How to have the best-dressed feet in the room: a guide to matching your socks with a tie

How to have the best-dressed feet in the room: a guide to matching your socks with a tie



How much do socks really matter? As it turns out, they can matter quite a bit—especially if you’re looking to make the best first impression possible at your next important business meeting or job interview. That’s why we’ve put together this definitive guide on how to have the best-dressed feet in the room, featuring everything from different types of sock fabrics to tips on matching your socks to your tie color and pattern. Before long, you’ll be the one getting all the where did you get those amazing shoes/socks? compliments!



The Basics

Match one of your socks to one of your trousers, so you've got two on the same color. In general, dark socks go well with dark trousers, and light socks go well with light trousers. It's also worth noting that this advice is reversed if you're wearing shorts - usually people try to avoid pairing black socks with shorts. Don't wear white socks and brown shoes either. If you're wearing jeans, wear dark colored jeans or a navy pair of pants and match them up with some navy dress socks. If you're wearing dress pants, match them up with some dressy ankle socks or lace up ones. You don't want to mix casual and formal attire on one foot - it looks messy!



What Kind of Tie?

Choosing which socks to wear can depend on many factors, like the occasion and whether or not you are wearing pants. The easiest route is to match your socks with a corresponding tie. If you're wearing a patterned tie, you should opt for socks that complement that pattern. If you're wearing an abstract print tie, try going for some solid colored socks.

If you're going for bold colors, choose something like polka dots or stripes as opposed to crazy color dress socks or funky rainbow designs. Pairing these types of patterns up may just make it look like you spilled paint on your feet and picked out random colorful socks from your drawer at random!



Shirt Colors and Patterns

The first thing you want to do is figure out what color shirt you're wearing. Matching your socks to that color is always an easy way to go, but sometimes it's more fun (and less risky) to wear socks of an entirely different color. If you are wearing a patterned shirt, try picking out complementary colors or patterns for your socks. If you are wearing a solid colored shirt, feel free to experiment with patterns and colors!



Colors for Your Socks

What colors should you choose for your socks? It really depends on what color is worn by the person wearing the shirt and necktie. If it's purple, wear brown socks or black socks; if it's blue, wear white socks or grey socks; if it's green, wear black socks or brown socks. The color of the dress shoes can also make a difference--if they're dark brown, it doesn't matter so much what you wear. The most important thing is to make sure that all of your clothes coordinate well together!



Prints for Your Socks

Matching your socks with a tie is an easy way to spice up an outfit. Here are some general rules for pairing these two items, but don't be afraid to experiment!

1) If you're wearing dress socks, match them with dress shoes and trousers.

2) Matching doesn't always mean identical colors. Try using one dark color and one light color that complement each other.

3) Pair knee-highs or crew socks with sneakers or loafers.

4) For those who prefer a more casual look, try pairing ankle socks or fun dress socks with sneakers or flip flops.



Ankle, Knee, or Mid-Calf Socks?

Many men choose ankle socks for their professional attire because they're generally more conservative and can be worn with a variety of different shoe styles. Knee socks are also an option, but some say that these don't work well for professional settings. If you're looking for something more casual, mid-calf socks are the way to go! These can be worn casually or dressed up depending on what you pair them with.



The Best Combinations (by color/pattern)

Matching socks is all about personal preference, but here are some guidelines for some of the most popular colors and patterns. (1) Black socks with a navy suit and brown shoes are great for formal events. (2) If you're wearing khakis or jeans, dark blue socks will complement them nicely. (3) Burgundy suits look great when paired with darker shades of burgundy or wine colored socks. (4) If you're wearing a white shirt, don't forget to wear light colored socks! White socks can also be worn under light colored trousers like beige or cream. (5) Brown suits look great when paired with earth toned socks like browns, greens, and blues.