I’m generally very wary of fashion experts giving rules of fashion do’s and don’ts. First of all, their are always exceptions to the rules. But it’s also mostly a marketing tactic for the site or magazine employing them. “You wouldn’t be able to dress yourself without us,” they’re saying. And they’re disregarding any creativity or instinct involved with planning outfits. So you’d better buy the products they recommend too; otherwise you’ll just be creating one fashion faux-pas after another.

Still, some of their rules might be helpful. At least so you can know what rules you’re breaking when you decide to get creative.

I decided to take a look at Ask Men’s sock rules and see what I actually agree with. Their full article is here.

White Socks Are Only For Sports.

Ok, if you’re my dad, this rule might be of use to you. But you could be wearing them to look retro. Or you could wear lacy white socks, definitely best worn outside of the gym.

This is sexy. End of discussion. Also he’s Terron Wood and he’s a model, so therefore he’s right.

source: forums.thefashionspot.com

This picture is kind of sporty/retro. But the point is that he’s wearing them outside of the gym and he looks fly.

source: blackfashion.tumblr.com

Dress Shoes Require Dress Socks.

Their reasoning is that “Athletic socks are often bulkier than dress socks since they’re usually made of heavier cotton or other materials, so they tend to bunch out over dress shoes.” Yeah, I agree with this. But I’d like to add that you can be super playful with the dress socks you choose. (I love the colorful dress socks at Topman and American Apparel.)

source: landerurquijo.com

Match Your Socks With Your Pants, Not Your Shoes

(Brown socks with brown pants, black socks with black pants, etc.) Their reasoning is that it saves you embarrassment if you take your shoes off. Agreed. But I have another theory for why this is important: shoes are a different material, so it looks less strange when they don’t match your socks than when your pants don’t match your socks. If that makes any sense.

source: http://www.trashness.com/

Don’t Roll Or Fold Socks

Disagree:

source:lookbook.nu/

And also, Terrance Wood has his socks folded up above. Boo yyaaaa.

Replenish Socks Often

Approve.

Block Striped 5 pack socks, available at Topman for $24

Avoid Socks With Shorts

EEEEEHHHHH!!!! (That was me making the buzzer wrong answer sound.) Ok, ok. Yes, sometimes socks with shorts are a bad idea. But people break the rule all the time, expecially if doing the whole retro thing. Sure, Ask Men is for, well, men, in the traditional sense of the word, so they weren’t taking into consideration girly-types wearing knee socks. 

But I mean, how awesome would it be to immitate the Brittish schoolboy look?? And all the other examples above. And this: 

Striped calf highs from American Apparel. Want all of them.

No Socks In Bed

EEEEHHHHH!!! Again. It may not look sexy, but having warm feet increases orgasms by 30%. So if you have painfully cold feet, I’d consider keeping them on. (Source: Heteronormative Article Alert)

In conclusion, rules are helpful sometimes, especially so you can know when you’re breaking them. And if you’re happy being totally clueless about fashion and just want to play it safe and get on with your day, they are good guidelines to follow. But definitely don’t take them too seriously, and don’t let them stop you from wearing something you really want to wear.

In and out, Sonia Queer.