Wool over-the-calf dress socks?

[rice rocket]

Icebreaker has some nice ribbed dress socks, but they're only midcalf, which means lots of falling down. I've never worn sock garters and don't plan to start if I don't have to. The other ones are slightly too patterned. Smartwool only has them in brown (or in crazy designs).

Any options here?

Thanks!

[R2D2]

Goldtoe was my go to when we had to be GQ in the day.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

Goodhew are the best wool dress socks I've ever put on. I have many pairs. I only wish they made colors other than black and grey in the over the calf style. But I like them so much, I went with some crew length Goodhews to get other colors as well. I highly recommend these.

[rugbysecondrow]

I wear gold toe and I don't have issues with falling down. My socks are mid calf. Full calf would bother the crap out of me. A few years ago I got rid of all my socks and bought all new brown, black and blue. Easy to match. About every 3-4 years I do this.

[old fat man]

Goodhew are the best wool dress socks I've ever put on. I have many pairs. I only wish they made colors other than black and grey in the over the calf style. But I like them so much, I went with some crew length Goodhews to get other colors as well. I highly recommend these.

interesting story about goodhew. my former brother in law's former family company produced the socks for goodhew. he would go on the road with mr goodhew (not his real name) and the guy had crazy ideas and was a nutcase himself. great socks though. i collected a fair number of prototypes before they parted ways. they hold up really well.

[christian]

I wear 85%+ merino wool over-the-calf dress socks at least 261 days per year, so this is a topic I consider myself an expert on.

My favorites are Gold Toe, Pantherella, Lands End, Brooks Brothers, and Jos. A Bank in about that order.

Gold Toe:
+ Hardest wearing
+ Cheap
- Ribbing is fairly wide
- Elastic up top is very tight
- Less insulation than Pantherella or Lands End
- Actually not very comfortable

Pantherella:
+ Exceptionally comfortable
+ Fine ribbing
+ Reasonably hard wearing
- $26 per pair (!)

Land's End
+ Comfortable
+ Mid-width ribbing
+ Moderate price
+ Last about 6 months in once per week rotation
- Not as comfortable as Pantherella
- Not as hard wearing as Gold Toe
- Toes wear out first

Brooks Brothers
+ Comfortable
+ Mid-width ribbing
+ Last about 6 months in once per week rotation
- Not as comfortable as Pantherella
- No real advantage against Land's End at higher cost

Jos. A Bank
(note, these are NOT ribbed)
+ Reasonably comfortable
+ Cheap when on sale
- Heels wear out quickly
- Can feel nylon content (~ 20%)

I've tried other brands, but these are the current denizens of my sock drawer. If I had to, I could easily get by with just LE and Gold Toe. But let me be clear - the LE socks are more comfortable. The Gold Toes just wear like iron, and that's critical for me.

The Pantherellas are great, but I wouldn't own the two pair I had if I didn't receive them as a gift. And yes, my friends and family know me well enough that OTC wool dress socks are ALWAYS on the gift list.

[BumbleBeeDave]

I've never worn sock garters and don't plan to start if I don't have to.

Sock garters will not be allowed under the New Regime! :beer: :p

BBD

[thwart]

Hey, I'm wearing Nashbar merino socks day in and day out. They're actually made by DeFeet...

Comfortable, cheap, last for a long time, stay up well. And they come in every color you can imagine... at least if your imagination is limited to dark gray... ;)

[DRZRM]

Pantherella, the finest socks I've owned. Often on good sales at STP (http://www.sierratradingpost.com/pantherella-over-the-calf-dress-socks-merino-wool-for-men~p~11091/?filterString=mens-socks~d~151%2Fbrandor~1036%2F&colorFamily=30)

[Louis]

As I type this I'm wearing some Smartwool dress socks - a Christmas present from my sister. They seem comfy enough, but thinner than most of my cotton socks. No problem with them falling down, but I do fold over the top few inches so they aren't tight and don't get stretched too much.

My single biggest complaint with every brand of dress socks I have ever worn is that for me the heels wear out way before anything else. Every single one, at the same spot, just at the base of the Achilles tendon. Why in the world can't they beef that area up to avoid this? I hate throwing them away when every other part of the sock is fine, but I do it all the time and it bothers me to no end.

[Jaq]

Rustoleum. Lots of colors and dries quick. And it's another good reason for shaving your legs.

[saab2000]

Nordstrom has them and they're excellent.

[Birddog]

Sock garters will not be allowed under the New Regime
I thought it was OK to wear garters if you were also wearing spats, fundamentally necessary even. In case you're wondering, that fashion maven Gary Fisher knows a thing or two about spats.

[mossman]

the best wool socks available are these: http://www.dahlgrenfootwear.com/socks/

you'll love them and want to replace all your socks with them.

[mistermo]

For work, I wear only black, over the calf, merino wool dress socks. I've never heard of a few of the brands here. All of mine are Smartwool. Whenever there's a sale, I buy about 8-10 pairs of the same size, color and style and then toss 'em in a drawer. If I lose a sock, no worries, 'cause the others match too.

Never seen a selection as good as Sam's in Brattleboro, VT. Prices are always the best too.

http://www.samsoutfitters.com/mensclothing.htm

[67-59]

I love Smartwool. I have several pairs of varying thicknesses - thicker "hiking" socks for wearing around the house or with sneakers or casual shoes, and "micro-cushioned" and uncushioned for wearing with dress shoes.

Over the calf socks of any brand drive me nuts, though. I have huge calves from my running days, and always feel like they're getting strangled. Never had problems with the shorter Smartwool socks falling down.

[tiretrax]

I used to spend a lot of money on socks. Pantharellas are great, but were hard to find (of course, now we have the internet). The heel/achilles tended to wear quickly on by Brooks Brothers socks, so I started buying them at Neiman Marcus last call. Those are now needing replacement, and I found that Golden Toe work as well and were less expensive.

I recommend good calf length socks. Over the calf are too hot in summer, and if the elastic fails, too much material bunches up.

[mossman]

dahlgrens > smartwool

trust me on this.

[christian]

So the Dahlgrens you're recommending are the "thin compression" socks?

[67-59]

dahlgrens > smartwool

trust me on this.

Any idea what the % of alpaca/merino is vs the synthetic part for Dahlgrens? I've tried merino blend socks that ended up being mostly polyester and just enough merino to use the name (can't recall the brand), and was disappointed. I like Smartwool because the ones I wear are 70% or more merino, and I love the feel. I checked the Dahlgrens website, and while they talk a lot about the benefits of merino and alpaca, I can't find out how much they really use.

[rice rocket]

I wear 85%+ merino wool over-the-calf dress socks at least 261 days per year, so this is a topic I consider myself an expert on.

My favorites are Gold Toe, Pantherella, Lands End, Brooks Brothers, and Jos. A Bank in about that order.

Gold Toe:
+ Hardest wearing
+ Cheap
- Ribbing is fairly wide
- Elastic up top is very tight
- Less insulation than Pantherella or Lands End
- Actually not very comfortable

Pantherella:
+ Exceptionally comfortable
+ Fine ribbing
+ Reasonably hard wearing
- $26 per pair (!)

Land's End
+ Comfortable
+ Mid-width ribbing
+ Moderate price
+ Last about 6 months in once per week rotation
- Not as comfortable as Pantherella
- Not as hard wearing as Gold Toe
- Toes wear out first

Brooks Brothers
+ Comfortable
+ Mid-width ribbing
+ Last about 6 months in once per week rotation
- Not as comfortable as Pantherella
- No real advantage against Land's End at higher cost

Jos. A Bank
(note, these are NOT ribbed)
+ Reasonably comfortable
+ Cheap when on sale
- Heels wear out quickly
- Can feel nylon content (~ 20%)

I've tried other brands, but these are the current denizens of my sock drawer. If I had to, I could easily get by with just LE and Gold Toe. But let me be clear - the LE socks are more comfortable. The Gold Toes just wear like iron, and that's critical for me.

The Pantherellas are great, but I wouldn't own the two pair I had if I didn't receive them as a gift. And yes, my friends and family know me well enough that OTC wool dress socks are ALWAYS on the gift list.

Thanks Christian. I got some Lands End, there's currently a small sale, $7.50/pair if you buy 4. Free shipping if you use the code LOVELINEN (PIN is 9324).

[veloduffer]

I think Christian's assessment is spot on. I've had Land's End, Jos A Bank and currently wear Gold Toes. The Gold Toes are less refined than the others and are a bit tight at the top, but that doesn't bother me.

If you're looking for cotton OTC socks, Paul Fredrick's (mail order)has served me well. They have really lasted much longer than other brands yet feel good. I used to wear the Land's End but they wore out fast.

[Liv2RideHard]

I am currently wearing some Lorpen Trail socks and dig them so far. They are new in my sock drawer which also contains smartwool, swiftwick, wigwam and others (merino and technical construction). Too early for me to judge my new Lorpen socks, first time wearing them actually. Check them out.

http://www.lorpen.com/lorpen-na/products.php