The Shoes Without the Socks

Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s many internet friends has sent the Manolo the link to the ridiculous article about the men who wear the dress shoes without the socks.

IT seems almost obscene, given the expanses of midriff, thigh and backside that too many people are all too willing to bare today, that the decision to show a little ankle with dress shoes should raise eyebrows. But almost obscene is just how it seems to many.

“It’s the new male cleavage,” said Thom Browne, the men’s wear designer and a professed ankle exhibitionist. “You can’t believe the snickers and comments I get because I’m not wearing socks. It sends people into a tailspin.”

Mr. Browne is an extremist, given that he wears traditional suit pants, cut short, and pairs them with English wingtips. You don’t expect to see a swath of naked skin separating the two. Nonetheless, many men are uneasy showing ankle, fearing perhaps that it smacks of the garish machismo of “Miami Vice.” You can debate whether dress shoes without socks looks cool, but there is no question that your feet feel that way.

“It’s nice to feel like you’re not wearing anything,” said Daniel Chu, a Manhattan advertising executive, who, come warm weather, deep-sixes the dress socks even with his Crockett & Jones lace-up, cap-toe oxfords. “It’s more of a comfort thing than a fashion statement.” He added, however, that he likes pairing the modern athleticism of bare feet with the Old World elegance of dress shoes, a clash concocted by those 1950’s rebels who paired white athletic socks with loafers. “That’s what makes people stare,” he said. “They’re totally unfamiliar with the look, which is the beauty of it.”

Oooooh, you are the rebel! Look at the rebel who does not believe in the socks for the expensive shoes!

Such the rebel who eschews the commonsense traditions of the untutored masses! All hail the rebellious non-sock wearing men, who challange the very foundations of our hide-bound society.

Manolo says, Pah!

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