The Sock-O Look

The past few years have been dull for leg watchers, frustrated by loose slacks and droopy skirts that conceal only drab gray and blah beige pantyhose. Suddenly, however, legs are coming alive in the dazzling burst of colors, stripes and patterns that characterizes the new socko look.

Flamboyant knee socks have been on sale for several years, but are now "in" as never before. The socks' success owes much to the recession, which has curbed clothing budgets; instead of buying a skirt, for example, many women are settling for snappy socks.

Even in warmer parts of the South and California--where knee socks are often more of an accessory than a necessity--sales are strong. "People aren't buying them because they're freezing," says Rochelle Toas, a salesclerk at Los Angeles' Potpourri boutique. "They are buying them because they're cute." In Atlanta, Donald Campbell, regional manager of the six Casual Corner shops in the area, complains that the peppy new socks "don't last on the floor more than a few days."

Hosiery designers--apparently long repressed--are now turning out such creations as shocking-purple knee socks that have motorcycles embellishing the ankles; other socks are covered with screaming psychedelic stripes or patterns that range from arrays of ladybugs to flotillas of balloons.

By far the best seller in the socks scene is a style known as the "toe sock" or "wiggler," which fits, glovelike, in between the toes. The toe look is so successful that one manufacturer, Bonnie Doon, will soon introduce a mitten sock that has one section for the big toe, another for the remaining digits.

The new colorful socks are made of wool or synthetics. They are most frequently worn with cork-soled, open-toed sandals or wedgies, usually to top-or bottom-off jeans or a flared skirt. The most ardent socks supporters seem to be teens and the under-30 set, who love the fun and pizazz of a flashy leg. In Ossining, N.Y., most of the high school girls wear the socks not only in the classroom, but with their gym shorts in physical education classes. They are equally popular in college. Says a Radcliffe student: "I feel bright and pepped up in loud socks. I like to call attention to myself. The other day I was in the library with my back turned to the main hall, and a friend of mine recognized me just by my socks." Adds Terry Giesen, 27, an employment manager at Manhattan's Lord & Taylor: "I pick out the oddest, ugliest pair I can find, then worry about something to wear with them. It's great to wear them under pants. Just enough shows so that people will say, 'Let me see those socks.' "

Men, too, are turning to the new socks, flashing bold and blaring ankles when they cross their legs. One student, Henry Griggs, currently taking a one-year breather from classes at Harvard, received a pair for Christmas with LOVE spelled across the toes. He showed them off in his Manhattan office, where he works as a taxi dispatcher. Says he: "The guys thought I was crazy."

Campy and Chic. What the guys obviously did not realize is that loud socks are now so stylish that even fashion pundits like Rosemary Kent at Harper's Bazaar enjoy exposing kaleidoscopic legs at dinner parties and at the theater. Says Kent: "The socks are campy and chic, and are as important to have as a Gucci belt or a Cartier watch." Or, at the very least, a mink toothbrush.

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