Boring but comfortable men's dress socks
August 7, 2019 7:36 AM Subscribe
Looking for comfortable, breathable, boring men's dress socks.
I have a few pairs of men's dress socks I like — if I have a social event after work, I can go straight to that, wearing those socks for 12+ hours and they feel fine. Of course, there's no brand marking on those. I'd buy more of those, if I knew what they were.
I have many more I don't care for — as soon as I get home from an ordinary day of work, there's nothing more I want than to get those socks off. They are too thick, too warm, textured (e.g. ribbed), all of which I find uncomfortable.
So I'm looking for recommendations for men's dress socks which are:
I'd also like to move to the "many identical pairs of socks" strategy so as not to spend a lot of time matching socks when doing laundry. Ideally I'd like to have 6-10 pairs of solid black socks and 6-10 pairs of solid beige/tan socks.
What socks am I looking for?
I have a few pairs of men's dress socks I like — if I have a social event after work, I can go straight to that, wearing those socks for 12+ hours and they feel fine. Of course, there's no brand marking on those. I'd buy more of those, if I knew what they were.
I have many more I don't care for — as soon as I get home from an ordinary day of work, there's nothing more I want than to get those socks off. They are too thick, too warm, textured (e.g. ribbed), all of which I find uncomfortable.
So I'm looking for recommendations for men's dress socks which are:
- breathable
- thin (but not so thin as to be see-through)
- not textured (beyond the inherent texture of the fabric), esp. not ribbed
- solid colors
- crew-length (no over-the-calf)
- If they come in multi-packs, all pairs in the pack should be the same color, not mixed colors
I'd also like to move to the "many identical pairs of socks" strategy so as not to spend a lot of time matching socks when doing laundry. Ideally I'd like to have 6-10 pairs of solid black socks and 6-10 pairs of solid beige/tan socks.
What socks am I looking for?
I love these socks. Love them. They're cool and comfy. These are the first pairs I wear after doing laundry and are sometimes the motivation for doing my laundry.
I don't wear brand names unless I come across some at a thrift shop. I never really buy retail clothing. But I make a trip to Macy's once a year or so to get more of these socks.
Because, as I get older, what I put on my feet makes a larger and larger difference.
posted by cross_impact at 8:07 AM on August 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
I don't wear brand names unless I come across some at a thrift shop. I never really buy retail clothing. But I make a trip to Macy's once a year or so to get more of these socks.
Because, as I get older, what I put on my feet makes a larger and larger difference.
posted by cross_impact at 8:07 AM on August 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
Uniqlo.
I just made this switch last year - all my socks are identical, in three different colors. (Couple odd pairs aside.) Highly recommend it.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 8:22 AM on August 7, 2019
I just made this switch last year - all my socks are identical, in three different colors. (Couple odd pairs aside.) Highly recommend it.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 8:22 AM on August 7, 2019
Cheap and cheerful: https://www.hanes.com/shop/hanes/hanes-ultimate-reg%3B-mens-cushion-crew-socks-10-pack?categoryId=21080
posted by Wild_Eep at 8:44 AM on August 7, 2019
posted by Wild_Eep at 8:44 AM on August 7, 2019
I'm on 100% Darn Tough socks now. The "basic crew light" like these are what you want. They're expensive, but supposedly the lifetime guarantee performs as promised (I haven't needed to test it yet).
posted by supercres at 10:54 AM on August 7, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by supercres at 10:54 AM on August 7, 2019 [4 favorites]
I wear black dress Darn Tough socks, Monday through Friday...and on the weekends, I wear Darn Tough no-shows or hiking socks.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:17 PM on August 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 12:17 PM on August 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
Thin wool socks are all I'll wear. Darn Tough are the gold standard but Smartwool and a few others make pretty good socks too that are nearly as good for a lower price.
posted by VTX at 12:41 PM on August 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by VTX at 12:41 PM on August 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
I just bought a bunch of Uniqlo men's dress socks and have been quite disappointed. They were the cheapest so others might be better, but whatever brand you buy, just buy one pair and wear them at least 5 times before investing in multiple pairs.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 5:19 PM on August 7, 2019
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 5:19 PM on August 7, 2019
Wool is breathable and does not hold the sweat. Look for washable wool.
posted by Enid Lareg at 8:33 AM on August 8, 2019
posted by Enid Lareg at 8:33 AM on August 8, 2019
Response by poster: And it's the Hugh Ugoli bamboo socks for the win! Very comfortable, and they come in several single-color packs so if I ever decide to expand beyond black or beige I'll have options.
I tried a pair of the Darn Tough socks too, but even the "light" socks were thicker than I was wanting (to be fair, they offer an "ultra-light" which I didn't try), and they're a bit on the pricey side.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:46 AM on August 23, 2019
I tried a pair of the Darn Tough socks too, but even the "light" socks were thicker than I was wanting (to be fair, they offer an "ultra-light" which I didn't try), and they're a bit on the pricey side.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:46 AM on August 23, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
Oh, maybe they don't meet your qualification for not ribbed, I'm not sure, but judge for yourself.
posted by briank at 7:45 AM on August 7, 2019