Women's Socks

Socks sit at the short end of the hosiery shelf: a knitted tube covering the foot and stopping somewhere between the shoe line and mid calf. Height is the first decision. No-shows sit below the shoe opening, ankle socks clear the shoe by an inch or so, quarter socks reach just above the ankle bone, and crew socks end around mid calf.

Knit density and fiber decide everything else. Cotton absorbs sweat and holds it, which is why cotton socks feel damp late in the day. Merino wool takes moisture into the fiber and still feels dry, and it resists odor across several wearings. Synthetic blends move moisture out fastest but hold smell. Terry looping on the sole, where the yarn is pulled into cushioning loops, adds padding at the cost of bulk in a fitted shoe. A ribbed cuff grips by knitting alternate raised and sunken columns, and 2 to 5 percent elastane, the stretch fiber, in that cuff is what keeps it up.

Knee-highs and trouser socks carry the same idea up to below the knee and are knitted thin so they vanish under tailoring. Boot liners are thicker, live inside a boot shaft and often show a folded cuff on purpose. Tights and pantyhose join both legs to a waistband, which socks never do. Compression socks look like knee-highs but are graded by pressure for medical reasons, so choose those by the rating rather than the height.

Height should follow the shoe rather than the outfit. Loafers and low-cut sneakers need no-shows with a silicone grip strip at the heel, since anything taller breaks the line. Boots, drafty offices and long days want crew height in merino, which stays dry and can be worn twice. Narrow heels push no-shows off inside a mile, so move up to a true ankle sock. Thick cushioned soles also change how a dress shoe fits, by close to half a size.

Turn the sock inside out and look at the toe seam, because a hand-linked or flat seam sits invisible under the toes while a bulky overlocked one rubs on a long walk. The cuff should snap back when you stretch it. Lint from the sole grinds the fibers down, so an inside-out wash clears it. Merino needs cool water and no dryer heat at all, which felts it and can shrink it a full size in one cycle.