The socks and sandals trend will never die. The popular footwear combo was prominent at practically every Spring 2019 men’s catwalk show, including Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and Vetements. As editorial director of Mr Porter, Adam Welch, explains “nothing stays ‘poor taste’ for ever …” and big designers have taken the unloved and former agonizingly anti-chic men’s style and turned it into something desirable. “A sports sandal and patterned socks is quite graphic and fun,” Welch continues.
Fashion powerhouse Prada, wryly introduced the trend over 10 years ago to great success demonstrating that you can wear the combo purely for comfy aesthetic reasons. In Milan, Gucci featured the spa classic with mint green golf socks, and Fendi’s socks spelled out Fendi across the toes. At the London men’s shows Cottweiler’s was the sportiest of them all with tonal monochromatic athletic socks and sandals. Cult Japanese brand N.Hoolywood delighted with bright rainbow striped socks and colorful sandals.
Anyone can pull off the look by combining a pair of your funkiest, most playful tall socks with sport sandals like Teva or Birkenstock. See the Birkenstock x Rick Owens collaboration if you really want to make a fashion statement. Even pool slides will work – but flip flops are a no-go. You can wear sandals and socks with pants, but they look best with short shorts and a slouchy shirt to really drive home a laid-back vibe. There’s historical evidence that the Romans were the first to pair socks with sandals, but today the “anti-trend” is so entrenched – it’s crossed over to the mainstream.
