Look down, and chances are you鈥檒l notice one particular everywhere lately. On the runways, in your favourite stores, sported by celebs and on the feet of fashion girlies: Everyone鈥檚 wearing socks. Once considered strictly utilitarian, socks have become the essential accessory of 2025 鈥 thanks in part to celebrities like Doechii, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter rocking ankle to knee-high pairs on the red carpet, on stage, and even at听迟丑别
There鈥檚 plenty of styling inspo out there in sock-forward TV shows like Netflix鈥檚 ” on sock-happy runways (see the featured in the Chanel Fall 2026 collection), which encourage us to rock socks with a loafer, of course, but also with and . And socks make the perfect transitional wardrobe piece as we head into fall. Just ahead of the new season, we asked four stylish Canadians to share the fun, functional and unique ways they鈥檙e styling style socks. Inspiration abounds!
Milaine Astride
For Ottawa-based content creator , socks aren鈥檛 simply an accessory to add to an outfit; they help her express her creative side. 鈥Menswear and dandyism are such hot trends in women鈥檚 fashion right now; there are no gender boundaries,鈥 Astride says. 鈥淥ne of the main fashion characters in dandyism is the socks.鈥 When styling hers, Astride鈥檚 sock-spo is Doechii.
What makes socks such a great transitional piece?
鈥淪ometimes we aren鈥檛 mentally or seasonally ready for the change of season. You might want to keep wearing that summer dress, , those skirts. Adding a cute pair of socks can help ease into the new season.鈥
What are your favourite brands and styles?
鈥淚 like a mild-calf sock if I am wearing mini boots because you can play with it, fold it down over the boot, keep it straight. I also love a knee-high sock with an above-the-knee skirt or with baggy Bermuda shorts.
Because I tend to get hot easily, I enjoy an ankle sock during the day and a crew sock as an accessory if there鈥檚 a fun design on it. I love a knee-high sock paired with some jean shorts or a skirt. As someone with wide feet and large calves, is my number one place to find cute socks. , and have cute options as well. For funny, unique designs and graphics, I go to , or the brand .鈥
How do you plan to switch up your sock style for fall?
鈥淚鈥檓 all about the accessories! Don鈥檛 be scared to add or scarves to your socks. I鈥檒l sometimes add a cord necklace that has a flower on it; not only does it give your socks a fun look, but it also helps to keep them up. I鈥檒l also sometimes triple fold my socks down for a unique look.鈥
Bridget Brown
鈥淚 have a collection of about 50 pairs of socks,鈥 says Hamilton, Ont.-based content creator . While she styles them in a myriad of ways, casually 鈥 scrunched down with a loafer or sneaker 鈥 or dressed up with heels or a ballet flat, one thing is certain: 鈥I will always be a crew sock girl,鈥 she says. Her second favourite go-to is a knee-high sock, a key item for the transition seasons. 鈥淎 tall sock will let you get away with wearing shorts and skirts in the spring and fall.鈥
What makes socks a great transitional piece?
鈥淪ocks are like for your feet. Like sweaters, they come in all kinds of materials and each one has a different place in my wardrobe for different seasons. The Canadian cold gets to me, especially when I decide to wear impractical footwear in the winter, so I love a wool sock on a colder day. For more transitional periods I love a cashmere sock as they tend to be a little bit more lightweight, but still warm.鈥
How are you styling your socks for fall?
鈥淚 really love a sock scrunched over a loose pair of pants (sometimes it鈥檚 even fun to have one leg tucked in and the other out). And a boot with a sock peeking out is always cute. I have a lovely pair of with a cut-out lace feature so pairing a cute sock with those is so, so fun. and make some of my favourite knee-highs. For higher-end socks, makes some really fun colourful and printed socks. For everyday wear, I love and the . I love a sock and heel combo 鈥 always will. A simple sheer or lace sock always pairs well with a heel, but I also love a funkier coloured or printed sock with a fun heel.鈥
Aldeneil Espa帽ola
Saskatoon, Sask.-based artist turns to socks for fashion, of course, but also pure necessity in the Prairies鈥 cooler, dry temperatures. It鈥檚 for this reason that the creative refuses to go any shorter than a crew-length sock: 鈥淚 hate when my ankles get cold.鈥 When it comes to style inspo, Espa帽ola looks within their own community and local scene. 鈥淥utside of that, I think is an interesting artist to look at when it comes to styling footwear. She layers socks over socks which is interesting and inspiring to see.鈥澛
What styles and brands are you loving right now?
鈥淐urrently, I鈥檓 obsessed with styling a colourful sock with a classic vintage leather loafer. Fall is a time when my wardrobe goes to earthy and muted tones, and I think socks are a great way to add a pop of colour. I鈥檝e really been enjoying the in red, because they鈥檙e quite comfortable and super stretchy. Plus, the specific shade of red fits within the world of my colourful wardrobe.鈥
How do you like to style them?
鈥淚 like to wear bracelets or ankle jewelry over socks, especially with the more elegant shoes I have. It鈥檚 a more fun and eclectic way of showcasing them.鈥
Why do you think socks are having a moment right now?
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a recession indicator. In times of economic strain, , small trinkets and coffee become popular, for example the popularity of . For me, socks are a fun, affordable way to experiment with your style and are a great supporting character to an outfit.鈥
Abby Albino
co-founder and Canada Basketball鈥檚 head of business and brand strategy聽 is known for her love of sneakers (she co-founded a store for women sneakerheads like herself), so it makes sense that she鈥檚 also into socks. Specifically, she鈥檚 a 鈥渃rew-sock girl through and through鈥;听迟丑别 is her go-to. Not only because they add a pop to an outfit, but because they can help define the leg when paired with shorts or an above-the-shin-length skirt. They also allow her to rock her favourite summer sandals, the , well into the cooler months.
What makes socks a great transitional piece?聽
鈥淣ow that we鈥檙e seeing more casual socks dressed up and dressier socks dressed down with casual outfits, the sock has really become a common denominator across various styles. Specifically for crew socks, I definitely want to add more coloured crews to my repertoire. For this upcoming season, I鈥檓 loving lettuce-edge crew socks or something with a .鈥
What are your tips for dressing socks up and down?聽
鈥淗ave fun with it! If you鈥檙e a bit apprehensive to try it out, or aren鈥檛 sure if something will work, Pinterest is an amazing place for inspo. The one thing I鈥檓 particular about when wearing socks is how they make my overall leg look. I鈥檓 pretty short, and if the sock height is too high for the shorts or skirt, it can make my legs look disproportionately short or make me look much shorter in general. I鈥檓 almost always wearing crew socks, so scrunching them when needed helps to lengthen the look of my leg.鈥
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