Fashion Friday: socks
Students at West are going toe to toe with their fashion choices.
In fashion, one of the easiest parts of an outfit to overlook is socks, as most of the time they are hidden by shoes. However, for some students at West, socks are integral to their unique style.
McKenna Proud ‘21 is known for constantly wearing bright patterned socks. She got her first pair of patterned socks from her great aunt when she was five and has been integrating them into her daily outfits since then.
“I don’t think I’ve stopped wearing [patterned socks] ever. It started with two different kinds of socks with two different prints on it just to show that I was a cool kid,” Proud said. “And then I started going into different colors to actually match my outfits to be a fashionista.”
The only time that Proud isn’t wearing patterned socks is when she has a volleyball game or when she has to work. Any other time, her socks are full of patterns that help her stand out.
“[Socks] spruce up your outfit with a little pop of color. Like I’m wearing all black so I decided to have purple socks on. And they show that you have a fun personality and that you’re just out there,” Proud said.
Lilian Montilla ‘21 also sports patterned socks because she often wears black clothing.
“I like to get fancy with the socks. Not like [too] fancy but it’s more fun having socks,” Montilla said.
Montilla has around 20 pairs of socks, most of which are breakfast-themed or animal-themed, but she doesn’t have any favorites. Proud, on the other hand, does. Her favorite pair of socks are bright purple and have Cleopatra as a cat on them. She calls them her “Cleocatra” socks. Proud bought them at the Field Museum in Chicago.
“I feel like it just fits my personality to have bright purple Cleocatra socks. The pun included,” Proud explained.
Aside from her Cleocatra socks, Proud has around 100 other pairs, her socks have many different themes, some of which have bacon, ladybugs or pianos on them. All of her socks, except for a few Doctor Who themed ones, are longer than ankle length.
“I did a cleaning [last] summer [and] I had two drawers full of socks,” Proud said. “I don’t think you understand that this is an obsession. So I went through the summer and I cleaned out all of the ones that didn’t fit me … I went through when I got all of them out to, like, ‘I’m gonna do a deep cleaning, I’m just going to get rid of the ones that don’t fit me,’ [and] I’m still left with at least 100.”
Proud buys most of her socks from Ragstock, although she also gets socks from other places such as museums or theme parks.
“I was going to get new socks at Disney World when I went with the band trip that had the bunny from Alice in Wonderland that said ‘Late for Everything,’” Proud said. “But they were $30. So I did not spend $30 on socks, although I wanted to.”
Bookstores are often have patterned socks, normally literature or art themed. Ari McClure ‘20 gets some of hers from bookstores. Her favorite pair have the painting “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt on them.
“A lot of [socks] I buy have famous paintings on them or food or animals. I love animal socks,” McClure said.
McClure started wearing patterned socks last year as a part of Show Choir’s tradition of wearing patterned socks to events and competitions. She has bought a lot of socks since then and wears them every day.
“I just think [socks are] interesting. I always wear sandals, so I like socks that are interesting to look at rather than just plain white socks,” McClure said. “I love wearing socks [because] my feet are always warm and they’re really comfortable.”
Montilla also wears socks with her Birkenstocks. Both students do not care about the fashion faux pas of wearing socks and sandals.
“You can really see the pattern [with sandals] and that’s my favorite part,” Montilla said. “When people notice and compliment them it’s nice to see that my effort to be a bit fun is paying off.”
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(she/her) Bess Frerichs is the online managing and feature editor. As a senior, this is her third and final year on staff. She enjoys reading, writing...
Sarah Grace Villaflor • Sep 6, 2019 at 8:37 am
Thanks for sharing an informative blog. And I like your idea that “spruce up your outfit with a little pop of color. Like I’m wearing all black so I decided to have purple socks on. And they show that you have a fun personality and that you’re just out there”