Dressing nicely in cold bus commute
September 20, 2013 3:31 PM Subscribe
If I'm wearing ugly but comfy boots to commute and change into flats at work, what do I do about my socks? Put on cold sweaty socks at the end of the day or schlep fresh ones? Please show your work. I've already given up finding shoes to change into that will hide my socks and can go with dresses and pants.
I already have ugly comfy boots I like but they cut up my feet without socks. I have been told that fashionable tall boots will fall apart in Bad weather. It's important that the weather does not affect my comfort, no matter what. And that I dont have to decide what to wear based on the weather report, i can just do the same thing every day and be safe. Please help me figure this out.
I already have ugly comfy boots I like but they cut up my feet without socks. I have been told that fashionable tall boots will fall apart in Bad weather. It's important that the weather does not affect my comfort, no matter what. And that I dont have to decide what to wear based on the weather report, i can just do the same thing every day and be safe. Please help me figure this out.
Smartwool socks and other similar merino wool ones don't feel clammy when you put them on, even if they were sweaty when you took them off. Plus, they would probably be dry by the end of a workday anyway. Double plus, they are warmer than normal socks which means your tooties will be more comfy during your winter commute.
posted by vytae at 3:48 PM on September 20, 2013 [8 favorites]
posted by vytae at 3:48 PM on September 20, 2013 [8 favorites]
Fashionable tall boots only fall apart if they're bad quality. I've had a pair of knee high Borne boots for over 5 years. That said, if you take off your boot socks, they should be dry by the end of the day
posted by Attackpanda at 3:52 PM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Attackpanda at 3:52 PM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Option C:
Bring an extra pair on Monday, wear the fresh pair Monday night. Leave Monday mornings pair under your desk and wear those home Tuesday, cycling through, leaving Fridays pair over the weekend.
posted by bilabial at 3:55 PM on September 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
Bring an extra pair on Monday, wear the fresh pair Monday night. Leave Monday mornings pair under your desk and wear those home Tuesday, cycling through, leaving Fridays pair over the weekend.
posted by bilabial at 3:55 PM on September 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
I wear double thin "high-tech" socks with my ugly boots for warmth and dryness, and then take off just one pair if I switch to closer-fitting shoes.
posted by lineofsight at 3:55 PM on September 20, 2013
posted by lineofsight at 3:55 PM on September 20, 2013
If the socks don't dry out by the end of the day, use two pairs of socks: wear pair 1 to work, wear pair 2 home. The next day, wear a fresh pair to work, and wear pair 1 home.
or what bilabial said.
posted by ambrosia at 3:57 PM on September 20, 2013
or what bilabial said.
posted by ambrosia at 3:57 PM on September 20, 2013
I swap shoes for my commute (I wear dress shoes at work and sneakers or boots to commute by bus or bike) and have never been really bothered by the sock issue. If I'm wearing a dress/skirt and tights/hose then I just go with that plus my winter boots; if I'm wearing pants I wear whatever socks I'm wearing anyway. Summers can be weird if I'm wearing sandals to work -- in those cases I have athletic socks + sneakers and the socks are dry by the time the day's over. Mileage on that may vary based on local humidity.
If a) you need to wear a specific kind of socks to be comfortable with your commute-boots, b) your socks get sweaty enough to be unpleasant, and c) those socks don't dry sufficiently for comfort by the time you're leaving work, then it seems like the simplest solution is to just pack another pair of socks, since they'll pack down and are lightweight.
posted by asperity at 3:58 PM on September 20, 2013
If a) you need to wear a specific kind of socks to be comfortable with your commute-boots, b) your socks get sweaty enough to be unpleasant, and c) those socks don't dry sufficiently for comfort by the time you're leaving work, then it seems like the simplest solution is to just pack another pair of socks, since they'll pack down and are lightweight.
posted by asperity at 3:58 PM on September 20, 2013
You don't have to give up and wear socks all day/every day at work: you'll be even warmer if you wear those socks OVER pantyhose or knee-his, then peel off the socks when you change from the boots into shoes. Let the socks dry out under your desk all day, replace them over your hose when you change back to the boots before going home.
posted by easily confused at 4:13 PM on September 20, 2013
posted by easily confused at 4:13 PM on September 20, 2013
When I wear boots with skirts/tights I always wear socks over the tights. What about wearing boot socks over your dress socks?
posted by radioamy at 4:14 PM on September 20, 2013
posted by radioamy at 4:14 PM on September 20, 2013
Boot dryer. Available at any big 5/gi goe/rei/etc type of outdoor/hiking/sporting goods store. Often even cheaper than that price.
Throw boots on dryer, throw socks on top of boots.
BONUS!: Boots and socks are now warm and freaking awesome when you put them on. The exact opposite of cold and sweaty.
My dad did this throughout my entire childhood, it always seemed like some properly interesting life pro-tip that most people hadn't discovered.
posted by emptythought at 4:15 PM on September 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
Throw boots on dryer, throw socks on top of boots.
BONUS!: Boots and socks are now warm and freaking awesome when you put them on. The exact opposite of cold and sweaty.
My dad did this throughout my entire childhood, it always seemed like some properly interesting life pro-tip that most people hadn't discovered.
posted by emptythought at 4:15 PM on September 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
Had no idea there was such a thing as a plug-in dryer perhaps because this mitten-etc dryer that goes over a heating vent is amusingly common here in Canada; don't see it on amazon.com but there's a wire one.
posted by kmennie at 5:05 PM on September 20, 2013
posted by kmennie at 5:05 PM on September 20, 2013
Slightly confused why your commute socks would be wet at the end of the day? Take them off, drape over boots under desk and they should be dry when you put them back on to leave, unless they are thick cotton.
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:24 PM on September 20, 2013
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:24 PM on September 20, 2013
Response by poster: Slightly confused why your commute socks would be wet at the end of the day?
I'm a delicate flower and I hate putting on used socks, I can feel the dried sweat in them. This whole "figuring out how to look acceptable given a myriad of constraints" thing seems to take way more effort and brainpower than is reasonable.
posted by bleep at 8:52 AM on September 21, 2013
I'm a delicate flower and I hate putting on used socks, I can feel the dried sweat in them. This whole "figuring out how to look acceptable given a myriad of constraints" thing seems to take way more effort and brainpower than is reasonable.
posted by bleep at 8:52 AM on September 21, 2013
I have been told that fashionable tall boots will fall apart in Bad weather.
This depends on the boots and on what "bad weather" means for your area. I did a train+bus+walking commute in Denver in the winter in sub-$100 leather tall boots.
But if your socks are making you uncomfortable, then just schlep a clean pair. They're not too heavy or bulky. The smartwool socks are also a good suggestion.
posted by jeoc at 7:35 PM on September 21, 2013
This depends on the boots and on what "bad weather" means for your area. I did a train+bus+walking commute in Denver in the winter in sub-$100 leather tall boots.
But if your socks are making you uncomfortable, then just schlep a clean pair. They're not too heavy or bulky. The smartwool socks are also a good suggestion.
posted by jeoc at 7:35 PM on September 21, 2013
(Would disposable socks reduce teh gross enough? I'm thinking as a liner for sock socks)
posted by kmennie at 7:35 PM on September 22, 2013
posted by kmennie at 7:35 PM on September 22, 2013
I don't have any advice, but just wanted to thank you for posting. I've been playfully mocked for years by my SO because I don't like wearing socks with dried sweat, and now I finally have proof that I'm not alone in the world.
posted by lab.beetle at 8:37 PM on September 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by lab.beetle at 8:37 PM on September 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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