Checked and Patterned Socks – Style Guide

Short answer: Checked socks and other patterns are the easiest way to give a plain outfit some personality. The rule is to keep the pattern in the same colour family as the rest of the clothing, so it reads as deliberate rather than accidental. The scale of the pattern matters as much as its colour.

The patterns you will meet

The four classics are check, argyle with its diagonal diamonds, stripes and spots. Check and argyle belong to the classic end, stripes to the sporty, and spots sit in between and are the easiest to wear on an ordinary working day. See the range under bamboo socks for men and bamboo socks for women.

The base colour matters most

A pattern has a base colour and one or two accent colours. The base colour is the one covering most of the surface, and it should sit close to the colour of the trousers. If it does, the sock reads as a detail. If it sits far away, it reads as a break, and then the rest of the outfit has to be chosen for it.

The scale of the pattern

A small, dense pattern looks almost plain from a distance and therefore works as a discreet detail. A large pattern is visible from across the room. If you want something noticed only when someone looks, choose the small one. If you want something seen, choose the large one, but then only in one place in the outfit.

One striking detail at a time

If the sock, the tie and the pocket square are all patterned, they compete for attention and none of them wins. Choose pattern in one place. If it is the sock, keep the rest simple and let the accent colour of the pattern reappear somewhere else, for instance in the colour of the shoe.

When pattern does not fit

For funerals, for very formal occasions and with a uniform, plain and dark is right. The same applies when you are unsure of the code, because a pattern can be read as a stance, and that is rarely what you want to spend your first half hour explaining.

The quality is the same

A pattern says nothing about the sock. Look as always for the fabric composition, a reinforced heel and toe and a flat toe seam. Brands such as JBS have patterned models in their bamboo series, where the material is the same as in the plain ones and only the look differs.

Washing a patterned sock

Wash at 30 to 40 degrees and turn the socks inside out so the pattern takes as little abrasion as possible in the machine. Wash strong colours separately the first time so they do not bleed. Skip the fabric softener, which closes off the moisture transport, and hang the socks to dry rather than giving them high heat. See also bamboo socks for sweaty feet.