Drippin’ Life
My first real memory of the importance of socks in our culture was when it snowed one winter. Living in Texas, neither my sister nor I had snow boots, so our everinnovative mom slid a pair of Dad’s wool athletic socks over our shoes, followed by plastic bread bags secured with rubber bands from newspapers and sent us out to play in the snow.
My Sunday School socks -- white cotton, neatly folded down once and trimmed with a ruffle of lace -- were really girly. On other days of the week, we wore plain cotton socks – some in colors to match the outfits we wore.
When I was in first grade, high school girls had begun wearing bobby-sox, white cotton with elasticized tops that stretched to a length just below the knee and were then folded down twice and worn with saddle oxfords or suede penny loafers. Of course, we younger girls quickly and eagerly adopted this fad.
The term “bobby-soxers,” popular in the ‘40s and ‘50s, referred to teenaged girls whose fashion-of-choice were wore bobby sox, jeans rolled to just below the knee and a “borrowed” white dress shirt from Dad’s closet. They also listened to popular music of the day and idolized teen recording and movie idols, like Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Elvis Presley, etc.
My bobby-sox were white except for one pair I’ll describe as “Pepto Bismol pink.” I thought they were “neat.” In retrospect, not so much but great with my pink poodle skirt.
Historically speaking, humans have relied on socks for warmth and foot protection as far back as the caveman, who gathered animal skins and tied them around the ankle. In Medieval times, socks were reserved for nobility and were woven or sewn by hand.
When the knitting machine was invented in the 16th century, socks were tightly woven and made of wool for the masses, while the upper classes wore socks of silk or cotton. Men, in particular, wore an elongated silk sock – called stockings. If you recall from world history, King Louis XIV, who ruled France until 1715, wore silk stockings and shoes with a small high heel, thus the term, “silk stocking district.”
But back to socks.
By junior high, girls were wearing “knee socks,” cotton socks with elasticized tops that reached the knee. These came in several colors – mainly, red, white, blue, black and gray – and were fashionably paired with shorter skirts or Bermuda shorts. These trendy socks became part of unisex school uniforms in the East and gradually trickled down to fashion in Texas, although it took several years.
My relationship with socks ended my freshman year at UT when the style was stockings and brown leather loafers called “Bass Weejuns.” Unfortunately, stockings don’t protect one’s feet from megablisters battle scars earned by multiple walking around, lost, over the “Forty Acres.”
More recently, Dripping Springs girls routinely exchange socks to be mismatched, either in color or in pattern, and sports socks, usually a shorter style, have become fashionable for men rather than knee-high dress socks or the no-sock look.
Today, decorative and slogan socks are in fashion. For example, a radio station gives away “grackle socks” during pledge drives. Totally Austin, right?
Unisex socks, in favorite sports team colors, also are popular as are socks with printed slogans that might say, “I’m complicated,” “Sorry. Not sorry,” “Heading toward my next mistake” or “It’s all about me.”
I’ve had the feeling slogans on socks may be the wearer’s exact thoughts and spared them from verbally sharing in polite company.
So, there you have it – our lives in socks, to date…why we have “sock of the month” clubs, why girls’ socks may be more mixed than match and why today’s well-dressed man may not be wearing his father’s black, brown or gray dress socks, but instead, brightly patterned footwear displaying a clever slogan, photo art or school team colors.
And, for those readers old enough to remember “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” the popular TV show of the late 1960s, I’ll simply add, for old times’ sake, “Sock it to me!”