Dear Lily,

Birkenstocks and socks: trendy or a faux-pas?

-Mackenzie L.

Dear Mackenzie,

Birkenstocks seem to have been the sandal of the summer. Many people who didn’t already own them, including myself, have now bought them. 

People used to laugh them off as being hippie shoes but now they have become more mainstream as people realize how comfortable and trendy they are. 

There have been many people who also opt to wear them with socks. These are typically the more athletic types of people who don’t wear Birkenstocks for their fashion but instead for their ease and comfort; much like how Adidas slides are favored for their comfort. These people, similar those who wear Adidas slides , wear long athletic mid-calf socks with Birkenstocks. 

Does it look weird when people wear athletic mid-calf socks with Adidas slides? 

I think we have all long accepted this trend as completely fine and not faux-pas, so there is no real difference with Birkenstocks. 

The whole “socks and sandals” concept used to be the source of many laughs but that is not the case anymore. 

Granted, there are still certain sandals that, as a rule, you don’t wear socks with like the “dad sandal” with Velcro straps though some may argue for their case as well. 

Needless to say, older fashion rules are continuing to be changed or, more accurately, thrown out the window. 

Socks with Birkenstocks are quickly becoming the athlete’s uniform, coming right up next to socks with Adidas slides. 

Whichever you prefer, the premise is the same. Therefore, it is not a faux-pas, but merely another piece in the constantly changing book of fashion. 

If you like the way it looks and it’s comfortable for you, then by all means, go for it. 

I wear my Birkenstocks with  my athletic Nike socks sometimes, and I love it. It also lets me wear my favorite pair of shoes even when it’s starting to get colder so there is another reason why this trend is great.