W – White socks
This is as the saying goes a ‘schoolboy mistake’. Wearing white socks with anything other than sports attire just looks silly, as though you forgot your socks or couldn’t be bothered today. Part of what makes it look so stupid is the juxtaposition of colours. For example if you are wearing a suit in the work environment then it is predominantly worn in dark colours/shades i.e. navy/dark navy, grey, charcoal, black and occasionally brown or if in an informal environment then it can be all manner of colours. So when wearing white socks it just stands out like a sore thumb, granted you see people wearing white shirts but that’s what we’re accustomed to and apart from maybe a pocket square it is the only item worn with a suit that is allowed to be white. The rest should be dark in fitting with the suit and even if you’re wearing a suit in a lighter shade/colour it still looks awful. As for casual wear the opposite in light and dark works again, if you’re wearing dark blue jeans or even a medium blue then they stand out and in fact they stand out with any colour because they’re white socks! This is just down to either laziness or not bothering/caring and fair enough not everyone is bothered by fashion and adhering to the unwritten rules but honestly even those who are anti-fashion have to concede that wearing white socks outside of sport look daft.
Exceptions where this faux pas is acceptable
When going for a jog, playing tennis, at the gym or any sports activity except swimming, unless of course you prefer to go swimming with your socks on.