High and Mighty

CEBU, Philippines - The only people in school who were really fond of knee-high socks were the Koreans and the Japanese owing to their distinctive taste in Asian pop. Admittedly, our Korean and Jap friends always seem to pull off the look, emerging anime-cute regardless of the color or design of these knee-highs which by the way, are too fasyon for many conservative Pinay.

But knee-high socks are about to make a huge statement come end of 2009 and well into 2010 and the good news is that you don’t really need to get into the whole Asian Pop ensemble to pull it off. Believe it or not, knee high socks can give you a quick passage into high style granted that you mix it up with the right duds. Today must be your lucky day, baby, because here’s the lowdown on how to make this transeasonal defining peace work for you in the months to come.

Styling your high socks

Any piece of clothing is like a blank piece of canvass that you have to design and that you have to work on before patting yourself on the back for producing an obra maestra. High socks are no different and if these babies are newbies in your wardrobe, here are some pointers on how to style them right before you start breaking the rules and making your own.

1. No all high socks will look good on all body types so pay close attention to your body type before deciding on the length of the socks. However, if you’ve constantly been name-called by your friends as “crispy pata” because you’re a little big on your gams, then perhaps you can try to explore some other fashion trend and leave the high socks to the other girls. 

2. Try on different styles and lengths and see which one works best for you. Sometimes, it’s a matter of bone structure. High socks that finish well above the knees may or may not be flattering so go ahead and try out the ones that barely reach your knees.

3. Knee high socks that barely reach the knee have the tendency to lengthen your legs and make you look slimmer as opposed to those that cover the knees. The latter can make your knees bulge—unless you have small knees.

4. Petite girls who want to try this trend out should go for it but should start out with socks that finish below the knee. Pair this with a cute flirty skirt to expose more skin and give the illusion of longer legs.

5. Unless you want to look like one of those bagpipers, you can forget about pairing your knee high socks with tartan or plaid skirts. An exception would be during United Nations Week and when you’re assigned to portray Scotland.

6. Don’t be afraid to experiment if you’re into making your knee high socks the focal point of your getup. Go ahead and play with color and texture. Layer different socks but downplay the rest of your outfit if you’re at it.

7. Avoid wearing high socks with body suites. Instead, pair them up with short shorts, tap and hot pants.

Knee high socks are often a mark of highly experimental fashion that’s a little bit too intimidating for us Pinoys. So go ahead and seek inspiration from runway favorites like Alexander Wang’s 2010 Spring collection featuring the very best in rocking the halls with knee highs.