Whilst doing a wardrobe edit for a client a couple of weeks ago, he asked me what colour socks he should wear with a pair of beige chinos. He'd been matching his sock colour to the trousers and wearing a pair of plain beige ones but they had been derided somewhat by his son-in-law!! And no one wants that!

My usual rule of thumb is to match your socks to your trousers or perhaps to go one shade darker, but in a quest to liven things up a bit (and with any luck impress the son-in-law?!) I've been thinking about some alternatives.

With the help of supermodel, David Gandy's favourite sock house - The London Sock Company - here's our choices of socks to wear with lighter coloured trousers.

 

First up - a pair of pale blue trousers. Here's what Jack from The London Sock Company suggests to wear them with:

"When wearing lighter trousers, it's important to understand which footwear you plan to wear with them as it sets the scene for the rest of the outfit. With the pale blue trousers, I'd suggest a pair of light grey trainers which are then brought together with the navy and white socks from our Floral Weitz collection. This is a sharp, trendy and more casual look, which is perfect for wearing out on those summer evenings."

Light blue stretch cotton trousers - Canali at Mr Porter

Navy and white Floral Weitz socks - The London Sock Company

Or if you feel that look might be too young or casual for you, then stick to the blue theme and pick up the lighter colour of the trousers with the coloured spot in the socks and wear with a pair of navy suede brogues, white shirt, and navy blazer. Accessorise with a navy woven belt and white linen pocket square and voilà a classic but contemporary look.

Light blue stretch cotton trousers - Canali at Mr Porter

Cotton blend polka dot socks - Kingsman x Corgi at Mr Porter

Next up - beige chinos. To get away from the matching socks look but keep it subtle then my choice would be these dusty blue patterned socks - perfect when worn with the classic smart casual combo - a light blue shirt and navy blazer. Dark brown or tan shoes will finish off the look and hopefully with this winning combination you'll halt the ridicule from family members too!

Stone Heroes chinos - Spoke

Diamond pattern socks - Pantherella at Mr Porter

Feeling in a more vibrant mood? Then these russet socks would add a bit of fun to your ensemble and work especially well with brown tones. That could be a more formal chocolate brown linen blazer, or a casual tan suede jacket. When choosing your footwear, go for a tone or two darker than the socks to highlight them.

Stone Heroes chinos - Spoke

Russet Shaken and Stirred socks - The London Sock Company

Jack says:

"With the grey trousers, which are a great choice for summer, I would suggest a pair of blue suede shoes and our Shaken and Stirred grey socks, which look and feel great. However, if you are planning on wearing them to a smarter event you could give our Rich Burgundy a try, which adds a splash of deep colour. This is something to consider if you'd like more an evening look."

I love the socks that Jack has chosen here and particularly like the fact that the larger check on the socks complements the very small check on the trousers. Keeping the colours close but the size of the patterns different gives a very elegant look.

Caspian slim fit trousers in soft grey - Reiss

Grey Shaken & Stirred socks - The London Sock Company

A second more colourful choice for the light grey trousers would be this pair of soft pink jacquard socks. They'd look great if you were wearing a pale pink shirt or burgundy polo shirt. White trainers or navy suede shoes would continue the slightly more out there feel of this look.

Caspian slim fit trousers in soft grey - Reiss

Pink Jacquard Rose socks - The London Sock Company

 

Like to go shopping with a personal stylist on hand to advise you how to put outfits together? Then check out my personal shopping services and get in touch - I'd love to help!

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