Hey, don’t let the photo put you off. Hear me out. Socks as a fashion statement are a trend, but you don’t have to go quite as far as I have done, and wear sport socks in public. In real life, I would be wearing plain ribbed socks, or possibly fishnet or lace ones if I was feeling particularly jazzy. But in a photo on this page you’d hardly notice those; it would look as if I had written my 345th love letter to the ankle boot. So here I am, in a sport sock. Made you look, right?
Almost everything in fashion is a comeback, but I’m not sure that socks have ever had a moment before. The associations of socks are all vaguely loser-ish. Smelly socks, lost socks, novelty socks. Keeping your socks on in bed. Socks are not public-facing clothes, but neither do they have the thrill of a stocking. Hosiery can be a status symbol – silk stockings as a symbol of rationing-defying luxury; the late-20th-century obsession with expensive velveteen opaques – but until recently the only chic way to wear socks was as an invisible layer under trousers long enough to cover them.
Now black tights have joined nude ones as the enemy of true chic. Like carrying a fabric overspill bag as well as your proper handbag, tights are practical – sometimes essential – but they instantly downgrade your look. A ribbed sock and a chunky sandal, however, has been a niche fashion-nerd trend for a while, and has now gone mass. The boldest version of the trend is the chunky white sport sock taken out of context, to add an athleisure spin to a heel.
This is a rare exception to the rule that the more fashionable you go, the more uncomfortable and/or chilly you will feel. A pair of socks makes a skirt with high-heeled sandals look more styled-up, but also keeps your feet warm.
The only shoes you can’t proudly wear with socks are the ones you might normally wear with socks, if you see what I mean. Sensible lace-up brogues are hard to pull off with skirts if you wear a visible sock. Socks with party shoes; no socks with sensible ones. As always with socks, the trick is to find the pair that matches.
• Jess wears dress, £190, by Splendid, from net-a-porter.com. Socks, £9.95, adidas.co.uk. Heels, £59.99, mango.com.
Styling: Melanie Wilkinson. Hair and makeup: Sam Cooper at Carol Hayes Management
