No-show socks that will actually stay in place on large feet

February 22, 2018 9:58 AM

I wear TOMS a lot and like to wear them with no-show socks, except every pair of socks I've tried pops off my heels after just a couple of minutes. I've tried every brand Nordstrom sells and a couple of generic brands from Amazon. The little grippy bit on the heel does NOTHING to help. Have you found any that will stay in place? Extra challenge: must fit size 11 (women) feet.

I like no-show socks because I wear these shoes with skirts a lot and regular visible socks just isn't my style. Socks help my sweaty feet from stinking up my shoes. Sometimes I wear tights instead of socks and this works but I also want a sock option for warmer days.

I have also tried washable inserts but the tops of my feet still sweat and stink up the shoe; plus the washable inserts I tried were so thick that my shoe became uncomfortable. So, I really do want socks.

posted by joan_holloway to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total)

When you say you have tried every brand, are you buying women's no-show socks or ones marketed to men?
posted by impishoptimist at 10:04 AM on February 22, 2018

I haven't tried them myself, but the marketing for Bombas no-shows addresses this problem and claims to have truly stay-put no-shows. Have you tried those also?
posted by Drowsy Philosopher at 10:04 AM on February 22, 2018

Haven't tried them but these have good reviews and are sized large enough for size 11 feet.
posted by impishoptimist at 10:09 AM on February 22, 2018

I have tried the Bombas no shows and they do not slip off my heel, as my other no-show socks do. (My feet are women's size 9, if that matters.) I also like that the seam does not sit on top of my toes.

They seem to have two kinds of no show: regular and cushioned. The cushioned ones have extra thick soles, which is comfy, but it means it's hard to wear them with dress shoes.

They are pricey, but you can save some $ if you look for a coupon code. I see codes fairly frequently on Instagram or you may be able to find them with some googling.
posted by tuesdayschild at 10:16 AM on February 22, 2018

Forgot to mention (and trying not to abuse the edit window) that I love my Bombas socks and I recently bought an 8 pack of the no shows because I'm a bit obsessed.
posted by tuesdayschild at 10:19 AM on February 22, 2018

I tried and loved Stance Super Invisible. They run large - I would normally buy a medium sock, and in these I size down. They are expensive. I bought one pair on Amazon just to try and thought "oh no, I love them, and they cost $10 a pair". The very next week I found them for $2.99 a pair at TJ Maxx, so I bought a bunch of them there.
posted by ersatzkat at 10:22 AM on February 22, 2018

You’re probably buying the wrong size, try men’s no shows. Signed, your women’s size 11.5EEEE internet friend
posted by PorcineWithMe at 10:32 AM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]

I wear the no show socks. I haven’t tried Bombas. What I have found and has been an absolute life changer is Sock Dream Sock Glue. Comes in a roller bottle, I roll it around my heel, put the sock on, and it stays in place all day. I have size 9.5 feet.
Sock Glue is also good for other socks/thigh highs, in addition to costuming needs. But I most often use it for my no show socks.
posted by needlegrrl at 10:42 AM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

I really like Smartwool’s Secret Sleuth socks. They have a little sticky band at the heel that keeps them from sliding around. They’re also merino wool, so tend not to stink.
posted by Illuminated Clocks at 10:56 AM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

I haven't tried them with that particular kind of sock, but I've had good luck with both Body Glide and It Stays for keeping long socks from falling down.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:27 AM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Wow, thanks for the great suggestions so far. I just ordered some Bombas no-shows in size L to see if they work out. If not, I am definitely going to try the sock glue (I had no idea that was a thing!)
posted by joan_holloway at 11:42 AM on February 22, 2018

I found socks with some sort of heel tab solved this problem. Yes you can see the tab, but get them the same color as your shoes & it's barely noticeable.
posted by wwax at 11:52 AM on February 22, 2018

Hue makes tiny socks with a little silicone patch on the heel that works wonders for keeping them in place and they don’t show, even with ballet flats. My feet are size 10, so I’d expect they’d fit you as well - the socks are stretchy.
posted by moxiedoll at 12:23 PM on February 22, 2018

Uniqlo's low-cut socks are the only ones that have ever worked for me and I've tried them all, including Bombas. The women's may run small for you since they're a Japanese brand but the men's version should have you covered. I think the two important factors are that they are shaped separately for each foot (and each labelled with a helpful tiny "L" or "R") along with the little rim of fabric at the top of the heels.

Before I discovered these, I had taken to sewing short lengths of tiny pom-pom fringe to the backs of my useless no-show socks, which worked and was even sort of cute, but also defeated the point of them being no-show socks.
posted by cilantro at 2:06 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

I had the heel popping off problem in no show socks and I think it was because I was wearing too small socks. I also wear an 11. So I got men's no show socks from Journey's. They are pretty inexpensive and they don't pop off my heel anymore. They come in black and white.
posted by shmurley at 3:12 PM on February 22, 2018

I wear women's size 8.5 and the Bombas socks are truly a success. AFAIK the men's are basically identical to the women's, just larger.
posted by matildaben at 5:26 PM on February 22, 2018

This is assuming you mean those tiny socks that woken wear with flats: I wear those socks backwards.. the heel goes on the toe and the deeper toe part goes on the heel. It works pretty well with most no show socks! The only problem is the tops of my toes are now rubbing against the shoe, and that can irritate my foot depending on the shoe and amount of walking and sweating. Might be worth trying with the socks you already own, just test it with shorter walks first.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 5:25 AM on February 23, 2018

Response by poster: Update for anyone who looks at this later: I received my order of Bombas "no show" socks and while they are very nice comfortable socks, they are NOT "no show" by any means. I put on my TOMS with them and they stuck out way above the top of the shoe. I'm wondering if this will be the case with other men's "no show" socks since they probably aren't as likely to wear shoes with open tops as women.

I guess I will try the sock glue next.
posted by joan_holloway at 6:26 PM on February 28, 2018