I wanted to write about the wonders of ankle socks before reading Lulu’s comments on wearing autumn/fall items in the summer months. It seemed to spark some debate on suitable summer/winter footwear, making this post even more pertinent.
If you live somewhere with rubbish weather or you’re short of cash (or both) then it can be disheartening to make season-specific purchases that you only get to wear for a month or two.
Personally, I’m so reluctant to buy summer clothes that when it’s hot I often look inside my wardrobe and feel like I have nothing to wear. While pulling out your wintery items on the warmest days can look pretty terrible, we rarely have super-hot weather in the UK so it’s possible to make some of your wardrobe work all year round.
One way to do this with your footwear is to use socks. Ankle socks are particularly useful and the fact they avoid the dreaded potential slutty lolita factor of over-knee styles is a bonus.
Those who read my blog will know I’m a hosiery obsessive. But you should be too. It’s kind of obvious that the right pair of socks can make sandals suitable for colder days, but they can actually ALSO make winter shoes more suitable for summer outfits.
Think about shoes that you naturally always wear with opaque tights or jeans because they just don’t look right with completely bare legs. A chunky patent winter shoe could potentially look terrible with a summer outfit, but a pair of ankle socks breaks up the contrast between the shoe and the bare legs. Think of the sock as a kind of middleman which makes the whole look work together.
Case in point: I recently picked up a ridiculously cheap pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs oxfords in Nordstrom. There’s NO WAY I’m waiting til after the summer to whip these out.
The dark patent against my skinny white ankles would look ridiculous, but with the socks and the slightly darker accessories (black bag and belt would look cheap) it manages to work with even my most summery and girly dress.
Now I just need to get a tan…
wow the shoes <333