This is one those Urban Purush blogs that you’ll find around here. These are gems I wrote for the Urban Purush website
Wearing shoes without socks is in. You see it everywhere. Movies, celebs, models and on the streets of some of the most fashion forward cities. Men today are rocking the sockless look more than ever and this blog tells you how to do it the right way.
Gentlemen, as much as you might love the look, please understand sockless shoes doesn’t necessarily have to be “sockless”. The loafers, moccasins and sneakers usually have an extra layering or softer material from the inside that saves your feet from getting hurt but if you want to take a step ahead and go sockless on your formal and semi-formal shoes – the oxfords, the brogues, the chukkas and the bluchers or, as in Ryan Gosling’s case, the tassel loafers, there are a few things to consider.
As good as it looks in the pic, my suggestion would be to do it the right way. A couple of points below,
1. Formal shoes are not made to be worn without socks. A company manufacturing formal shoes is probably visioning them to be worn in office, at formal events and at those long hours of board meetings. Generally, formal shoes, unlike their casual cousins, do not come with an inner extra padding because they are built to be sleeker and the expectation here is that you will be wearing socks. Result, if you go sockless you may hurt yourself.
2. Even if you are one of those who think men don’t cry, are made of steel and can go sockless on formal shoes, please consider your smelly feet! That’s right, going sockless will make you sweat like anything.
So what is the right way of doing this? How do I master the shoes-without-socks look?
The right way of doing this is called Liner Socks or Invisible Socks. Then there are ankle length socks but they tend to ‘peek’ out from your shoes. Liner socks are most appropriate for all type of your shoes. Although, they may give you a ‘girly’ feeling the first time you try them because they tend to look like bellies (Bellies are a type of women shoes and not women’s midsection. Focus!).
Personally, I am not a big fan of going sockless on formal shoes but here’s a video anyways,
Liner socks for men are available at some stores and online. Below are a few links you can try to make an online purchase,