The Very Best Men’s Socks

Material: 59% cotton, 26% acrylic, 12% nylon, 2% spandex, 1% polyester | Thickness: Medium weight | Height: Crew

Uniqlo crew-height socks come in more than 40 different colors, can easily be worn with any type of footwear, and at $5 a pair, are super-inexpensive. They feel good — snug but not too tight — and last for years. But if that’s not convincing enough, they also come recommended by ten of our panelists and several Strategist staffers, myself included. I have five pairs in different colors and like how they haven’t shown signs of wear, despite over a year of (almost) daily use. Phillip Wong, co-founder and creative director of Hawthorne, appreciates the socks’ medium height and thickness, which make them work for many different outfits and activities. New York City street-style photographer Christopher Fenimore says they “last hundreds and hundreds of washes before fading or tearing” (Nicolás Lazaro, a community specialist at menswear-resale site Grailed, says he has been wearing some of his Uniqlo socks for “more than a decade now.”) Alexander-Julian Gibbson, a celebrity and editorial stylist at Ebony and Grazia, says he buys new colorful pairs monthly. And photographer Patrick O’Rourke likes to wear them with black loafers “so you can catch a glimpse of color on top.”

Material: 98% organic cotton 1% nylon, 1% spandex | Thickness: Medium weight | Height: Crew

Maggie’s Organics has a very loyal fan base that includes every kind of sock wearer from Waldorf school teachers to fashion obsessives. The brand knits its gender-neutral socks out of organic cotton and a touch of nylon on old knitting machines, a process that gives them a level of quality not often seen for the low price. They come in tons of colors (including a perfect tie-dye) and hold up well after many washes. Strategist contributor Ruby Redstone discovered the brand’s perfect creamy-white socks after a lengthy online search. “The cotton is thick enough to feel sumptuous but not so heavy that you can’t wear them on a hot day. The wide ribbing makes them look deceptively more fashionable than the average white sock, like they could be Prada,” she says. They can also be found at many crunchy health-food stores, including the Park Slope Food Coop, where Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo likes to buy them as a little treat alongside fancy French butter and heirloom tomatoes. Strategist writer Erin Schwartz is also a fan of the brand, noting that the natural color takes dye really well if you want to tie-dye them yourself. “They’re so good that during the winter when I’m feeling grumpy about having to leave the house, remembering I have a clean pair of Maggie’s socks legitimately makes a difference,” Schwartz says.

Material: 71% merino wool, 21% nylon, 7% polyester, 1% spandex | Thickness: Heavyweight | Height: Crew

For something a little less pricey but just as warm and durable, former Strategist newsletter editor Mia Leimkuhler recommends her and her husband’s favorite winter socks. She marvels at the fact that they are so inexpensive while also being made of over 70 percent merino wool but warns that they’re not for wearing with your favorite pair of sleek Chelsea boots. “They are really, really good but they are thick, perfect for winter boots, hockey skates, or wearing around the house,” she says, noting that unlike a lot of wool socks, they actually let your feet breathe and are incredibly tough. “My husband Bruce is really hard on his socks (he wears them around the house and even outdoors to take out recycling), and other wool socks of his show thinning and wear around the ball and heel of the foot, but not People socks.”

Material: 52% merino wool, 21% nylon, 17% polyester, 10% elastane | Thickness: Heavyweight | Height: Calf

Whether they’re wearing them for medical reasons, long-haul flights, or to soothe achy feet while running, most people’s experience of compression socks is that they aren’t very soft or particularly attractive. That’s what makes these merino-wool-blend compression socks from Bombas such a great find. After senior writer Liza Corsillo struggled with too tight (and frankly embarrassing-looking) compression socks during most of her pregnancy, she finally did some more involved searching and purchased a pair of these just in time for a ten-day hospital stay. They are super-stretchy, warm yet breathable, and oh so soft. The medium compression mostly feels like a regular hiking sock, but wearing them helped her reduce swelling and improve circulation after her son was born. Now she wears them in cold weather and plans to buy a few more pairs ahead of an upcoming flight to Japan.

Material: 67% merino wool, 30% nylon, 3% spandex | Thickness: Lightweight | Height: Mid-calf

If you’re looking for a standout sock bundle to gift, Corsillo recommends this six-pack of merino-wool dress socks from American-made Boardroom Socks. The material feels soft (not itchy) and luxurious without being fragile. The brand sent Corsillo a few pairs for her husband, Jacob (who is not normally a dress-socks guy), to test this fall, and he loves that they keep his feet warm but not hot and that they stand up to real wear and tear. His job requires him to be on his feet for hours, and he commutes on his bike every day unless it’s raining. So the fact that these have been able to withstand all that and keep him comfortable is a pleasant surprise, Corsillo says. She also likes that they make his outfits look just a little bit more grown-up and professional. The box set comes in mid-calf or over-the-calf heights and in several color palettes as well as pattern mixes.

Material: 83% cotton, 16% nylon, 1% spandex | Thickness: Medium to heavy weight | Height: Crew

Out of the many pairs of socks I’ve received as gifts over the years, this cotton-blend pair from Anonymous Ism is the most unique. It has a chunky jacquard knit that allows my feet to breathe in leather shoes and sneakers. Some polyester- or wool-blend socks can flatten out and make my feet feel clammy, especially inside boots — but not these. Plus, they come in eight different colorful patterns that look like designs you’d find on knit sweaters.

Material: 96% polyester, 4% elastane | Thickness: Medium weight | Height: Ankle

Actor Lorenzo Pozzan’s days vary from filming auditions and reading scripts to traveling for press and red-carpet events with regular gym sessions and hikes scheduled in. He told us that a key part of his sock strategy is to have a “literal bucket full” of these Reebok ankle socks at home that he wears for the gym and other athletic activities. They are made of stretchy sweat-wicking fabric to help keep your feet comfortable during workouts.

Material: 63% merino wool, 35% nylon, 2% Lycra spandex | Thickness: Heavyweight | Height: Crew

“Darn Tough is a hilarious name for a brand but an apt description of their socks,” says Dan Small, who directs partnerships and special projects for Baggu. Bowman agrees and has been wearing his pair of Darn Tough Socks for over a year. “They’ve survived multiple hikes, snow-shoveling, and winter storms, as well as plenty of trips through the wash,” he says. They’re padded to add comfort, so you will immediately notice the thickness in comparison to medium-weight socks like Uniqlo’s and Muji’s. They also have a snug fit, so they won’t slip around while hiking. Because they are made of merino wool, they regulate temperature to keep your feet comfortable and dry in a variety of weather settings. Darn Tough socks come with a lifetime guarantee of quality, and the brand will replace any pair that rips from normal wear and tear.

Material: 53% Supima cotton, 24% polyester, 21% nylon, 2% elastane | Thickness: Medium weight | Height: Quarter

Corsillo and her husband both came to love these quarter-length hiking socks after she bought them for him as a gift. “We share a lot of our socks and have similar requirements: They must be comfortable when standing for long periods of time (he’s a teacher who hardly ever sits down), they must wash and dry well without shrinking, and they must wick away moisture regardless of how much hiking, gardening, or biking we do,” she says. “These meet all our criteria and more. We have each worn them on long hikes — and through hours of walking stroller naps with our infant son. They have extra cushioning on the bottom that feels satisfyingly squishy and prevents feet from getting tired. Plus, they come in more interesting marled colors rather than the typical gray, brown, and black.”

Material: 50% polyester, 20% nylon, 20% cotton, 10% spandex | Thickness: Medium weight | Height: Quarter

I’ve logged an estimated 1,100 miles while running in Bandit’s quarter-length socks, and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. The best feature of these socks is the cushioning: They have reinforcement panels around the heel and toe box and near the balls of the foot — all areas where my other running socks have developed holes or fraying from constant use. I rotate between four different pairs of the Cushion Run for all sorts of training: track workouts, long runs, and easy jogs.

Material: 55% merino wool, 29% recycled nylon, 13% nylon, 3% elastane | Thickness: Medium weight | Height: Crew

Wool is a fantastic performance fabric because of its ability to insulate and mitigate moisture. That means it keeps you dry and feels warm on your skin in cold weather and cool in hot weather. That’s why I recommend these socks from Smartwool, which are blended with nylon for stretch and have padding in the heel and toe for durability. I’ve used these socks for both slushy winter runs and track sessions in the summer heat, and they’ve kept my feet dry and un-blistered.