NOVELTY SOCKS? A CRIME TO FASHION
A suit is a suit is a suit, but there is a way to make it personal without silly socks, says Stephen Doig
In the Torah, the king of Moab offers his firstborn son to the pagan god Chemosh. In Louisiana 2019, the state’s governor, Billy Nungesser, offered up the last shreds of his dignity by proudly showing the President of the United States his Trump novelty socks. As he disembarked Air Force One, Nungesser, 60, was spotted coyly baring his ankles like a turn-of-the-century Paris
demi-monde to unveil a pair of socks featuring his boss and his signature hairstyle made of a textured tuft of fur, far right. We can only speculate as to the hilarity that ensued.
The gesture’s desperation aside, as a rule – particularly approaching Father’s Day – novelty socks are a no-go. I’d even discount any pattern at all on socks, but the governor showed how hard it is to inject personality into a standard suit, something that many men will be considering as we get into wedding season proper.
Some camps would argue that an immaculate suit is in itself enough, and I would agree, but men rarely get to express themselves through their wardrobe, particularly in their working lives, so injecting your own stamp can be appealing.
With socks, it’s a hill on which I am happy to die on (and this column has
touched on before), but black is a little too bland. Instead, opt for one block colour for a little lift. It doesn’t have to be Stag Do bright, a subtle shade will complement a classic black or navy suit. Bare ankles – despite what your average high street on a Saturday night suggests – should be for holiday attire only.
Other accessories can be subtly employed, too; a lapel pin, for example, adds polish and flair. A floral corsage can seem a tad ceremonial and wedding-appropriate, but for everyday a discreet metal pin looks like you’ve taken time to consider your get-up. The demand for cufflinks is on the wane as we settle on a more casual approach to dress, but again novelty variants are never advisable; err to the more discreet and low-key end of the sartorial spectrum.
The tie too is suffering in this dress-down era, but in its place are shirts that don’t demand such a formality; Thomas Pink, for example, has created a range of shirts with collars that sit correctly without a tie, and if your particular set-up allows it, a grandadcollar shirt with a suit is a contemporary interpretation of tailoring. Likewise, the new grown-up trainer, an adult take on the sporty stalwart. Minor tweaks, and nary a humiliating novelty sock in sight.