Q: I’ve read your thoughts on what kind of socks to wear with suits and dress shoes, but what about when you’re wearing sneakers with a suit? I’ve always found that dark dress socks look pretty dopey when I’m wearing white sneakers, but on the other hand, white athletic socks kind of look odd with a dark suit. What’s a guy to do?

A: Apologies in advance to this magazine’s fashion department, but the Style Guy is not a member of the gym-shoes-with-suit society. I declare, in fact, that white sneakers do not go with suits. Now, in the summer months, I can see classic white tennis shoes, like Jack Purcells, Rod Lavers, Stan Smiths or vintage Keds, worn with a white or ecru cotton suit and no tie (in which case white socks would be in order, and I don’t mean tube socks but good white hose), but if you’re wearing a pair of red-and-black Air Jordans with a gray flannel suit, you’re on your own out there. I used to wear New Balance running shoes with a very sharp slim gray suit years ago when I was a sex symbol, so I’m not saying it’s impossible, but if you’re the kind of guy who can carry it off, you should just know. But white sneakers are so…Seinfeld.

September 2005

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