SOCKS AND SANDALS: THE FINAL FRONTIER OF MEN’S FASHION?
Stephen Doig on how to look more like Beckham, and less like a Seventies geography teacher
We’re in uncharted territory in Britain 2018. The political landscape is more divided than ever, the summer temperature rose to post-apocalyptic levels, and, most unsettling of all, John Lewis changed its logo, and its stores. The high street equivalent of nanny’s fish pie – a comforting permanent in a world of tumult – has gone rogue. Add to this the fact that a man who regularly sets the agenda for what will eventually become a menswear staple has broken the final sartorial taboo: socks and sandals. Shots of David Beckham, alongside his wife Victoria and brood, were unveiled this week by British Vogue, with the former footballer-turnedfashion mogul wearing what appears to be leather sandals with red socks. It follows in the dubious sandal-steps of US rapper Kanye West, who stepped out the other week in a pistachio-shaded suit (by his friend Virgil Abloh’s first offering as head of Louis Vuitton menswear) and matching sliders with socks. Gentlemen, we’re not in Kansas anymore.
Socks and sandals might just be the most vilified corner of the men’s style arena. It’s the nul
points of the footwear roster, synonymous with your Seventies geography teacher on an orienteering weekend in Fort William, painfully uncool, with fusty sock-covered toes peeking out beneath a velcroed performance sandal. There’s evidence that the Romans were the first to pair socks with sandals, but today it’s not quite so noble.
However, fashion has long taken the unloved and anti-chic and turned it into something desirable, never more evident than with Miuccia Prada, who in the Nineties looked to geek chic – awkward checks, boxy shirts, “ugly” Seventies curtain prints – and repackaged them into high-fashion. And Prada did the same with socks and sandals, championing them as a viable choice on her menswear catwalks.
The combination has also become catnip to the street style contingent; that is, the fashion show-goers who have made a business out of being photographed in their peacock finery; socks and sandals worn with a fashion denotes a certain confidence in the fact these rarefied creatures might know something we don’t.
I have a friend in the fashion industry who swears by socks and sandals; lightweight and breathable, but practical.
Which begs the question, should you be considering the biggest black sheep of menswear? Context is crucial in these dangerous terrains, and a few guidelines should apply; if you don’t work in a creative industry, are more of a chinos-and-shirt guy than anything “experimental” and count deck shoes as daring, don’t give socks and sandals another thought.
But if you’re keen on dipping your be-socked toe into these waters, it’s best to steer towards less functioning and more sartorial versions, alongside some highquality socks instead of the old faithfuls from the back of the drawer. You may mock for now, but Beckham’s clairvoyance in the world of men’s style has been proved again and again; time will tell if we follow step.