Pick Your Moment

It isn’t only odours that can cause the sockless look to kick up a stink. As with all things, there is a time and a place to pull this move, so always bear in mind the formality of the occasion and the expected dress code.

Top level dos and don’ts: barbeques, summer weddings, business-casual offices – yes. Funerals, court appearances, interviews, board meetings – no. Simple enough.

Choice Of Footwear

In addition to helping stop you from overheating (the ankle is home to one of the body’s quick-cooling pulse points), cropped and rolled-up legwear brings footwear choices firmly into focus.

With this in mind, it’s crucial to know what you should be wearing with what. After all, you don’t want to put in all this hard work only to fall at the last hurdle.

Chinos/Lightweight Casual Trousers

The shoe you opt for should complement the chosen trouser material. If you’ve decided on a style that leans toward the weightier side of the spectrum (like a cotton-twill chino), you’ll find it works well with most footwear silhouettes, including minimal sneakers in leather or suede.

Linen or linen-cotton blend trousers, on the other hand, will look odd with anything too bulky. In this case, reinforce your legwear’s continental leanings by teaming with loafers, drivers, espadrilles, boat shoes or sandals. Then carry on the Mediterranean vibes elsewhere with neutral tones, beach-ready basics and open collars.

Jeans

Whether pin-rolled or turned up, there is a wide range of denim that can be experimented with. When it comes to going sockless, this hard-wearing workwear fabric needs an equally robustly shoe.

Try teaming ankle-baring jeans with trainers, chunkier lace-ups such as Derbies or brogues, or suede desert boots. And just because there’s a gap in between, don’t forget to make sure the colour of the shoes complements the wash of the denim.