Five ways to wear visible socks: coordinate with your shoes or add a zing of colour

‘Visible socks don’t have to be loud; they can whisper over the tops of boots.’ Composite: Maggie Zhou/Guardian design

I’d argue that the hardest-working, most undervalued pieces in our wardrobes are our socks. They bear the brunt of our daily toil yet rarely receive praise or acknowledgment. Our toe coverings deserve some sartorial consideration – it’s the least we can do.

Despite their bland ubiquity, socks have been pulled into many cultural quarrels. It was only recently that people labelled ankle socks as millennial-coded and crew socks as gen Z-coded (because the height of your sock translates directly to your age bracket).