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White socks are incredibly basic. Pretty much everyone owns a pair, and they often go unnoticed in the grander scheme of an outfit formula, instead playing a supporting role to a statement shoe or going-out top. Sometimes, though, the white sock adds a little something extra, like when it’s juxtaposed against a loafer à la Michael Jackson or bunched around an ankle in a Princess Diana–like fashion.
But not all white socks are created equal. Some, like Nike’s classic white athletic sock, communicate status (you can spot the black swoosh from a mile away), while others are slouchy in just the right way. To find out what makes a white sock good and which ones are worth purchasing, we asked a group of stylish women about their favorites, which we’ve rounded up below. Their picks spanned the gamut from casual socks designed to stand up to daily wear, to athletic socks that are cushioned and sweat-wicking, to dressier socks adorned with ruffles and polka dots.
What we’re looking for
Height
The height of a sock can be anywhere from tiny toe-toppers to tall thigh-highs. However, the majority of basic, everyday socks are usually either ankle, quarter, or crew height. Ankle socks are cut right at the top of the ankle, making them ideal for low-cut shoes like flats and loafers, while quarter socks sit a couple inches higher, ideal for peeking out above high-top sneakers. Crew socks, on the other hand, sit about six inches above the ankle, coming up to just below the midpoint of the calf, and can be paired with everything from sandals to boots.
Material
Socks come in a variety of different materials, but the one you’ll see most often is cotton — it’s a soft, comfortable, and lightweight material that can stand up to repeated washings. Most cotton socks will also include a touch of polyester, spandex, elastane, or nylon (or all of the above) to make the sock more elastic and durable. Other sock materials include wool, bamboo, silk, but these are less common when it comes to everyday socks and are more frequently found in outdoors or dress socks.
Price
Since many of the sock options below are bundled in multipacks, we’ve noted the approximate price you’re paying per pair.
Best white socks overall
Height: Crew | Material: GOTS-certified organic cotton | Price: $30 per pair
Four of our experts — By Colby founder and stylist Ryan Gale, fashion editor and stylist Michelle Li, content creator and real-estate agent Beth Doud Tomashoff, and stylist Juliana Salazar — name-checked the statusy Comme Si Everyday sock, which comes in an off-white. The sock has a wide rib and is made of GOTS-certified cotton. Salazar likes the sock’s ribbing, noting that she prefers it to any other brand. “Comme Si wins ribbing every time,” she says. Gale loves the brand’s “subtle” branding and “luxurious fabric,” which she says look great with dressier shoes like loafers and mary janes.
Best (less expensive) white socks
Height: Crew | Material: Cotton, nylon, polyester, elastane | Price: Approx. $6.70 per pair
Just as mentioned were these Aritzia crew socks, which received stamps of approval from personal stylist Brittany Sansone and Hally Seminara and Lauren Vreeland, co-founders of OMG You Need That. “They are great quality. They have a real thickness to them and don’t get holes, even with how often I wear them,” Sansone says. “And I’ve found that the height of them works really well — they’re not too high where you have to scrunch them and it’s bulky, but they’re not too short either.” Vreeland says they have the perfect weight and thickness to pair with everything from boots to loafers, and Seminara adds that their versatility allows them to seamlessly transition between a workout outfit and a day outfit: “You can wear it with leggings and a fashion-y sneaker or a pair of jeans. It just ties your whole look together.”
Best casual white socks
Height: Crew | Material: Cotton, nylon | Price: Approx. $10.20 per pair
Artist Anya Tisdale used to not be a “sock girly,” but Doublesoul managed to convert her. “They just make socks fun in a way that’s more appealing to Gen Z,” she explains. She owns a wide array of styles from the brand, including the ankle, quarter-length, and these high socks, and calls them her “everyday go-to socks. They keep my feet warm, but they don’t make them sweat and I’m not going to feel them bunching up in my shoe.” Even after wearing them nearly every day for a year and a half, she reports that there are “no holes, no tears, no fraying, no pilling. They’re really, really durable socks.”
Best (less expensive) casual white socks
Height: Crew | Material: Cotton, nylon, polyester, spandex | Price: $3 per pair
Multiple sources shouted out HUE as a brand that makes comfortable, affordable casual socks, including stylist and content creator Jules Fox. She’ll pair these with everything from her Samba sneakers to her J.Crew loafers: “Any shoe where you want a little bit of a cute sock peeking out, I’ll wear these,” she explains. She does repurchase them every so often since they can discolor a bit, but “it’s such a reasonable price and it’s an easy thing to just reorder off Amazon. I’ve turned so many people onto them,” she says.
Best white athletic socks
Height: Crew | Material: Cotton, polyester, spandex, nylon | Price: Approx. $4.70 per pair
White socks tend to complete a look without making a statement, but the ubiquitous Nike swoosh is an exception. Almost everyone we spoke to mentioned seeing it in the wild. The athletic crew sock has become a status symbol and pairs with a dress shoe just as easily as an Air Force One. Celebrity stylist Nichole Goodman refers to them as “quintessential” and says in addition to its recognizable logo, it’s also a quality sock. “They’re perfectly thick and have the right amount of ribbing so it won’t squeeze your ankles purple.” Toniesha Renee, the head of content strategy for hip-hop and R&B at Interscope Records, says they’re her go-to. “I wear them every day because they offer cushioned support,” she says. “They also just look cool.”
Best (less expensive) white athletic socks
Height: Crew | Material: Cotton, polyester, spandex | Price: Approx. $1.30 per pair
These Hanes moisture-wicking athletic socks come in a pack of 14 for less than $20, making them especially suited for the serious gym-goer on a budget. “These are the perfect height with or without leggings, never get holes no matter how much I wear them, and don’t give you a clammy feeling post sweaty workout,” declares influencer and content creator Gabriela Mannix.
Best non-ribbed white socks
Height: Crew | Material: GOTS-certified organic cotton, polyamide, elastane | Price: $12 per pair
If you’d prefer a crew without ribbing, personal stylist and Kule content director Elizabeth Tamkin suggests these from Subset, which are made from ultra-soft GOTS-certified organic cotton. “They’re the kind of socks that are high enough quality that you’re not embarrassed to let them show,” Tamkin says. In addition to being soft, they’re also ethically made in sustainable factories.
Best (less expensive) non-ribbed white socks
Height: Crew | Material: Cotton | Price: $8 per pair
For a more affordable non-ribbed option, Gale recommends the Summer Sock from Los Angeles Apparel, which she says is ideal for warm weather due to its lightweight fabric. The socks also have a small cuff at the top, which helps them to stay up throughout the day.
Best white ankle socks
Height: Ankle | Material: Cotton, nylon, polyester, elastane | Price: Approx. $13.25 per pair
“These are the best socks in the world,” Fox declares. She’ll often throw on these ankle socks with a sneaker when hitting the gym or going for a run along the West Side Highway. Since they’re “very thick and padded,” they’re great to “wear with workout sneakers or with winter boots,” she says. In fact, she still owns some Bombas socks from high school that “have held up amazingly. I promise they’re worth the splurge.”
Best (less expensive) white ankle socks
Height: Ankle | Material: Cotton, polyester, spandex | Price: Approx. $1.10 per pair
Eliza Grace Huber, a fashion editor at Who What Wear, stumbled across these socks during a Target run. In the past, she would go for the standard Hanes crew socks, but upon noticing that the brand had a slightly cropped “ankle” version, she decided to grab those instead. Upon trying them, she never looked back. “They’re the perfect sock height because I normally fold my crew socks in half, and these took away the need to do that.”
Best white dress socks
Height: Crew | Material: Egyptian cotton | Price: $30 per pair
Ross is also a Comme Si fan, but prefers the Agnelli, which has a tighter rib and is inspired by a classic men’s trouser sock. It’s made from an ultra-soft, longtime staple Egyptian cotton. “The tabs on the back are so chic for some reason,” she says. Naomi Elizee, an editor at Vogue, also likes the Angelli, which she pairs with loafers and slides. “I love how lightweight these are,” she says. “They aren’t super-bulky and slip on easily.”
Best (less expensive) white dress socks
Height: Crew | Material: Bamboo rayon, polyamide, elastane | Price: Approx. $5.70 per pair
Made out of breathable bamboo rayon, these all-season Hugh Ugoli dress socks keep feet feeling comfortable whether it’s freezing or sweltering outside. “My God, these are so good. The softest socks ever, and they’re super stretchy,” Tamkin says. She’ll baby some of her more expensive dress socks by hanging them to dry, but these she’ll toss in the dryer and they hold up excellently. “They’re the best socks. I cannot say enough good things about them,” Tamkin says.
Best ruffled white socks
Height: Ankle | Material: Cotton, polyester, spandex | Price: Approx. $3.70 per pair
“You’ve seen them on every fashion girl, but these are truly the best,” says McKenzie DePinto, an account executive at Mansur Gavriel. According to DePinto, this six-pack of subtly ruffled ankle socks have a very nice thickness to them, making them “perfect for pairing with a sneaker, a loafer, ballet flats, sling-back heels, everything.” She thinks that what would otherwise be just a plain, basic sock gets elevated by the lettuce-edge detail at the top: “It adds something extra and makes it feel more feminine and fun.”
Best sheer white socks
Height: Ankle | Material: Polyamide, elastane | Price: $20 per pair
Doud Tomashoff first fell in love with wearing Swiss dot socks around three years ago, when she was in Paris. She thinks the delicate, polka-dotted mesh material “adds something different to your average plain white sock,” she says. “It’s a fun conversation starter or just a little bit of extra something.” She’s a fan of the brand Falke, and says she’ll often pair these sheer ankle socks with ballet flats or loafers.
Our experts
• McKenzie DePinto, account executive at Mansur Gavriel
• Beth Doud Tomashoff, content creator and real-estate agent
• Naomi Elizee, editor at Vogue
• Jules Fox, stylist and content creator
• Eliza Grace Huber, fashion editor at Who What Wear
• Ryan Gale, stylist and founder of By Colby
• Nichole Goodman, celebrity stylist
• Michelle Li, fashion editor and stylist
• Gabriela Mannix, influencer and content creator
• Toniesha Renee, head of content strategy for hip-hop and R&B at Interscope Records
• Juliana Salazar, stylist
• Brittany Sansone, personal stylist
• Hally Seminara, co-founder of OMG You Need That
• Elizabeth Tamkin, personal stylist and Kule content director
• Anya Tisdale, artist
• Lauren Vreeland, co-founder of OMG You Need That
Additional reporting by Tembe Denton-Hurst
Update on June 18, 2024: Added images of the Comme Si Everyday White Sock and the Aritzia TNA Best-Ever Crew Sock in situ and updated prices and checked stock for all other products.
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