There is a town in the People's Republic of China that produces a third of the world's sock production, something like a billion pairs of cotton and nylon socks each year, which output demonstrates the basic rule (a corollary to Réginald-Jérôme de Mans's thesis of yesterday) that you get what you pay for.
Those billion socks are very inexpensive. They do not fit very well. Since they are generally available in only a single size, they tend to display visible ripples and rumples where there should be a smooth expanse of hose. They are also short. It takes more expertise to knit an over the calf that stays up without cutting off circulation, and, since over the calf socks are really only important with taiored clothing, that particular skill is too specialized for high volume producers to worry much about. So they make short socks.
Better socks, on the other hand, are available in sizes so they fit the individual's foot without rumples, and they not only cover the calf but remain in place. This at a cost that is a mere order of magnitude greater than your basic billion pair.
I say mere because even an order of magnitude difference leaves high quality socks as the most affordable part of a man's wardrobe. The difference between a week's supply that are prone to the cardinal sin of showing bare skin between sock and trousers and the really good stuff is perhaps $150, which is nothing to sneer at but within the budget of most men who wear tailored clothing. And the good stuff throws in greater comfort and better looks as part of the deal. I call that value.
Wear better socks.
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2 comments:
Dear Will,
Never have i doubted your words less. Since i 'converted' to otc socks, have I become a happier man. Yes I have. Never have I believed that such relieve could be accomplished by just switching socks. Today, Mes chausettes rouge are the only socks I buy, and I have a few Bresciani as well. If one thinks a man's shoes say a lot about the man, look at his socks!
Regards, Andrew
We often notice some beautiful clothing on display in the malls, but to our bad luck they're not in the right size. If we know where to look online, there's a huge possibility that we'd get one in our size as well.
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