Socks

Socks.  They keep your feet warm when it’s cold out.  They keep your feet clean, provide protection, moisture control, and comfort.

A simple enough concept.  One would think that a pair of socks would therefore be a simple enough thing.

But like a lot of other products these days, the sock has gotten quite the upgrade.  But let’s hold that thought for a moment.

Socks have come along way over the years. 

The ‘50’s had the bobby socks.  Short, white socks that were often paired with saddle shoes.

The 1960’s, being the 1960’s, socks went psychedelic.

Growing up in the ‘70’s and into the ‘80’s, tube socks were de riguer. These could be knee-high or shorter-length socks, but what distinguished them was that they were tube shaped, with no heel or foot shape, and they had cool stripes on them at the top.  They were usually bright or bold colors.  It was, after all, the disco era.

The look in the ‘70’s was short shorts paired with your knee-high tube socks.

Then there were, what I would call, regular knee-high socks that one wore with a dress or a skirt.  These were a must as part of our Catholic School uniform.

In the ‘80’s the slouch sock came into being.  They were loose fitting socks that slouched around the ankles.  Also, thank you Flash Dance, leg warmers became a thing.

The ‘90’s brought a mix of minimalism and grunge.  Ankle socks re-gained in popularity as did athletic brands.  Enter the era of logos and branding.

The rise of streetwear in the 2000s led to more branded socks, along with novelty socks with quirky designs.

Growing up in the ‘60’s and 70’s though, the types or kinds of sock were pretty limited.

Today? You’ve got a plethora of socks to choose from.

Half socks, no-show, ankle, quarter-length, crew, mid-calf, calf, knee-high, thigh high.  And tube socks are even making a come-back.

And, like so many other products of our era today, the sock has gotten smarter.  If you can have a smart phone, a smart tv, a smart lamp, to name a few smart objects, why not a smart sock?  Did you think that that was maybe overkill? Did you think why on earth one would need a smart sock? Why can’t a sock just be a sock?

Au contraire mon frère.  You’ve got to keep up with the times or risk being left behind.

These sock improvements started out slowly.  Sock technology (two words I’d never thought I’d have ever put together) started with enhancing comfort and performance.  That gave us seamless construction, compression, better moisture-wicking fabrics, and antimicrobial treatments.

Now, I will say, that seamless construction was a life changer for me.  Have you ever worn a pair of Bombas? Once you wear a pair of Bombas, you will never go back to regular socks.  Well, you may, because wearing Bombas can put you into the poor house faster than #47’s tariff plans.

Some years ago I bought my first pair of hiking shoes.  Ergo, I needed hiking socks.  Yet another kind of sock.  I don’t know why I can’t wear regular socks with my hiking shoes, but REI, Eddy Bauer and Columbia all told me I should wear hiking socks with my hiking shoes. Ok.  Who was I to question?

Turns out one needs an advanced degree to figure out what kind of hiking socks are best. I finally settled on a pair that maybe thought I didn’t have any educational degrees and therefore needed to be told which sock goes on which foot. 

Normally, it doesn’t matter, or so I thought.  A pair of socks was ordinarily ambidextrous and could go left or right. Kind of like Independent voters. But not these socks.  One was labelled L for your left foot and one was labelled R for your right.  I have no idea what the difference is.  And because I am generally a rule follower, I have never tried putting the L on the right foot and the R on the left foot. What havoc would that wreak? Best not to chance it.

All those innovations aside, we now enter the era of the smart sock.  No longer is it enough that they keep your feet warm and provide comfort. They can now track data like heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels.  Isn’t that what a smart watch is for?

There are smart socks that will measure pressure distribution and detect foot landing patterns.  How will one use this information? Give you the necessary coordinates to input into your 3D printer and make the perfect individualized pair of socks? Does anyone have a 3D printer?

There are now heated socks to provide warmth in cold weather.  Because the sock itself, meant to provide warmth, needs what? More warmth?  How toasty do your tootsies need to be?

There are socks that use infrared technology to offer benefits for circulation and diabetic foot health.  Now, that has some significant value.  Having known people who had neuropathy, anything that can help there is invaluable.

I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface on the latest in sock technology.  But I think you get the idea.

The sock, one-time fashion statement, simple and uncomplicated, may now be the one article of clothing capable of saving your life.

Sock it to me.