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Originally uploaded by treslola

As far as accessories go, socks are severely underrated. With the abundance of options offered to us by retailers, we should no longer view socks merely as a means of warming our feet & avoiding the evils of foot / boot odour (!). We should be embracing socks in all their patterned, coloured glory, wearing them with pride & showing them off with confident delight. Not only are socks are simple way to do up your outfit but they are also quite a cheap addition to your wardrobe.

As with most accessories, there are plenty of options as to how you wear your socks (obviously, on your feet is a good start) and with experimentation and over time you'll find your own personal sock accessorising style!


Where to Sock Shop
A great place to start is a department store such as Kmart, Farmers, Big W, Myers etc. They tend to have a wide variety at hard to beat prices and you will often find sale bins & mark downs. If you are lucky enough to have smaller feet you might even be able to sneak a peak in the kids section - they get spoiled with some wonderfully cute sock choices!! Otherwise, head for the ladies underwear section and let the sock fun begin: pick loads of varieties and styles, from retro cute to patterns, to basics, to bold colours - don't be "safe" or stick to the one colour or type of sock - be open minded and think about how you could wear certain socks to contrast or enhance your existing wardrobe.

Chain stores such as Dotti, Glassons and Supre also have a selection of socks in current season styles & colours. Even if you usually try to avoid "trend shopping" there are often a few great basic style socks that can be found for a decent price at chain stores, such as black or grey knee highs or cute argyle socks.


Types of Socks & How to Wear Them
There are loads of different types of socks with different lengths, colours, patterns and materials on offer. When shopping for socks, getting a wide variety is important but so to is considering your current wardrobe & shoe collection. For instance, if the majority of your shoes are boots that come to mid calf height, a good style of sock would be knee or thigh high - any shorter & they would be hidden away!

Knee High socks are a versatile choice as they look fantastic peeping over the top of a pair of winter boots and equally as wonderful teamed with a pair of flats, emulating school girl or asian street fashion.

Argyle patterns are hot for replicating a vintage school boy look. Try with some grey shorts and a white ruffled blouse, add braces if you're feeling a little bold!

If you are looking to add a little something to an all black outfit, a bold colour such as royal blue or red can be just the accessory to lift from blah to bling.

Mid Calf length socks can look really cute with a pair of plane mary jane style heels. Use a cute pattern and work it! See above picture for an example.

Plain coloured ribbed socks can be a great addition to your corporate wardrobe. They are simple enough to be acceptable in an office environment, but stylish enough to add a little pizazz to regular corporate get up.


Tips

Have trouble keeping your socks up? Wear them over opaque stockings, or relive your school days by using a (non toxic) glue stick to stick them to your leg (!) or use a loop of elastic (you could use a thick rubber band or hair tie) to sit around the top of the sock (folding down over the elastic to conceal).

If your thighs are a problem area for you, try knee or just above knee socks rather then thigh highs to avoid finding 'thigh love handles' hanging over the top of your socks ;)

To ensure your socks last, treat them with care and if they are detailed or a little flimsy take the time to hand wash them rather then putting them through a rigorous machine wash with the rest of your clothing.

Dedicate an entire drawer to your socks and only your socks. Not just a corner of your underwear drawer... this way you'll have more space to keep then tidy & find just what you need, when you need it.

If lovely long legs is what you are after, grab yourself a pair of ribbed tights/long socks... they give the appearance of legs that go on and on and on and on and onnnnnnnnn!

Get the right size - too big is certainly not a good thing when it comes to socks. Make sure the ankle of the sock sits on your ankle, not half way up your calf!


How do you wear your socks? Have you got a favourite pair?