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If you, like me, are a millennial on TikTok, then you have likely been bullied by Gen Z for wearing everything from skinny jeans to ankle socks. (Both, according to today’s youth, are very much out of style.) It simply never dawned on me that a sock could be a dead giveaway that I was born in the ’90s, but alas, no-show socks have been deemed outré. It is now, apparently, all about the scrunched crew sock. If you want to wear sneakers in the summer, cover up those ankles—a mid-calf sock, worn with shorts or a skirt, is now the height of cool!
My question is: How did this happen? How did we get here? In a sense, I do get it: No-show socks evoke a sort of 2010s nostalgia, when men would regularly wear dress loafers with no socks—the pant hems rolled up, of course. Fashion has certainly evolved since then, and so should sock styling. But how did the athletic crew sock become the go-to pairing for shorts? I asked my Gen Z coworkers to weigh in.
“I’ve always found ankle socks that show deeply unchic,” says Vogue fashion writer Hannah Jackson. “Something about them looks unintentional and sloppy.” Associate content manager Florence O’Connor took it one step further: “Not only are ankle socks unattractive—I do not need to see your knobbly ankles at the gym, I’m already sad enough to be there—they constantly fall down, making you vulnerable to otherwise very avoidable blisters! Crew socks or bust.”
Clearly, the crew sock’s popularity has evolved not just for aesthetic reasons but also for practical reasons. (They are undoubtedly comfier than ankle socks, as O’Connor pointed out.)
Gen Z preferences aside, a bevy of stylish celebrities have recently gotten on board with the new sock proposal. This summer, a snazzy dress shoe and white crew sock have proven to be the uniform for stars like Emma Corrin, Paul Mescal, and Justin Bieber.
Paired with a chic ruched skirt (Corrin) or micro boxer shorts (Mescal), a little white sock—with a lot of leg showing—is like an added treat for your outfit. It somehow makes the whole look dressier, cleaner even. Still, the proportions of the white sock are important. Some stars—like Jodie Turner-Smith—have chosen elongated styles that hit just below the knee, and Harry Styles rode a bike in rolled-down socks hitting mid calf.
The point is: The sock is always prominent in the outfit. And while I usually couldn’t care less about what is on trend or not, I have to admit: Gen Z is right on this one. It always looks better when you lean in to the sock than when you try to conceal it. So stock up on some classic white styles below—especially if you want to your little cousin to think you’re cool.
