Slouch socks, slouchy socks, loose socks or fall down socks are a type of

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...

featuring a heavy non-

elastic Elastic is a word often used to describe or identify certain types of elastomer, Elastic (notion), elastic used in garments or stretch fabric, stretchable fabrics. Elastic may also refer to: Alternative name * Rubber band, ring-shaped band of rub ...

upper that may be pushed down into heavy folds around the

ankle The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...

s or pulled up to the

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

. In Japan, the loose sock style has been popular with high-school girls. In the US, slouch socks have trended in and out of fashion since the 1980s.

Description

Slouch socks are a type of

featuring a heavy non-

upper that may be pushed down into heavy folds around the

s or pulled up to the

. Slouch socks tend to have a foot that is made of very thin fabric to encourage the layering of the socks. Slouch socks come in two primary varieties. " Flat-knit" slouch socks have no elastic and have a "two-by-two" knitting pattern. The "flat-knit" term comes from the fact that the ribbing of the socks has a squared-off appearance. " Rib-knit" slouch socks are so-named because of their rounded ribbing.

History

Japan

are a style of baggy

worn by Japanese high school girls, as part of culture. This style of socks has also become popular among American teens and college students who are fans of Japanese

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

and

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

. These socks come in a variety of styles, defined by the knitting pattern of the upper portion of the sock. The two most popular styles are the traditional 2×2 rib knit (pictured) and tube-style loose socks, which are thigh-high length tube socks worn pushed down around the ankles. A skin-safe body adhesive popularly known as "sock glue" can be used to affix the uppermost part of the sock to the calf so that the entire sock will not bunch downward and spoil the look. Loose socks were adopted as a fashion which flattered plump calves and also expressed rebellious deviation from Japan's strict dress code for school uniforms. They have been used as an inspiration for photography by Akira Gomi. They are also used in Japanese street fashions such as and .

United States

In the US, slouch socks have trended in and out of fashion since the 1980s. From around 1984 to 1997, slouch socks were a popular fashion item for kids, youngsters and adults of all sexes. The two most popular brands were Wigwam and E.G. Smith. Many women and girls wore black, lime green, blue, or other colored

leggings Leggings are several types of leg attire that have varied through the years. Modern usage from the 1960s onwards has come to refer to elastic close-fitting High-rise (fashion), high-rise garments worn over the legs typically by women, such as leg ...

with white slouch socks, athletic

sneakers Sneakers (American English, US) or trainers (British English, UK), also known by a #Names, wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but are also widely used for everyday casual ...

and oversized T-shirts or sweatshirts as casual wear or exercise wear. Other colors like pastel yellow, blue or pink and black, red, purple and neon green were also seen. Many girls, teens, college girls, and women wore the slouch socks usually over leggings, cotton pants, or sweatpants, usually with Keds and oversized tee shirts, sweatshirts and sweaters sometimes with a turtleneck under the sweatshirt (popularly), or sweaters. Or they wore the slouch socks with babydoll or skater dresses or dress shorts with white Wigwam slouch socks worn over black opaque

tights Tights are a kind of cloth garment, most often sheathing the body from the waist to the toe tips with a tight fit, hence the name. They come in absolute opaque, opaque, sheer and fishnet styles — or a combination, such as the original concep ...

with Keds. Also, the socks were worn with jeans or pants rolled or cuffed to show the socks or worn over skinny legged jeans. Boat shoes, ankle flat boots and cross training sport sneakers were also worn with slouch socks. Many women, college age, teens, and tweens wore slouch socks as part of aerobic exercise wear or over sports leggings in colder weather for running, cross country and other sports. Cheerleaders wore slouch socks along with Keds as part of their uniform from the early to mid 1980s until the late '90s when slouch socks began to be replaced by

crew A crew is a body or a group of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchy, hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard. The word has nautical resonances: the ta ...

or ankle socks. Students who had a school uniform also wore the slouch socks with their skirts, shorts and pants and boat shoes or loafers. Usually in white or school color. Boys, teens, college age and men wore slouch socks with boat shoes, white Sperry canvas sneakers and cross training and other athletic sneakers with jeans or pants rolled or cuffed to show the socks and with casual or dress shorts, sweatpants or over sports leggings in colder weather for running, cross country, and other sports.

References

{{reflist Socks 1980s fashion