Sock it up
For the rules that need to be broken right about now, we might as well start with the one about socks. This tiny yet important part of men's formal wear is supposed to match the colour of your trousers, or be at most a few tones up or down.
But this you-can't-go-wrong formula for sock wearing is also a pretty boring one. As trends change and men become freer to experiment more, with more colours to boot, a subtle but sure way to express some creativity in the monotonous world of the corporates is with socks.
So how does one go about introducing colour in their otherwise neutral coloured sock collection? The keywords here are slowly, steadily and tastefully.
How to start
Once you make the decision to experiment with colours, you need to go slow and maybe also a little safe. You can start out by choosing socks with a neutral base colour having a dash or two of bright lines or having classic sock patterns such as argyles or paisley. Ensuring that these patterns are colourful yet small will help you get a feel of how adding colours can spruce up the way you look.
As you get comfortable with this new look you can get a little bolder with patterns and colours and gradually move away from the neutral colour rule and take a full-fledged dive into colourful mode!
COMPLEMENT AND COORDINATE
A smart way to go about selecting the colour of your socks is to make sure they complement the rest of the outfit. This does not mean that socks have to match the outfit colours but more that they should overall have the same colour theme. For example, if you are wearing a shirt or t-shirt with a sky blue base having stripes or prints in a contrasting colour then you can choose to wear socks in any shade of that contrasting colour.
So even if wearing bright red socks might seem jarring to the eyes, when viewed as a whole they will complement the red stripes on the shirt. Similarly you could also choose socks in shades of the pocket square or even your tie.
Balancing the contrast
One thing to be careful of when you select your socks is to try and keep the contrast between your socks and trousers about the same as the contrast between your shirt and trousers. This helps to synchronise your whole look from top to bottom.
When going all the way
If you have gained enough confidence and have decided to go all out with bright colours, then a good rule to follow would be to keep your outfit simple so that the bright and colourful socks become the main focus. Also if you choose socks with patterns like polka dots, stripes, argyles, etc. in bright colours, try to keep the base colour of the sock neutral and in coordination with the trouser.
Coloured socks are easier to pull off with sneakers and a pair of jeans, yet, it is actually all about having the confidence to carry the look regardless of what you wear them with.
Try wearing bright colourful patterned socks with a formal suit for a snazzy and bold look. After all, it is not about what but more often how that matters in fashion.
If you need any more convincing to experiment with socks, here's a little story for you. The latest person to join the colourful and wacky socks wearing bandwagon is none other than Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada. Much loved world over for his policies, his sense of style is winning him accolades too.
On May 4, which happens to be International Star Wars Day, for his meeting with his Irish counterpart, he was spotted wearing mismatched Star Wars themed socks, one yellow and one blue. If he can, with all the media attention he gets, so can you.
So, dare I say, "May the sock be with you!"
By Samina Hossain
Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed
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