Pumps with Socks ~ Hmmmm.... - YouLookFab Forum

Ok, this is interesting! It was on a zappo's email I rec'd. I could see it being done & being pulled off but I also envision it going terribly wrong many other times....

========================
=== PUMPS WITH SOCKS ===
========================
"...I am sitting here at my local ford dealership getting my husbands truck serviced (aren't I a good wife?) reading my cosmo. I just looked up. Standing at the service counter is another woman roughly my age...31ish she is wearing: a white shirt with some sort of black print on it, a denim mini skirt, white tube socks with 3 black stripes and...drum roll please! A black pair of 4 inch pointed toe pumps, black purse and dark sunglasses. Is this a new trend in rockin tube socks? I can tell the men are fans and she is attractive and is rocking the look like a rock star. But what gives with the pumps and socks? Is this happening only in my local Boston area ford dealer ship or is it a trend I missed?..."
-Justine, Just north of Boston MA

I too am in my VERY early 30's from southern MA and love the tube socks and over the knee socks fashion trend. I have many different color styles in the tube socks and a bunch of over the knee socks. I do hope it continues this fall and winter. However there is a wrong way and a right way to wear the trend I believe. I have never seen the retro tube socks (as you describe) with pumps worn as an every day outfit. I have seen and worn regular knee high socks with heels and over the knee socks with pumps, heels, booties, knee high boots and even over the knee boots in the cooler months.

I also have a few pairs of look alike tube socks that are white with 3 black stripes that I can wear just over my knees and I pull them up until just before the hem of my skirt. I have worn those with a pair of Mary Janes on cooler fall days. I think the tube socks, worn as you describe is a more Risque look then slutty. It depends on how the look is worn.

I wear my tube socks with denim skirts that I call mini skirts. However they are not as "MINI" as some of the mini skirts I have seen that are more like a glorified wide belt. Mine come 2-3 inches above my knees maybe less, maybe a little more but in no way is my bottom hanging out for all to see. This makes a huge difference. If the woman in the dealership was sporting a "belt" as I call them and a tube top, then yes that is way over the top. If she was wearing a regular printed T-shirt as you described and a NORMAL denim skirt then to each her own.

It is a great look to wear to a night out such as to dance night clubs I think but have never worn them like that. I reserve the knee high tube socks for my denim skirts and sneakers. I recently saluted Red Sox nation by wearing my white Red Sox jersey, a denim skirt with my white tube socks with red stripes to a Sox game at Fenway. Everyone around me and my husband RAVED about my outfit. Of course I was sweating to death but it was worth it. But to make that look good the stripes on the socks must compliment your outfit. I have no idea what Egg boots are, but I will wear my UGG boots and a skirt with the socks pulled up to my knees as well. I have seen this done with the shorter Uggs and I think it looks awful. But I think the look is pretty sporty with the tall ones, again the stripes on the socks must compliment your outfit. I have never worn my tube socks with shorts, and I wonder what kind of shorts you are wearing with them..? Are they denim shorts? Running shorts?

The over the knee socks are pretty sweet as well, and like I said I hope the trend continues this fall. I love the look of the over the knee socks "scrunched" down above my knee high stiletto boots with a pair of black tights especially if I am wearing black boots, white socks, black leggings a skirt and a white shirt.

Hope this helps!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hmmm, interesting! What do you think? Any takers that want to share pics?

14 years ago

April

Veteran

Let's see, JG... my style goals in last week's Name Your Style challenge were Elegant, Smart, and Current. I would say the tube-socks-with-pumps look qualifies as none of the above.

The one exception might be "current," only I think a look like this is less "current" and more "fashion victim."

JewelryGirl

Active Member

I hear you April, it just cracked me up actually!! I could see someone being able to pull it off, not something I could ever attempt though!

Maya

Not sure what kind of socks the girl in question was wearing, but I happen to like the look in general. Maybe it's my age showing, but I do think it's a valid stylish choice. And...as a matter of fact...

http://youlookfab.com/category/global-style/

If you scroll down to the Hong Kong pictures, there are a couple of pictures of long black trouser socks and flats/heels. I think the quality of sock makes a difference! If by "tube socks" she meant those silly socks with the stripes at the top, I can perhaps see why it might be eyebrow-raising.

Yes, I agree Maya. I googled after I posted this & saw looks similar to what you are stating. This one was the "silly socks with the stripes at the top" as you describe from the sound of it.....

"...white tube socks with 3 black stripes and..."
"...the retro tube socks (as you describe) with pumps ..."

Joy

These sound exactly like the long white tube socks the kids wore with shorts, especially to play soccer, in the late 70's-80's. Stripes and all. They (boys and girls) wore shorts shorter back then. I can't imagine them on a 30 yr. old with 4" heels. The dark long socks worn in Hong Kong look finer gauge knit.
Maybe we'll see bobbysox with saddleback shoes next!

cciele

I've seen the look with the finer gauge knit socks, and kind of dig it for younger women (i.e., not me!). Although the over-the-knee ones always remind me of the Japanese schoolgirl look you see in anime.

However, with tube/gym socks? I dunno. Very fringe, I would think. I found this picture of a striped pair of black tube socks:
http://www.girlynightout.co.uk.....x?pid=4747

yublocka

(website)

I was just going to say that I think of this as a very HK/Japanese style, and then I read Mayas comment. Cute little (compared to me!) Asian girls sport this look quite a bit over here in Australia too!!!

I think the over-the-knee, fine-gauge hose pictured in the Hong Kong photos are absolutely a sexy, fashion-forward look for very young women.

Striped tube socks, however? To my eye, nyet.

If you're wondering whom we have to thank for this, it seems that American Apparel has something to do with it. I caution that the link below goes to one of their overly-sexy photos (no actual nudity), but they are apparently using porn stars to sell tube socks:
http://images.google.com/imgre.....N%26um%3D1

Laura

I agree with Maya -- I like the look with black stockings (especially if you have killer legs and are in your 20s). But American Apparel ... what are you thinking? And of course some women will follow along with what AA is showing, like lemmings. Argh.

Danja

I am not going to comment on tube socks with any kind of footwear aside from soccer cleats.
However, in the last JCrew catalog the models are sporing much finer socks, both knee length and ankle length, with heeled shoes and skirts or shorts. It looks quite adorable, and I love the look. I would love to try it, but I think I am about 5-10 years late to that party.

Alecia

I was also going to mention the pictures in the JCrew catalog. I feel like this is a look that looks best on wispy, waify figures. My substantial ankles and calves would be done no favors by the look. I like it in the magazines but am afraid it could quickly veer toward fashion victim territory in real life.

chewyspaghetti

Socks with heels is not a new look- remember the 80's, when they wore those little girl ankle socks with lace with high heels?

hanna

if we're talking footie (i mean soccer :P) socks, no thank you! but i do love the look, and if done right (with the right socks!), i think it looks lovely. this girl in particular rocks it like no other:

http://theblackapple.typepad.c.....-peep.html

she has an ethereal, retro style i really like!

Melody

Maybe she was trying to stretch her heels out a little! I remember my mom walking around the house with thick white athletic socks and pumps to break them in. Of course, she would have never, ever left the house like that!

Category