Q. Cold weather is coming! For northern girls like me (Milwaukee!) the cold weather season presents a difficult challenge for me, as my favorite clothes to wear are flats with trousers, flats with skinny jeans, flats with anything! But I don’t like them with socks, and then my feet get cold! Can you provide some variation on the flats with pants look for winter? Do socks look ok with this style?
A. I’m a big ballet flat person myself and wear them as long as possible into the cold weather without socks. When I finally can’t stand cold ankles any longer, I typically turn to ankle boots and tall boots. However, I have also been known to wear socks with flats on occasion.
Some flats are easier to pair with socks than others. For instance, an Oxford flat or menswear-inspired shoe looks great with a sock, and mary jane style flats tend to look great with tights. The trickiest kind of flat to wear with a sock is a ballet flat or similar shoe that shows off a lot of the top of your foot (instep), however, it can be done. The key to pulling off this look is to match your sock color to your shoe color. Black is always the easiest, so a black sock with a black shoe looks fine. Choose a smooth sock (or tights) that won’t bunch up.
There is a big trend towards socks this season, however, as designers sent many looks down the runways showing off socks with heels, sandals and ankle boots. Try experimenting with some fun socks with your flats in a “meant to be seen” fashion.
Your other alternative, of course, is to switch to a flat ankle boot or flat tall boot. You’ll get the same comfort you’re used to without worrying about socks and exposed ankles. Here are some styles to try:
photo via: lookbook.nu
