This series is a progression in socks, from the most conservative to the most flamboyant colour combinations.
It is important to start slowly and build to greater sophistication. Colour is tricky; so much can go wrong in a shade. Buy one or two pairs in a new colour and try them with different suits and shoes, until you feel you know exactly how they fit into your wardrobe.
As I mentioned in my last post, the first colours I think you should consider after self hose (same colour as the trousers) are deep green and deep red. This applies to both blue and grey suits.
The only exception is charcoal, which is hard to wear well with any coloured sock other than possibly purple. I’ve written before that charcoal is the only colour of trouser I would not wear with brown shoes. It is the same reasoning: brown shoes are a colour where black ones are not.
In the picture deep-red socks are worn with grey flannel trousers and mid-brown shoes. The thing to note is that the colours of all three are deep enough to work together: a paler brown in the split-toe shoe or a very pale flannel would have been less suited. Looking at it now, I may even have preferred a slightly darker brown shoe – you don’t want the red sock to reflect the shoe but harmonise with it, and this Gaziano & Girling has a red aspect to it.
Start with dark green, and dark red.
Grey flannel trousers, Graham Browne; wine-red socks, Falke; brown split-toe shoes, Gaziano & Girling
Socks are always an afterthought, but they really are important. Everyone needs some high-quality, good-colored socks.
An attractive combination, and those are exceptionally handsome shoes, I too prefer a reddish brown to a chocolate
Really well chosen combination! With colors like these, finding matching socks can be as difficult and time-comsuming as finding the right pair of shoes, though.
I just wear maroon socks with everything. Makes for an easy decision whilst fumbling around in the dark early in the morning.
Do you mean that dark grey flannel trousers should not be matched with brown shoes?
From what i heard the best option for the first pair of flannel is a dark grey but if that means “only” black shoes im not so keen on it!
please explain if im reading it wrong!
Hey Tobias. It might depend on what we mean by ‘dark’ grey. If we call that charcoal, which is more accurate and is what I mean by it, then yes you only want very dark shoes with it. But by far the most versatile pair of flannels is mid-grey. What would normally be called plain grey. I hope that helps
Hi Simon,
Ok thank you for answering. Then i know a little bit moore on the subject. Im on the hunt for my first pair so i read as much as i can about them.
when wearing wine or dark green socks, are you pairing them with a tie or something that has a harmonizing color? Any tips on what to or what not to wear when wearing wine color or green socks?
Don’t harmonise your tie in any way with your socks – if anything, avoid that colour entirely. You don’t want to look as if you’re matching it
Hi Simon,
As a sock noob, the rule of thumb is getting the color of the sock as close to the trouser as possible, right? And if the exact colors cannot be matched, then your sock color should be darker than the pants?
Also, I’m curious what sock brands you currently wear. Have you started accumulating more William Abraham pieces or is the bulk of your socks comprised of Bresciani and its peers?
P.S. It is hard to find thin, fine merino OTC socks in beige/cream to be worn with the aforementioned trouser colors…
Thanks,
Bernie
Yes that’s right Bernie, and mine are mostly of the Bresiciani level. Yeah beige is hard.
Thanks, The Armoury has their own collection of Bresciani OTC wool socks which have all the essential colors. Asking them to see how they compare to the Mazarin equivalent in terms of thickness as I am looking for a thin version that can be worn Year round.