Jeez Jacob, no fashion advice for girls? I can’t believe it! For some reason I found that last comment you made so funny, probably cuz I can imagine my co-worker telling that story with the comment that he wouldn’t be able to help us girls. 🙂

Don’t want to take fashion advice from me, I’m clueless! I wear jeans to work. When no one can see my them I’ve got standard white crew socks, when they might show I stick with black because I tend to wear dark colors. I’m slowly phasing out the odd pairs as they fall apart — working towards my identical black and white sock collection 🙂

Black for work and white for the weekends. I also wear slip-on shoes so I don’t have to tie laces.

Friend of mine, math PhD, purposely has many, many pairs of different colored argyle & striped socks which he doesn’t bother matching, pulling them out of the sock drawer at random. He likes to see whether real-life odds match calculated odds.

I have my mom ship me socks from her Costco, since they don’t sell them here. All black.

I got rid of all my white socks, mainly because work requires black, and going out for some event requires black, and I normally do not wear socks outside of those two things anyways (flip flops or slip on shoes.)

Deck shoes are also comfy with no socks, but, I got blisters a couple times already when walking a lot in them.

Also, I’d like to note that all the pairs of handknit socks that I have are all accounted for. I’ve never lost one. When you’ve spent many hours knitting a pair of socks, you tend to keep better track of their whereabouts.

@George – Of course the real life odds match the calculated ones ;-P

or try wearing “less than matching” socks sometimes. No one will likely notice. When was the last time you noticed anyone’s socks?

I like your idea of using them for shoe polish. Heck, you could use them for any household chores where you might normally buy dish cloths or pre-cut rags. I actually saw a bag of rags for sale at the hardware box store!

@Stylish – if the rags are hemmed/bound and red heavy cotton, then it’s not a bad buy as these are the kind that automotive & machine shops use as they’re absorbent and tough and survive many washings.

Rags made from clothes usually don’t hold up well in that environment. Most modern clothes contain synthetics in the weave which aren’t very absorbent (in other words, they’re stain resistant!) and are too light duty. Denim is a good substitute, but prone to fraying if made from the knees or seat area and denim tends to be a little heavier than desired for a good rag. Elastic in the socks also makes them not so good for general rag use. As a polishing rag, socks and fine linen are pretty good.

We’re still figuring things out between hubby and me. I’ve harassed him enough that he no longer wears white athletic socs with black shoes and black pants (whew!). He already usually had the same kind but was in the mindset that if one sock gets holes then throw two out so you always have pairs but frugal wife came around and scratched that. Who does the laundry anyway? 🙂 He now has a basket of whites and a basket of darks. There are two kinds of black socks though for his black athletics or boots vs thinner socks for the dress shoes. I used to have a multitude of colorful socks (partial to the ones with a monkey on them) but the last two times I’ve bought socks its been the same multipack of the same whites so it can be easy and cheaper. I do have some blacks for work as well and havn’t actually gotten rid of the colorful ones. Kind of like how I’ll buy new panties or bras but can’t quite get rid of the older ones until they are really done for.

Mostly black socks with the occassional pair of argyles or themed (yes I have a pair with Christmas Wreaths on them).

However I got tired of the wanderlust…seems EVERY pair of socks has one that wants to run off to Zanzibar never to be seen again.

Cured that by getting a net bag used to launder lingerie at Wal-Mart…dirty socks go into the bag and its zipped shut..into the washer then the dryer…parole for the sock that wants to take a powder only when the bag comes out of the dryer.

Makes me wonder, how many pairs of underwear do you own? and are they all identical?

Also, I believe it’s alright to wear white socks with bluejeans or bluejean shorts, not just while playing tennis. Though occasionally I believe it’s necessary to iron you clothes, even your socks and bluejean shorts. Never your underwear! (It doesn’t need it)

Why would one need identical pairs of underwear? O_O

I’ve been working with the “same socks” method for over a year, except for wool ski socks. It is good, and you can always specify “Brand X crew cut white socks” if that’s what you want, and have a reasonable chance of getting matches to the ones you already have at xmas time.

For the last 15 years, I have worn almost exclusively white Hanes crew socks. (My dress-code at work is very casual — blue jeans, tshirts, hoodies, tennis shoes or sandals, etc. University life was also casual.)

I initially bought a few packages of all matching socks. I never bother to “match” them. After washing them, I just line them all up in the same direction and put them in my drawer. If a sock fails, it becomes a rag. After many socks have failed, I just buy one new package of socks.

I’ve been repeating this for 15 years, and it works great. I typically only have to buy one new package of socks every couple of years.

(I do have one pair of “black” socks that sit in my drawer and are almost never used. They are for the rare occasions when I must “dress up.”)

My first trick to of keeping socks in good condition is to keep nails short. This may be unfashionable, but it’s effective. (If you’re sporting a pedicure in summer, stick to sandals, or go with a simple look you can trim and touch up.)

The second trick is to shop seriously for your uniform sock. You want a brand and style that matches practically everything, suits your needs most of the week, wears hard, and and can be found again in a couple of years. The fabric should feel good, and there shouldn’t be any trailing threads. If you’ll have to stand up a lot, look for a sturdy fabric, such as a good bulky cotton. There should be no more spandex than necessary, well tailored socks don’t really require it, decent ones need 3% or less. Don’t be afraid to shop cross gender if you can find the right fit. Your uniform sock should be available to buy by the dozen, even if you buy the first pair in person, and internet the rest.

The third trick is to read the washing instructions, and take a look at your lint trap. Your washer and dryer may be ripping your clothing apart. If there’s a lot of sock colored lint in your lint trap, try the dryer’s gentle cycle.

Last, it helps to have special socks you treasure. I don’t pay attention to the well being of most pairs of socks, but I notice problems with my wool hiking socks. The care I give them protects the rest. If one of these falls out of the laundry, I figure out where and why. If a pair of shoes starts wearing a hole in them, I notice, and fix the rough spot. If my washer eats a pair of these, I would open it up.