.
I do, however, always wear the "no-show" socks with my better shoes. You can get them at Banana Republic, in stores and on-line. They're $8.50 each.
Wearing them controls all of the potential problems discussed here, while giving you the look.
As for all the comments about it being "nasty" and "stinky", how many of you make a practice of sniffing the feet of the men that pass you on the street? I have no idea why it works, sartorially speaking, but, on the right man, with the right outfit, such as in this picture, it does.
If we all want to take a sartorial stand against footwear, or lack thereof, let's declare an end to the wearing flip-flops on city streets, especially while one is attempting to dress up. Last Summer, I even started seeing men wearing them with their suits for the commute, changing into their oxfords in the office.
May be a good idea not to suggest going sockless to the office. Anyway always a nice touch in the milder months.
hmm. I might go sockless if I didnt have to sit down on the subway. I think it might look strange at that point.
In carribean islands men go sockless...
ENID P.
well, sockless is nice,
and is easy... (maybe im lazy)
with a nice tan , is really cool !!
tropical, summer, beach boy look, sexy huh !
how many of you make a practice of sniffing the feet of the men that pass you on the street?
It's not that I'm worried about whether stranger-that-I-pass-on-the-street's feet smell. I was asking the question as the owner of a pair of feet myself (that tend to feel better and sweat less when there's some fabric between me and the leather), and the spouse of someone with a pair of feet.
He looks like my friend Christopher S. He would indeed go sockless if that's the right look for the season.
Sockless is fine with shorts or casual wear and only with loafers or slip ons. Lace up shoes with a suit looks silly, like something out of the Beverly Hillbillies
Very Cafe Bleu, mate . Nice shoes but my Mrs thinks your plates are probably sweaty !
If it's cold enough to wear a scarf, then you should be wearing socks. It's not brain science, and you're not Berlusconi.
How foolish.
beautiful shoes . . . stunning. They deserve a pair of cashmere socks.
I don't get it, if the weather is cool enough to warrant the use of an overcoat and scarf why go sockless? Seems absurd as well as out of place in an urban setting.
what is this shoe maker?
The "sockless look" socks everyone is trying to name are called (or at least used to be called) peds. They are flesh colored, heavier than nylon stocking material and come just over the tops of the feet so they couldn't be seen with a normal shoe. Peds...
Sockless makes complete sense if you can keep up with the maintenance - however, socks with an overcoat buttoned up tight . . . AND . . . a scarf seems to miss the point. Then again - live a little, right?
To anonymous at 12:31
You are partially correct. Peds certainly exist, but there is a newer version in regular cotton, in black or white. There was already a post which mentioned them. They are sold by Banana Republic, and sized for men.
1. Sart, I thought you are posing in this foto. Are you?
2. In my youth I had a sockless period, for about two years. It included wearing only sandals from June to September, and only booths in the remaining months. Sockless.
3. Now I love opaques and woollen socks and am very sensible and think of those sockless years with a smiling sigh.
Hey,
If you wear little socks that don't show, then you're not really sockless, are you?
When I lived in Coconut Grove, FL, somehow sockless kind of worked. But in NYC? I don't think so. But that's me.
Anyway, to the truly sockless adherents, I recommend Johnson's Baby Powder "Pure Cornstarch". Sprinkle some on your feet and rub it in...it'll keep your feet dry(er) and it makes more a soft, comfortable, barely discernable buffer between your toesies and the leather or canvas, etc.
- JCH
gorgeous.
i often go sockless. regardless.
i think this is kind of gross. i like his ensemble, but the sockless thing with the oxford shoes looks (a) uncomfortable (b) unattractive
Sockless is great with loafers but NOT with lace up shoes...it looks un natural...remember...if you have to tie it wear some socks...if you can slip it on you can go either way.
This is what I always dreamed of! But, I think those who desire this "sockless", you should realise if your biological&genetic genes allow you to so. If your sweat glands, especially in your foot, are uncontrolable, I would say "FOR GET IT"
I'm curious about his shoe *brand*. Anyone here recognize them?
never mind the socklessness, i want shoes like that!
Those shoes are to-die-for...
I've always put being sockless down to be arty - nothing to do with what magazines do or don't say. Ditto red or pink socks.
It's just an interesting look. And tanned legs certainly aren't necessary for the look either - pale is beautiful.
It's all about being brainwashed...........when actually the more ,the more damaged the skin is - I'd rather pale and healthy anyday