Word on the street is no-show socks and ankle socks are OUT. All the cool kids are now wearing at least a quarter crew sock if not higher. My teenager gave me all her ankle socks and now it's all crew socks (and for where we live, the coolest of crew socks are Nike). But you're not going to see her mom, this Gen X woman rocking the crew socks trend any time soon.
That Doesn't Mean I Didn't Try the Crew Socks Trend…
That doesn't mean I didn't try. I will try any trend once, and I am not afraid to revisit my past. I remember when socks with sandals were only for the stoners, and crew socks were worn by dads and tourists. But then I also remember that back then, men in turtlenecks, aviators, and mustaches looked creepy, and now they're the hottest celebs on the cover of GQ. Fashion is cyclical; I'll snag a pair of my kid's Nike quarter crews and try an extra inch or so of elasticized cotton on my ankles and see how I like it.
Ankles isn't the right word. Cankles sounds as though I am making fun of myself or making a self-deprecating joke. But really, I am 5'3″ tall, solid, strong, and curvy. As a kid, I walked on my toes, which built up my calves, shins, ankles, and balls of my feet. There's not a lot of leg between my kneecap and my ankle bone, and that expanse of leg doesn't have much of a taper.
Trying the Crew Socks Trend
I thought maybe the best way to try this sock trend was with my high-top Chucks and a pair of loose linen shorts that hit just above my knee. While I am all about breaking style rules, I do know that more leg showing will make my legs look more proportional, and the fullness of the shorts will balance the volume created by more coverage below the calves.
Since I was wearing the quarter crews with Chucks (last two eyelets without laces because thick shins and all), the sock only peeked out a bit. It was hard for my Gen X eyes to become accustomed to it, so I decided to wear it to Target and the grocery store, catch a glance in reflections and see how I feel after a couple of hours. Maybe it doesn't look bad, it's just like how it was hard to break the bootcut jeans habit, and then more recently, the skinny jeans habit. Maybe by time I came home I'd be a convert.
I lasted 15 minutes. The socks were irritating my legs and when I pushed them down to scratch, I saw red dents in my legs where the quarter crew ended. I shoved them down, and when I got home I threw them into my daughter's laundry basket so they wouldn't end up in my sock drawer and tempt me again.
It's All About Comfort and Joy
I am comfortable in ankle socks, especially when they have that little tab in the back so I can be sure they won't slide down into my shoes. I like socks with a bit of strategic cushioning and compression, and I like letting my ankles breathe. And I really don't care if this makes me look like an Old. I am an Old and by getting to this point in life, I have EARNED the right to wear whatever the eff I want.
And come on, I am from a generation of rule breakers. I dyed my hair black, I shaved my head, I pierced my ears with safety pins and wore Doc Martens and torn tights to school dances. I have never been one to blindly follow trends and I sure as hell am not going to start in midlife.
Eff all of this noise. Wear whatever the eff you want to wear. You've earned that right. You DESERVE it.
Style is Listening to Oneself
The older I get, the fewer f*cks I have left to give. But I still give a sh*t. But giving a sh*t isn't listening to what Gen Z or even the Millenials. It is listening to myself.
It's taking the time to truly listen. To play, to try, to break some style rules, to give myself permission and grace. To know that a single outfit will not change my life for the better or the worse. The world continues to rotate even if we buck the rule of thirds, we don't lengthen our legs, we don't whittle our waist, we don't create optical illusions or try to recess into the background.
True style is knowing oneself and respecting oneself by dressing for comfort and joy. It's not following the leader but creating our own path. Using others for inspiration, not gospel. And knowing that it's going to be okay if you make mistakes or end up with red indentations around your “cankles.” Learning from those mistakes, and continuing on the path, finding joy not stress in the journey.
Breaking Rules Can Be Hella Stylish
I tried the crew sock trend because I knew it broke soooo many rules for my body type. I've found over the past few years that breaking rules may not result in me adopting that style concept, but it does chip away at the cage I have put myself into in an attempt to look as flattering as possible.
It shows me that beauty can be weird, be out of proportion, not match, and not make sense. But somehow it is still beautiful or cool or fun or interesting. It can still work, and maybe it works even better. But I would never know if I didn't try.
Try crew socks. Or don't. Wear knee-socks or toe socks or legwarmers or fishnets or find those anklets with the pom-poms on the back that we rocked back in the days. Hell, begin sewing pom-poms on ankle socks and sell them to all of us who are willing to try something new or go back in time, but only on our terms and only when it brings us comfort and joy.
Crew socks don't bring me comfort, so they don't bring me joy. But I'm glad I tried so I better know myself. And myself won't be wearing crew socks any time soon.
