A decade ago, the stereotypical wearers of the socks and sandals combination were probably dads and teachers on school trips. In 2016, I couldn't hazard a guess at who the stereotypical wearer of this questionable combo is, let alone decide whether socks with sandals is cool or not. There was a time when the mere sight of a wooly sock with a flat, velcro-strapped sandal would have made me retch (especially if it was summer), because there was just something so wrong about keeping sweaty toes under wraps while wearing footwear that was designed to help your feet breathe. But now, I am unsure as to how I feel about this footsy fad, because I've seen socks with sandals in a whole new light.
Queen of cool Rihanna wore socks and sandals, proving that she can basically make anything look good. Iggy Azalea wore socks with sandals too, showing that she can also turn an untrendy style into something awesome. So how did a trend associated with fuddy duddy gents suddenly become hip among the coolest pop stars and celebrities? The rise of normcore could be too blame, which gave people an excuse to dress unimaginatively and somewhat boringly. Hey, I'm not judging, I love a day spent in my slacks!
The much loved and loathed trend of wearing socks with sandals could also be attributed to the resurgence of the popular '90s trend: jelly sandals. These quirky, plastic shoes enabled millennials to give a nostalgic nod to their childhood, while also looking cool AF for rocking this reborn '90s fashion. For some people, brand new jelly sandals sometimes hurt, due to their unyielding plastic frames, so IMO socks were a necessity to help you get through a day of wearing jelly sandals. This trend was taken one step further by the addition of cutesy, frilly ankle socks, which looked like the socks we used to wear growing up. These adorable ankle socks really complemented jelly sandals and added to their overall fun and frivolous vibe.
The beauty of wearing socks and sandals is that you can let your personal style run wild. By that I mean you can come up with whatever kind of pairing you desire, be it chunky sandals with knee high socks or graphic print socks with Birkenstocks. As fellow Bustler Eliza Florendo reported, there are so many reasons to wear socks with sandals, ranging from adding a splash of color to your ensemble, to channeling the girls from Clueless.
At the end of the day, the only person's opinion that matters is yours and if you want to wear socks with sandals, there's nothing stopping you. Put your own personal stamp on this trend and make it cool! If anyone complains, tell them to put a sock in it.
