You have picked the shoes and the trousers, and now you are standing at the sock drawer. The question is smaller than it looks. A sock either ends out of sight or ends where it is clearly meant to be seen. Almost every awkward pairing lives between those two.
Start from the collar of the shoe
Put the shoe on and look at where its opening sits on your foot. A no show sock has to end below that line to disappear. A crew sock has to end clearly above it, over the ankle bone, so it reads as part of the outfit. The in-between, a sock that peeks a centimeter over a loafer, is the one that looks like a mistake.
Check it moving, not standing still. Sit down, cross your legs, walk to the door. A collar that hides a sock while you stand can show its edge the moment your foot flexes.
Sneakers and loafers
This is where low cut no show socks do their best work. The opening sits under the collar of most sneakers and loafers, and the silicone in the heel keeps the sock from sliding as the heel lifts. Our classic low cut models for women and men are cut for exactly these shoes.
The mesh models add an open knit over the top of the foot. In a leather loafer nobody will ever see it. In a mesh or knit sneaker the upper is thinner, and the difference between an open and a closed knit underneath is easier to feel than in leather.
Boat shoes, oxfords and work shoes
Wernies Invisible Liner Socks
Women's · Low cut no show · US 5–9, 9–12 and 12–14 · 2 packs
From $4.99Boat shoes sit low around the ankle, and not every no show is cut for them. Our men's classic no show socks are: the description names boat shoes, oxfords, sneakers and loafers. The men's cotton model is not, and says so. For work shoes, the women's invisible liner socks are cut to stay hidden in sneakers, loafers, boat shoes and business footwear.
If you wear boat shoes most of the summer, it is worth keeping one pack of the right cut for them rather than hoping a sneaker sock will do.
Ballet flats and extra-low slip-ons
Here the honest answer is that most no show socks show an edge, ours included. Our classic women's low cut sock states that it is not a super low sock for flats or extreme low slip-ons, and the cushioned mesh model is not meant for extra-low slip-ons or high heels. The top of a ballet flat simply sits lower than the opening of a sock that still has to hold on to your heel.
If you like the look of a flat with bare ankles, choose the shoe on a day you are happy to wear it without a sock, or pick a shoe with a slightly higher collar on the days you want one.
Socks that are meant to show
Some socks are the point of the outfit. Our ruffle crew socks have a frilled fold-over cuff you can wear pulled up, folded down so the frill sits at the ankle, or turned inside out to show more of it. Under a dress they look as right as they do with white sneakers.
The striped cotton crew has two stripes at a ribbed cuff and looks right with sneakers and boots. The lightweight cotton crew is the thin one, with a high-stretch top, for warm days when a no show feels too bare.
Hems and bare ankles
Cropped trousers and short hems show the whole ankle, so they call for a sock that disappears. Full-length trousers over boots hide the question entirely, and a crew sock is the comfortable choice under them. A frill or a stripe works best when there is a gap between hem and shoe to show it in.
| Shoe | Sock height | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sneakers | Low cut no show, or crew | No show to hide it, crew when you want the sock seen |
| Loafers | Low cut no show | The opening sits under the collar |
| Boat shoes | Men's classic no show | Cut for boat shoes, unlike our men's cotton model |
| Work shoes | Invisible liner | Cut to stay hidden in business footwear |
| Ballet flats | Usually none of ours | Most no show socks show an edge here |
| Boots | Crew | Ends above the ankle, under the boot shaft |
Unsure about a size or a pack? Write to heelgrip@wernies.net and the people at Wernies will answer.