Women's socks. Difficulty level: Canada.

June 17, 2014 4:07 AM

A lot of my socks (plain black, mid-rise/crew, breathable) are getting thin or holey. I looked at previous women's socks questions on AskMe, and they recommended brands that don't ship to Canada (Uniqlo, Gold Toe, Smartwool, etc.) and can't be found in my city (Ottawa). What are the best women's appropriate-for-office-work socks I can get in Canada?

Bonus difficulty points: don't want to use Amazon (the Hachette thing) right now.

posted by flibbertigibbet to Shopping (13 answers total)

I know this isn't exactly what you're looking for, but have you considered knitting your own? Socks aren't hard. I've only been knitting since march and I have knit my own socks and they are awesome. You'd be able to make exactly what you're looking for, custom fit to your foot.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 4:22 AM on June 17, 2014

Hmmm... I'm not sure what your price range is, and I'm not sure if you're interested in travel socks, but Tilley is a Canadian brand that might be an option.
posted by Tsukushi at 4:23 AM on June 17, 2014

Best answer: MEC stocks Smartwool, though I think you'd have to go in person because it their website doesn't have the full range that's available in the US. I don't know what your odds of plain black are, but MEC probably has some merino wool socks that would work for the office.
posted by hoyland at 4:59 AM on June 17, 2014

Best answer: I got some great thin, black wool socks at The Bay last winter. They are made by McGregor.
posted by TORunner at 5:04 AM on June 17, 2014

Best answer: Okay, my link is wrong in that last post!
posted by TORunner at 5:21 AM on June 17, 2014

Best answer: People on the green seem to like Darn Tough Socks. I believe they ship up north.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 5:38 AM on June 17, 2014

Best answer: I would look into the women's socks available at Mountain Equipment Co-op. They do have several Smartwool products.
posted by grouse at 5:53 AM on June 17, 2014

Best answer: Yeah Darn Tough are great and have a lifetime guarantee. They are also made in Vermont so my guess is that its more likely that they will ship to Canada.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 6:26 AM on June 17, 2014

Best answer: Yes, MEC sells Smartwool and so do a lot of outfitter stores. The MEC on Richmond has a good selection.

I prefer the Icebreaker merino socks though. I find they last longer. I also bought merino socks from Costco (3 for $10) and really liked those.
posted by futureisunwritten at 6:57 AM on June 17, 2014

Response by poster: I never even thought of checking MEC, since I associate them with outdoors stuff. Our office is generally shoes-off and socks-on (very informal) so having the socks look less outdoorsy and more office-y is important.

This is great, thanks!
posted by flibbertigibbet at 7:31 AM on June 17, 2014

LLBean ships to Canada, sells smartwool and other nice socks.
posted by theora55 at 8:32 AM on June 17, 2014

You can also check out Bushtukah, just down the road from MEC. They have quite a good sock selection (also outdoorsy, but they have a lot of Smartwool, etc.). They're just across from the Superstore on Richmond, one block west of Kirkwood.
posted by sabotagerabbit at 11:26 AM on June 17, 2014

I got some great merino wool socks at Costco in Canada last fall. They were not expensive and are holding up well ten months later.
posted by rpfields at 12:05 PM on June 17, 2014