Socks!

[shivver]

I was reading an article yesterday that listed the attributes that, when you're traveling in a foreign country, broadcast to the natives that you're an American, and one of the items listed is "wearing white socks". Now, you have to understand, I have no fashion sense no matter what country I'm in, including my own, so I have no idea and I have to ask: what color socks are you supposed to wear?

Please enlighten me, so that I can endeavor to not be so damned American when I'm traveling abroad. There's nothing I can do about my accent, but I can certainly try to make my footwear fit in.

Comments

[dm12.livejournal.com]

Oh... I misread that at first and thought you were saying we should broadcast that we are American, and my first reaction was, "Why would we want to do that?"

Now that's out of the way, one should wear socks that match your outfit to some degree. I'm not sure how that goes with jeans, but with most outfits, one should match. Since I don't wear pants anyway, but skirts, I generally wear some kind of hose/stockings. Well, unless I'm wearing sandals, in which case one definitely doesn't wear white socks, but goes barelegged if they are casual; if formal, it might be appropriate for women, at least, to wear hose. Come to think of it, I can't think of "formal" sandals for men....

Of course, I'm American, so what would I know?

[tkel-paris.livejournal.com]

This is something I should ask bas_math_girl or tardis_mole. I'm meeting both of them when I go over there.

[thisbluespirit]

For the UK, if your socks are going to be seen (you're not wearing boots/there's a visible gap between your shoes and jeans/trousers at any point), your socks should match your shoes, or at least be dark or light to tone in. Socks with sandals are mocked, especially white socks. White socks are a bit, well, sports things. But I don't think it would automatically proclaim you as being from the US to us!

I wouldn't worry, though - everyone shows their different nationalities when abroad. You see people on trains and you know where they're from, because clothes and mannerisms and the way we look and behave gives us away - especially when in pairs or groups. I mean, wear what you're comfortable with and you'll be happy and so what to the rest. (It's also like when you're watching a UK show and there's one US character or the reverse and you start thinking the one character is definitely fake, and they're not, it's just how odd they suddenly look against everyone else. Except of course, when they are fake, because TV, but you know what I mean!)

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

I dunno...I wear black socks, which is probably just as much of a beacon, lol!

*HUGS*

[arcanetrivia]

Whee, yet another thing to worry that people would be judging me for! (On top of, you know, the feeling that everyone else in the world hates Americans.) At this rate I'm never going to even go to the UK, never mind any place where English isn't the main language.

[topum.livejournal.com]

Bright orange with acid green stripes will puzzle everyone and make it difficult to place you. They will even distract people from your accent )).

[bas_math_girl]

Perhaps we ought to go on a shopping trip and compare our hatred of fashion together? It sounds as though it'd be a right laugh!
Incidentally, the last pair of socks I bought were black Dalek ones...