Men's Fashion

Question about mens socks.

I'm looking for some quality white ankle socks. I think they're technically called "PED" socks, because they only touch the bottom of the ankle.
They're my favorite type of sock, and I can never find good quality ones. They ALWAYS develop holes really quick for me.
Any suggestions on good brands for ankle socks? My next issue is that I wear a US 13 size shoe, so all these socks that cap out at 12 are usually tight. I'm looking for something a little bigger.

Thanks for the advice.

Question about mens socks.

I'm looking for some quality white ankle socks. I think they're technically called "PED" socks, because they only touch the bottom of the ankle.
They're my favorite type of sock, and I can never find good quality ones. They ALWAYS develop holes really quick for me.
Any suggestions on good brands for ankle socks? My next issue is that I wear a US 13 size shoe, so all these socks that cap out at 12 are usually tight. I'm looking for something a little bigger.

Thanks for the advice.

You say they always get holes... Do you usually buy wool and wear them on carpet? That'll ruin a pair of wool socks really fast, every time.

Take a look at Wigwam.

actually, I usually wear socks from Kohls. Nothing special, but I keep them on pretty much the entire time I'm awake. I like having socks on because they keep my feet warm. Our house is almost fully carpeted, and we don't wear shoes inside. The only bad thing is I put this sand paper grip tape down all of the stairs into my basement. They were painted before, and (while walking in steps), I've magically landed on my back half way down the flight. I haven't slipped at all since putting the grip down, though. I'll check wigwam out. Looks like they have a big selection. I'm not sure which I want, but there are plenty the size I'm after (low cut)
Socks | Wigwam Mills, Inc.

I am looking for some reasonably nice, brown casual boots. I do not want to go so far as a super-dressy wingtip boot, but something that looks nice with business casual. Have looked at the Wolverine 1000 mile stuff, Allen Edmonds, Redwing, etc ... but am finding them to be quite expensive =P

I wear a lot of clarks shoes in my work life ... but they seem to have limited options outside of their dessert boots.

Some boots I like:

• Red Wing Heritage stuff -Red Wing Heritage Beckman 6" Round Toe Cigar Featherstone - Zappos.com Free Shipping BOTH Ways
• Wolverine 1000 mile -Mens 1000 Mile Boot - W05301 - Vintage Boots | Wolverine
• a limited selection of the Chippewa stuff -Amazon.com: Chippewa 1901M25 Mens 6-in Service Boot Cordovan: Shoes
• Allen Edmond Odenwald -Odenwald - Plain-toe Lace-up Men's Casual Boots by Allen Edmonds
  

Is there a middle ground brand that has good bang for the buck casual boots? Other recommendations?

The thing about spending money on a good pair of boots is they will last a lot longer than their middleground counterparts in "almost" every case.

In the case of Allen Edmonds you pay a premium up front but they have a policy where you can send in the shoe for a complete rework (All new leather, stitching, and sole) which makes the shoe look brand new again. It only costs you ~$100 to do that and it doesn't need to be done often. So those chukka's would cost you almost $300 up front but then you can have them reworked to brand new condition every 5-6 years for $100. They are also really, really comfortable shoes (I own 4 pairs of Allen Edmonds shoes).

I don't know what kind of re-work policy Wolverine has but those are actually the nicest boot in the bunch aesthetically speaking if you ask me.

I wear boots every day either regular or steel toe for my job even tho technically I'm an executive.

I like wolverine even tho I wouldn't call the quality that great. But to me over time they have been the most comfortable to wear. That probably has a lot to do with my foot or whatever. I prefer them over the more longer lasting quality boots like redwing. I'm not sure but I think some redwings are imported now.

The boiler makers union here bought me a pair of custom made steel toe boots in the spring that are elephant. They feel really great but no way I'm wearing them to a work site and screw up a $100 or more pair of boots. I normally do the $100 boots.

I wouldn't ever order a pair of boots. Luckily I work in areas where they have several stores of nothing but boots and can try them on.

+2 on Allen Edmonds stuff (I only own three pair). I really wanted to like the 1k boots, but they run kinda narrow. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I'd buy them from a store with easy returns. I settled on a pair of White's after the 1k's didn't work, and love them lots. They're a lot more expensive, but they're semi-custom so you can pick out exactly what you want.

I got some Johnson and Murphy chukkas for my business casual in snow ordeals. Not bad. Boots always ended up looking too rough.

For boots you have a few options. I have 2 pairs of Wolverine 1K's. I love them. Great shoes. I have the Addison version with the wingtip to try and dress it up a bit. I can't recommend them enough. However they have a leather sole so depending on what you're using them for that maybe a game breaker. However you can go to a local cobbler and have a Vibram sole installed if you need it. I'd really recommend scoping for sales on these though. They go on sale often. Get them for under $300 (I got my Rust for ~$280 and my Tan for ~$190) and you're good.

I only have a pair of Red Wing chukkas. The Beckman Chukkas. They're nice. Probably better leather than my Wolverines which comes from Horween (Red Wing owning their own tannery) and the other leather of unknown origin. I like them but they're a tad clunky and boxy. I think the Wolverines look better. A thing to look out for with the Red Wing Beckman full shaft model is it does not have speed hooks. IMO, I'd never buy boots without speed hooks that look anything workwear. Having them versus not having them is amazing. It makes lacing your boots into a trivial process to a full out process of unlacing the top two and relacing them every time. I have to do it with my Dry Bones Desert Boots but you'll get that with certain models. Again a cobbler and/or the Red Wing store could replace the top eyelets with speed hooks.

However the boots I've been lusting over recently are Lone Wolf. A tad less dressy and more workwear but they look amazing. A bit more expensive. They're made in Japan so they're available on Rakuten if you're comfortable buying from there but also on Self Edge if you prefer English speaking customer service.

Take off | Rakuten Global Market: LONE WOLF BOOTS ?*???? MECHANIC

Lone Wolf - Self Edge

Picasso_sl said:

I got some Johnson and Murphy chukkas for my business casual in snow ordeals. Not bad. Boots always ended up looking too rough.

Click to expand...

I personally would stay away from Johnston and Murphy. I have a pair of their chukkas that are only a year old and squeak every time I step and the soles are already worn down. I own 3 pairs of J&M shoes. The first pair I got years ago were quite nice and held up well. The last two pairs I've gotten recently are noticeably inferior in quality.

J&M is a luxury name brand anymore. Using inferior leather and inferior construction and riding on the co tails of their former glory. A basic rule of thumb I have is if you'll find a dedicated outlet store for the company (or you can find it 100% at an Off Saks or Rack) you should probably stay away. They're a brand who values name recognition beyond actual quality standards. Really I'm nervous of any brand you'd find in a big box mall. There is no way they can maintain quality of materials and construction and still produce that amount of volume. Red Wing and (some) Wolverines being an exception. Even then Wolverine and recently Red Wing have Made in China alternatives to fulfill this spike demand.

I would add Allen Edmonds to your list of exceptions since they are sold at Nordstrom. Those shoes really are top notch, with a great guarantee.

My last AEs were made in dr. The quality seemed fine but i was under the impression everything was american made but that is not the case.

Hmm I thought AE was all American made too.

Yeah AE is good. Wolverine actually made limited edition 1k's out of shell cordovan and had AE make the boots since they are more experienced working with shell.

I think all of the re-craftable AE is American made, at least.

The ones i got were loafers with rubber sole "boulder " i think. Definitely on cheap end of ae.

My brother sent me a solid boot buyer's guide from reddit.A Beginner's Boot Buying Guide : goodyearwelt