If you have a pair of moccasins, you may be wondering if wearing them with socks is a fashion sin or fashion forward. The simple answer to this question is that it depends on many things, including the outfit you are wearing.
Moccasins are a versatile piece of footwear that can be dressed up or dressed down depending on what you are wearing and the style and design of the shoe. Some moccasins are more casual and look like slippers, while others are more high-end and can be worn with dresses or dressy work pants.
Moccasins that have a soft sole are designed to be house shoes, while moccasins with a hard sole can be worn outside.
Your outfit as a whole, as well as the weather and what you feel comfortable with, can dictate whether wearing socks with your moccasins is appropriate or whether it looks ridiculous.
Socks With Moccasins: Fashion Sin or Fashion Forward?
Wearing socks with moccasins can both be both appropriate and not appropriate. It all comes down to your entire outfit, the type of socks you are wearing, and how well you can pull it off.
Wearing some types of socks with your moccasins can be fashionable, as long as all of the colors and textures work together.
On top of this, no-show socks can be worn with just about any outfit, including men’s skinny business pants, to help create the look of a bare foot in the shoe. As such, the question should not be whether wearing socks with moccasins is appropriate.
The question is whether you can get away with wearing the type of socks you are planning on with the outfit and moccasins you own.
Reasons Some People Consider Wearing Socks With Moccasins a Sin
The number one reason why some people consider wearing socks with moccasins a sin is because it can look weird if your outfit and the type of footwear do not all flow well together.
Think about how it looks to wear socks with shorts and sandals. The hosiery simply looks out of place and you can look silly wearing them, especially if you do this in summer when it is hot out. The same can be true with moccasins.
If you are wearing ankle pants, capris, a skirt, a dress or even shorts, socks will be visible unless you opt for a no-show version.
In most cases, wearing regular socks with these types of pieces of clothing will look awkward and will be a faux pas you do not want to commit.
The Benefits of Wearing Socks With Moccasins
If you are on the fence about wearing socks with moccasins, and you are wearing an outfit where it is appropriate to wear them, there are many benefits to doing so.
One of the biggest benefits to wearing socks with moccasins is that it helps to keep the inside of the moccasins clean and sanitary. If you do not wear any, your foot will be sweating in the shoe.
Moccasins can be made from many different materials, including leather and deer skin. These types of materials can absorb the sweat and there is not really a good way of getting it out. This means that they can hold germs and bacteria.
Another benefit associated with wearing socks with moccasins is that it helps to prevent the shoes from getting smelly.
Once again, as you wear the shoes without them, your feet are directly sweating into the material the shoe is made of. The material the moccasins are made of can hold that sweat in, and eventually, your shoes will start to stink. Most moccasins are made from leather or animal materials, so throwing them in the washing machine or cleaning them is not advised. Socks help to prevent them from smelling.
The final benefit associated with wearing socks with moccasins is that wearing them helps to keep your feet warm and increase the comfort of your foot. Moccasins can either be lined or unlined.
The ones that are lined have a layer of Sherpa or wool inside to keep your feet warm. The ones that are unlined have nothing to protect your foot.
On cold days, the leather or deer skin that the shoe is made out of will not keep your toes and feet very warm. Socks help to insulate your foot and protect them from the elements.
How to Care for the Inside of Moccasins If You Don’t Wear Socks
If you decide not to wear socks with your moccasins, the footwear can start to smell, as your foot sits directly on the shoe itself. While you cannot take moccasins and throw them in the washer, there are some steps you can take to care for the insides.
Here are three ways to get the stinky foot stench out of your moccasins.
One of the simplest ways to help rid your moccasins of odors if they start to smell is to simply air them out.
On a nice, sunny day, place your moccasins outside. You want to place them somewhere where they are shielded from the sun. Leaving them outside for a few hours, or even the whole day, can help to air out some of the odors that may be contained in the shoe.
Another tip to help you get rid of odors that can develop from going barefoot in your moccasins is to sprinkle baking soda inside of the shoe.
Allow the baking soda to sit inside the shoe overnight to help neutralize and absorb the odors. The next morning, dump the shoe over a trash can and discard the baking soda. Ideally, you should sprinkle baking soda in the shoe immediately after wearing them for the day. The baking soda can absorb sweat and moisture before it can work into the leather or moccasin material.
The final way that you can attempt to remove odors from the inside of your moccasins is to mix 1/4 cup of white vinegar with 1/2 cup of cool to room temperature water.
Dip a paper towel or soft cloth into the mixture and wring out excess water.
Then, lightly dab the inside of the moccasin.
Be sure to dab the entire inside of the shoe, remoistening the cloth or paper towel as needed. Once the entire shoe has been dabbed with the mixture, allow the shoes to dry. The vinegar will neutralize odors and sanitize the shoe.
What Types of Socks to Wear With What Types of Outfits
Wearing socks with moccasins is not a fashion sin in and of itself.
However, wearing the wrong socks with moccasins can be a sin. Knowing what types of socks to wear with what outfits can help you to avoid this fashion faux pas and look stylish as you wear your moccasins out and about.
As a general rule of thumb, if you are wearing any types of clothing that fall at or above the ankle, including ankle pants, capris, or shorts, you should either avoid wearing socks or wear no-show socks.
If you are wearing a skirt or dress, you can wear no-show socks, no socks, or knee-high socks. If you decide to wear knee high socks, the fabric type and color should work with not only the style of moccasins you have but the outfit itself.
For example, you can wear cable-knit knee-high socks with a long sleeved cotton dress. On the other hand, cable-knit knee-highs are too chunky to wear with a light chiffon dress.
Lastly, if you are wearing pants that extend past your ankles, you can get away with wearing any type of socks with your moccasins, as the pants will completely cover your socks.
It is important to consider how far up your legs your pants go when you are sitting down. If your socks are exposed when you sit, you want to ensure the socks match the style of outfit you have on, such as dress socks with business attire.
Wearing socks with moccasins can help to keep the insides of the shoe clean and free from foot odor, while also helping to keep your foot a little warmer on a cold day.
However, whether or not you can get away with wearing any depends on what type of outfit you are wearing and the style that you decide to wear with the shoe. If you are wearing crew style with moccasins as you wear a dress or skirt, the socks will stand out and it will not be a good look.
However, if you are wearing pants with your moccasins, the pants will hide your hosiery, so you can get away with wearing them.
Ultimately, your outfit and your comfort and preference dictate whether wearing socks with moccasins is a faux pas or something you can get away with.
