# Best dress socks for sweaty feet



## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

I have to renew my collection of lighter-weather dress socks and am faced with the problem of having very sweaty feet, which makes me look for alternatives to cotton or at least cotton that doesn't have a significant dose of something else blended with it. Any recommendations? Sockless is never an option for me.


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## Leighton (Nov 16, 2009)

100% merino wool. Too bad it kind of stinks at staying up or holding up to wear. Therefore, 70-80% is good. It does come in very light fabric weights.

Pantherella is cool. I haven't tried Mercolioni, but hear good things about it. I also highly suggest asking Alexander Kabbaz and ask his opinion, then buy whatever he says to buy. He's an advertiser here and used to post a lot.


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## Penang Lawyer (May 27, 2008)

Stick with 100% wool. Wool is a breathing fabric. BB nor J. Press does not have 100% wool but Ben Silver does. Try A Suitable Wardrobe. I get mine through my SR tailor and they actually come from France. Good hunting.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

Thanks for the recommendations. Wool it is. Sigh. And of course, this means spending a lot more money. This is what I get for joining Ask Andy . It's not like Target, where I bought my last lighter-weight socks, has 100% wool.

Are merino socks all season, or should I try to distinguish between a winter weight and a summer weight sock?

Ben Silver's website does not specify the wool content of its socks. Marcolioni's wool socks are 100%, plus I get to give some business to Mr. Kabbaz, which will take some of the sting away. Perhaps I should get one of those net bags that women use for their under garments so that I can keep expensive socks separate from the rest of the laundry and, thus, out of the drier?


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## Baywulf (Nov 5, 2008)

+1 for wool. Also, you may want to look at Smartwool socks. I have several pairs of them, and find them to be comfortable year round. Although, they have a limited selection of dress socks.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

I'm a fan of smartwool, but I've never found anything by them that might qualify as a dress sock. What are they called? (ie. what's the cutesy name Smartwool gives them)? The socks I have from them work well with Clarks but make AE Wilberts (which are spacious relative to my AE dress shoes, perhaps because of the #1 last) feel almost too snug.


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## Leighton (Nov 16, 2009)

Baywulf said:


> +1 for wool. Also, you may want to look at Smartwool socks. I have several pairs of them, and find them to be comfortable year round. Although, they have a limited selection of dress socks.


Too thick for sweaty feet. My feet sweat in them a lot. Don't notice it too much, but my thinner wool dress socks keep my feet much cooler and me more comfortable. Works great in the winter though.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

Does it really make a difference whether I go for 100% wool or a 70% or 80% wool blend?


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## sclemmons (Mar 4, 2006)

Pantherella Over the Calf Cotton Lisle is hard to beat.


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## RM Bantista (May 30, 2009)

tocqueville said:


> Does it really make a difference whether I go for 100% wool or a 70% or 80% wool blend?


Blended with what? And in what proportions?

It helps to have some other material such as nylon and spandex to lower the cost and lend a bit of strength and structure to hold the sock in shape under repeated wash/dryer cycles. Gentleman's socks used to be made of wool and silk or cashmere and silk, but they were never inexpensive. Merino wool makes for a very comfortable element in a blended sock. Cashmere is very comfortable also and desirable even in blends, but one must be careful to examine the content labels to avoid examples where the high cost premium content item is only a nominal amount so that the packaging may say Merino wool or Cashmere in big letters and the content is 5% of he actual sock.

Even an inexpensive blend which is mostly Cashmere is going to cost more money than most people are willing to throw at the problem. A minimum wage worker cannot afford to spend $20.00 for a pair of socks. Add in a few items of monthly expense that are not uncommon, such as rent, transport, childcare, food, and a $20.00 pair of socks is out of reach for a lot of people who make several times more than $7.50 an hour.

So, yes it makes a difference. But how much it matters is not a simple question. What one would want is something which wicks the moisture away from the skin.

Cotton can be blended with other materials to perform better than it would by itself. A lot of modern synthetics are used by people who need to have moisture wick properties in their activities. Construction also matters in this context. How the fibers are woven... And a lot of other things which are beyond my ken.

Any of the percentages of wool you mention can be acceptable to your purposes, but there are many qualities of wool that may make one wool suitable for some uses but not for others. Some wool used for work or hiking socks would not be a good substitute for a dress sock wool.

I think one should not be too wedded to one particular element in consideration of the problem. There are a huge number of factors which can matter in the perceived suitability of one sock over another for any given purpose.

One may also approach from an entirely different direction and put a cornstarch talc powder on the skin or inside the shoe prior to dressing. This has worked for some people. It is not simpler, but it may be less costly.

regards,

rudy


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## Mr. Mac (Mar 14, 2008)

Another vote for wool. I much prefer a wool blend with some nylon for durability. Thinner dress versions are very comfortable year round and last forever.

Gold Toe makes excellent wool blend socks at a good price.

Lands End also makes a great wool blend (in a wider range of colors).


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## max b (Dec 11, 2009)

wool for Winter and linen for Summer. I know a lot of people doesn't like linen socks. Everybody has right to his own opinion.
To me linen is the best for Summer weather.


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## Leighton (Nov 16, 2009)

Gold Toe wool blends made my feet sweat just as much too. Don't recommend them.

Robert Talbott socks get my recommendation. But they're discontinued.

Another option is anti-perspirants. Aluminum chloride is the active ingredient; sold in varying strengths. Canada has the strongest over the counter version.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

Thanks for the heads up about Gold Toe. I was just checking them out on Amazon, and certainly the price is right.

I tried anti-perspirants with mixed results. Actually, I have a theory that they are to blame for the cracks on the insole of one of my pairs of Allen Edmonds. I can't prove it, but it makes me afraid to try again. Perhaps I'm crazy.


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## ilikeyourstyle (Apr 24, 2007)

As soon as you find a pair of socks you like, buy a large quantity of them. I have a few pairs of socks that I love, and I never remember exactly what brand/fabrics they are.

I have never been a fan of 100% anything socks. I want some Spandex so they fit nicely all day long.


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## a tailor (May 16, 2005)

i have been using gold toe for years. wool with a little poly for strength. for me they are great. the price is reasonable.


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## cglex (Oct 23, 2006)

After much experimenting, my favorites are wool from J. Press in the winter months, and, yes, Golden Toe nylon in the spring/summer/fall. The nylon breaths much better than the cotton and doesn't clump up. Back in my much younger outdoorsman days, when trecking in the wilds, I would where these very same socks, (but not navy or black) with rag wool socks over them. All the various wicking socks have made the Golden Toes obsolete for outdoor wear, but nylon Golden Toes are still great for suits in the summer.

For me, wool is just too hot past March in New England.


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## upnorth (Jun 18, 2007)

Gold toe socks and gold bond powder. Even regular foot powder or some talc with zinc oxide as one of its ingredients is very useful.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

It seems to me that I recall seeing some 'micro-modal' sock offerings in the Gold Toe outlet store that were touted for efficiently wicking the moisture away from ones feet and controlling oder as well. I have always been quite happy with the performance of Gold-Toe products and, as so many others have mentioned, they are well priced! :thumbs-up:


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## Apatheticviews (Mar 21, 2010)

Covert Threads makes some great dress socks.


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## ExecAccess (Jan 1, 2010)

Can you get Humphrey Law Socks in the States? They are an Australian sock made from pure Merino wool. They have a winter and summer weight. And the tops stay up without constricting.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

*Humphrey law*

I did a quick google search and couldn't find any non-Aus/NZ vendors. They look really nice. I'm sure they ship internationally, but that raises the price a significant amount, I'm guessing. I'll keep looking.


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## balletgentleman (Jun 10, 2014)

For me, I prefer to wear nylon socks for warmer weather. It feels a lot cooler for me. And for sweaty feet, I'd use some talcum powder on the inside of my socks, put my socks on, and it does the job very well.


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## Pentheos (Jun 30, 2008)

Four years...


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

I have worn mostly wool ribbed dress socks since the 1970's. I still wear them with adult shoes. I used to get them from LL Bean. Last time I bought some was a while back from STP. 

Wool dress socks are comfortable in warm weather and good when it's cold. Cotton is useless if your feet sweat. I wear some performance wicking undergarments, I have no experience with that sort of socks.

Smartwool has something called Lifestyle socks. They are a little thicker than dress socks, but work well if your shoes are a bit loose. I have a few pairs and wear them with slightly loose shoes. Smartwool light hiking socks work well for me as boot socks. The wool cushions one's feet, wicks away moisture, and keeps feet warm when wet.

If you find some you like, buy a bunch in the same color or colors. Makes it easy to match pairs and gives you a good supply, a sort of sock rotation.

Hope this is useful,
Gurdon


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## Spex (Nov 25, 2012)

Pentheos said:


> Four years...


Correction: 5 years (and a few months).

But while we're at it...the original answer was probably the best. The more wool (and that would be merino for dress socks) the better, as it has moisture wicking properties to keep your feet dry and non-stinky. You want to avoid a large percentage of synthetic content. Over-the-calf versions so they stay up, or add a bit of synthetic at the band, heel and toe for durability. I have a few pairs of the Marcoliani 80 wool/20 nylon from Kabbaz, which are great. Fantastic assortment of colours as well.


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## WHHarrington (Dec 28, 2014)

I have worn Bresciani merino wool with 20% for 4 years. I did and side by side comparison with Pantherella and found Bresciani more durable, although much more costly. I wear merino wool/nylon blend year-round and find them very comfortable. WHH


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## SlideGuitarist (Apr 23, 2013)

A belated +1 to Merino wool. I've done the A/B experiment. Sweaty feet were a side effect of a medication I had to take briefly. I mean noticeably sweaty feet. I started wearing wool socks for that reason, and was amazed that they could feel dry (and as a bonus, not smell) after a day at work. A coworker who hikes avidly swears by DarnTough, and I wear them for cycling as well.


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## Jman9599 (Dec 23, 2013)

Pentheos said:


> Four years...


I seen no problem since this site deals with "timeless" men's wear the question is as valid now as it was 4 years ago. While old, I like seeing seeing zombie threads as there is much information in them.

I was just searching this site for sock recommendations...


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

"dress socks" what are they? 

Socks are socks.


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> "dress socks" what are they?
> 
> Socks are socks.


Dress socks are the thin, dark colored socks one wears with a lounge suit, or as we'd say in the states a business suit. The shoes you wear with dress socks would tybically be captoe oxfords, such as those by Crockett and Jones or Edward Green.

Heavier shoes, such as Doc Martins or, say, heavy double soled brogues, generally require slightly thicker socks. These might be classified as dress socks, depending on the style of the shoe and what one were wearing with them.

There are also thicker boot socks for wear with hiking or mountaineering boots.

I understand that there are also many other types of specialized socks for wear with athetletic shoes that vary according to the sport involved. I have no first hand experience with these.

Gurdon


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