If you’re not familiar with our Zap! category, it’s sort of like a train station platform where we can wave goodbye to styles as they go away. This time of year our Zap! category swells as we find out what styles are being discontinued, what newer or better styles are coming out in the spring and just from general housecleaning. At this moment there are over 100 styles in Zap! I feel like I should add an extra exclamation mark, since the category name already has one. Heck, let’s do three!!!

But because we’re saying goodbye to these socks means you get to say hello. So here are a few styles that you might want to grab a pair of before they’re gone for good. Now, I’m trying to pick styles there are still plenty of, but be aware that some might be gone before you get there!

Almost a quarter of the styles in Zap! are knee highs, and a lot are super fun. I think almost every closet needs one pair of knee highs that make you smile or feel fancy.

• Sock It To Me Bunny Stripes •
• Five Toed Sheer Knee Highs •
• Faux High Top Knee High •

Moving on up the leg, here are some over the knee and higher treats that we won’t have around much longer.

• Marbled Scrunchy Socks •
• Acrylic Striped Thigh Highs •
• Asel Over the Knee •

Some favourite tights are going away and I know several Dreamers have stocked up on their favourite pairs!

• Kalana Wool Crochet Tights •
• Eyelash Web Tights •
• Wool Cable Stripe Tights •

Of course, there is a sweet silver lining to styles going away and that’s when they go on sale! There are a lot of luscious choices with marked down prices that mean you get a pair before they disappear and feel smart for waiting because now you’re paying less.

• Shadow Brocade Over the Knees •
• Fifi Marled Ghost Anklets •
• Polonova Vines Trouser Socks •

There are a lot of reasons (most of them being whether or not we can still get a style) that a sock might go away and as sad as it is, it does mean that we’re busy picking out new things to take its place. So dig into the Zap! category or use our advanced search to pick through all these styles that are just waiting for a home—you’re helping us make room for some new favourite styles.

Let’s start with our most basic grey styles!

Clockwise from top: O Basics in Charcoal, O Basics in Grey, Solid Opaque Thigh High in Graphite, Extraordinary Thigh Highs in Charcoal, Extraordinary Thigh Highs in Grey, Bright Basic Tabi Socks in Grey

The moon isn’t smooth, so here are some great textured options.

Clockwise from top: Textured Cable Acrylic OTKs in Grey, Four Button Ribbed Leg Warmers in Charcoal, Cotton Slouch Socks in Charcoal, Diamond Rib Knee Highs in Charcoal, At Cross Over the Knee in Grey, Acrylic Slouch Socks in Silver Grey

Sure, the moon doesn’t have patterns or stripes, but what goes better with grey than more grey, or deep-space black?

Clockwise from top: O Chevrons in Charcoal & White, O Chevrons in Charcoal & Black, Foot Traffic Floral Tights in Platinum, Shaggy Stripe Leggings in Black & Grey, Super Stripes in Charcoal & Grey, Kayla Stripe Trouser Socks in Grey.

And for general out-of-this world grey, check out the 100 Inch Super Ruched in Grey.  They may not be long enough to get you all the way to the moon, 100 inches are only about 8 feet of sock, but—wait a second! Eight feet is a LOT. Maybe not space travel distance, but a lot for a sock!

Grey is a little more exciting than you’d expect. Maybe not as exciting as the moon, but close. 

Lightweight over the knee socks are a great choice for springy weather and they keep rocking when you layer them over coloured tights when the weather cools down.  I’m a big fan of combining lighter-weight tall socks with warm leg warmers in the morning. Then later, when the sun asserts its dominance, the legwarmers can go into my bag and my lightly clad legs can continue being comfy!

The Vertically Inclined Stockings are probably one of the ultimate lightweight sock options, with subtle, almost-openwork that keep your legs from suffocating in warm temperatures.  And probably my current favourite legwarmer are the Harajuku Furry Warmers—mine are getting a little beat up, even, from how much I wear them.

Openwork over the knees are a great layering option for this trick. These three are some of our favourite and most popular:

• Open Crochet Over the Knee •
• Crochet Lover Over the Knee •
• Havana Thigh High •

We offer a wide selection of leg warmer weights, from barely-there to super cozy.  For this layering trick, shorter styles are best, with less bulk.

• Pia Marled Popcorn Stitch Leg Warmer •
• Ribbed Knit Leg Warmer •
• Super Warmer – Long •

If you want a little more coverage that is just as light, a lot of the styles in our Frills & Lace post in February are just as perfect now as earlier in the year, only now you don’t need to layer solid tights under them!

A couple more styles that are great to layer with after the jump!

The soft as a dream Wrinkle Press Knee High are a great transitional layer.  Pair with tights, or leggings—like the Foot Traffic Floral Leggings—for a little bit of peek-a-boo layering.

These ultimate lightweight, semi-openwork knee highs even have an almost perfect arm warmer match in the Ethereal Arm Warmers, which are also great layering options for late spring.  Arm warmers in general are great for any in-between season, adding that extra bit of warm while the weather figures out where it’s going.

• Harajuku Garden Arm Warmers •
• Leopard Texture Arm Warmers •
• Chevron Sleeves •

There are a lot of layering possibilities, do you have a favourite pairing to keep your legs warm in the morning but comfy in the afternoon sunshine?  How are your socks greeting the change in seasons?

Of course, the first thing we thought of were the Harajuku Super Loose.  I know I talk about them all the time on the Sock Journal, but they’re a really versatile sock!  And they’ve got enough stretch and height to work well over trousers and under boots.

Another two styles that popped into our heads right away when brainstorming socks for this look were the Ribbed M Stockings and the Long Cuffable Scrunchables.  They’ve both got a lot of length (the Ribbed M are over 45 inches!) and wonderful ribbing that keeps them where you scrunch them.  I also like that they’re thick enough that any weird wrinkles that happen from pulling them up over your jeans won’t show.

If you want an extra kick of warmth, the Cronert Ribbed Wool OTK are the perfect option.  They’re not fond of staying up on their own anyhow, so wearing them over trousers and under boots is what they’re made for!

Shorter styles and some non-sock options after the jump and a couple tips for finding just the right socks for rocking this look!

Not everybody wants to rock tall boots, so what socks give the right amount of scrunch above mid-calf styles?  We’ve got three that are just about perfect:

• Coarse Knit Knee High •
• Bess Cashmere Slouch Rib Knee Sock •
• Longer Thicker Slouch Socks •

The key to finding the right sock height for your slouching needs is to choose a style one coverage level taller than where you want the scrunched sock to end up. So, if you want socks scrunched below your knee to midcalf, choose knee highs that cuff, or look for the phrase “knee socks”.  Those couple of extra inches will give you just the right amount of extra scrunch.  And if you want your socks to scrunch to the knee and above, go for over the knee and thigh high styles.

Thicker socks work best, but if you get a long enough sock, like the Super Ms, then there will be enough scrunch to hide any wrinkles in the jeans underneath.

And it’s not just socks that can help you get this look.  I personally think it’s easiest to achieve with leg warmers!  My favourite style for this are the Super Long Ribbed Leg Warmers.  They’re totally stretchy enough to go over pants, and that way you can still wear your favourite socks while rocking this look.

So, have you been swept up by the scrunched socks over jeans, under boots look?  It’s definitely a wonderfully warm option for winter and we’re of course pretty stoked that showing off some slouchy socks is catching on. J

• Kabella Wool Cable Trouser Socks •
• Greyson Merino Microplane Midcalf •
• Lucille Wool Crochet Trouser Socks •

It’s also getting to be time for tights and leggings, to add that extra layer of warm when you need it.  Maybe it isn’t quite cold enough for cotton-lined wool, but lighter weight, open-knit cotton tights like the Codori Crochet Tights will help you keep rocking shorts and skirts as the leaves start to fall.  They’re available in two new colours too, Graphite and Espresso! We don’t have images for them yet, but they’re the same as the same colours in the Doris Crochet Trouser Socks.

A couple more transitional options and my favourite OTK trick for when the weather warms up after the jump!

Cozy OTKs that cuff well in wool or cotton are also the perfect thing.  I wear a pair of over the knee socks pulled up when I walk to work and end up cuffing them to knee high by the end of the work day.

• O Woolies •
• Pebble Ribbed Over the Knees •
• NZ Sock Lady Merino Thigh Highs •

Now, I’ve got short legs so to get OTKs to cuff properly on me I have to double-cuff them, unless I want to slouch my socks—which I love, but doesn’t work for all styles.  It’s a super easy trick that makes all the difference. (Ooh, these socks are in our new item queue and I LOVE them, so keep an eye on What’s New this month for sure!)

It’s also time for leg warmers and arm warmers! We’re already seeing people start to stock up—they’re great because you can layer them when it’s cold and take them off and pop ‘em in a pocket or purse if it warms up.

• Foot Traffic Ribbed Knit Leg Warmers •
• Orkney Angora Wrist Warmers •
• Super Warmers Long •

So how do you transition into fall?  Is there a sock or style that you have to stock up on once the leaves start turning?

Of course, I’ve got to tease a little.

It’s been five years since these DreaM Stockings debuted,

and a little over three since they were available in an OTK and a thigh high.

But it’s been almost two years since we’ve had them in stock.  The yarn for these socks was discontinued and we’ve been on a hunt for a replacement ever since.

But a secret stash of the yarn has been found—enough to make a limited run of both OTK and thigh highs.  We won’t have them forever and we’re still looking for a long-term supply of this yarn, but for a short time, this sock dream has come true.

Have you guessed what they are? Join us after the jump for the answer!

Yes! The Super Dreamy and O Dreamy socks are back! They’re only available in Hibiscus and Autumn, but the slubby, soft, beautiful marled socks are back for a limited time.

So if you loved the Super Dreamy socks, now is the time to get a pair!

And if the O Dreamy Stockings were something you always wanted but never got a pair of, grab some while you can!

Did you get a pair of these dreamy socks the first time around?

One summer style that is a big favourite with Dreamers and will always remind me of a box of crayons are the Dream Sneakers.  They hide under high tops and their ankle band of colour just pops over lower shoes. And they come in packs of two pair!

(from top right, going clockwise: Black/Royal, Black/Purple, Black/Fuchsia, Black/Red, Black/Gold, Black/Kelly)

Now, sometimes you need more than little sneaker socks. Lightweight arm warmers and even an OTK after the jump!

We get asked what arm warmer styles are good lightweight summer styles pretty regularly.  Both the Vitamin Arm Warmers and the Chevron Sleeves are good, fuller coverage arm warmers that are still light enough to breathe.  If you’re sensitive to the sun, they’re a great choice.  The Ethereal Arm Warmers are the same long length and are even lighter, but they are also are semi-sheer, so they won’t give you as much protection.  Between all three is one of my favourite rainbows, swinging between summer neons and sunbleached pales:

(from top right, going clockwise: Ethereal in Lilac, Ethereal in Pink, Chevron Sleeves in Dark Red, Vitamin in Neon Orange, Vitamin in Neon Yellow, Chevron Sleeves in Hunter)

Speaking of coverage, sometimes you may want a little more on your legs in the summer, either for the evening or personal style.  When it’s warm, it’s best to stick with open, lacy styles.  The open, cotton blend knit of the Crochet Lover Over the Knees is a perfect option. I love how their colours are dusty but vibrant, like wildflowers and summer grass.

(from top right, going clockwise: Dark Cyan, Brown, Merlot, Rust, Gold, Olive)

We know some of you do go sockless in the summer, especially the summer weather most of the country is having right now (and we forgive you, since you do rock socks in the winter!), but if you do wear socks or armwarmers, do you have a go-to summer colours?  What colours are summer to you?

Ooh! And don’t forget to check out the contest before it ends next Thursday, July 28!

I’m most excited about one of our newest styles for a terribly nerdy reason. Jacquard weaving, with its innovative loom (that was basically an early computer!) is a pretty cool thing.  Socks are knit, not woven, and it turns out that there is a way to knit, jacquard style!  The resulting two-colour patterns have great stretch, beautiful vertical patterns and have swept all us Dreamers off our feet with love.  The first jacquard style we introduced has a gorgeous vertical ripple that almost plays optical illusion-like with your eyes.

The brand-newest jacquard style the girly side of me totally squeals over, it’s all ribbons and flowers and springy colours.

What I like best about the jacquard styles is that the inside is almost like terry loops, so they’re crazy cozy, but the stretchy knit doesn’t get overwarm!

More exciting new things after the jump!

Now, our Extraordinary Thigh Highs are already pretty, well, extraordinary—with a foot that fits US Women’s shoe size 6-14 (men’s 4-12), a calf stretch of 24 inches and a cuff stretch of 27 inches! We’ve got them in Striped, we’ve got them in an even longer striped and now (drumroll please), we have our solid-coloured Extraordinary Thigh Highs in an extra-long version that goes up the very tip top of a lot of our legs and solidly over the knee on folks with larger and longer legs.  May we proudly present the Extraordinarily Longer Thigh Highs!

If you’ve been looking for a true thigh high, these just might be it! They go to the tippity tops of most legs, they even hit thigh high territory on one of our plus-size testers with 27 inch thigh circumference and a 30 inch inseam, who normally can only wear thigh highs as over the knee socks.  If you’ve got longer legs, they won’t go as high, but they’ll still hit respectively above the knee.

In the same theme of new versions of old favourites the wonderful Acrylic Slouch Socks should look familiar! I’ve always been a big fan of the Cotton Slouch Socks, but I may have just found a new love.

Acrylic has some of the same textures as wool, which is why it is so often blended with it.  But there’s no wool in these, just super soft acrylic in bright crayon colours.

It’s so exciting how our Sock Dreams styles are growing and I cannot wait to see what we think up in the future.  What new Dreamer Sock style are you most excited to try?

But we shouldn’t have worried, because as soon as they showed us the new hangers, we realised that Sweet Marcel was going to be even sweeter!

Teeny hangers! I don’t know about you, but if you make something littler I am going to love it more. I just want to hang all my socks on little hangers now, in a tiny closet (well, actually it’d have to still be a big closet, I have a lot of socks!).

Shirley and Phoebe OTKs

More sweet Sweet Marcel love after the jump!

Attention to details like this is what makes Sweet Marcel such a wonderful brand. Last season’s Sweet Marcel styles even have a little logo patch on the cuff.

The styles from last season that have the cuff detail are (from left to right)—top row: Addy, Derra, Joelle. Bottom row: Julia, Sophia, Victoria.

Not that the latest styles are lacking in detail or style (and some folks don’t like obvious logos). I love the rich floral styles and colour in Sweet Marcel’s latest designs. And the Wisteria & Xena are not only designed by a Project Runway contestant, they’re the only style we have left with the giant safety pin hangers. So they’re two kinds of an awesome find!

Have you owned a pair of Sweet Marcels? What did you think? Do you love them for their cuff or their designs? How about the high cotton content? Did you know that most of the designs make awesome knee highs for longer or curvier legs?

Spring weather is my favourite. T-shirts and trousers or shorts and longsleeves, lighweight coats and shoes that don’t have to handle winter floods! One of my favourite menswear blogs recently posted about what socks to wear with plimsol sneakers (canvas shoes), which is a great question. Warm weather shoes don’t have to accommodate thick winter socks and they’re often paired with more casual looks, which opens up a bunch of fun possibilities.

The favourite thin sock in my household are the B Chevrons. They do double duty as a dress sock with loafers, the wide range of colours means they go with nearly everything and they’re not hard on the wallet. Those chevrons in the knit make these airy socks that get worn far into summer. Smaller feet have an option too, with the A Chevrons, which have a lighter palette.

I like A and B Chevrons because they’re great peeking beneath the hem of slacks, but they also scrunch down and look great with shorts. Here’s three more lighter-weight crew and midcalf options:

• Bastia Comfort Top Crew •
• Performance Liner Crew •
• Brittany Sailor Stripe Midcalf •

Options for shorts and some of the best longer socks for warmer weather after the jump!

Sometimes I can’t wait to break out shorts, but the weather isn’t quite warm enough for it. Or it starts out not warm enough and is super sunny by the middle of the day. In the first instance, I like thin over the knee styles like the OTK Rugby Stripes.

If you’re more of a knee high person, the Super Stripe Knee Highs are good for lots of feet, since they come in two sizes (and there are a bunch more OTK and knee high options for larger feet in the Larger Feet section). I’ve been seeing more and more dudes rocking knee highs with shorts. Tall socks are the perfect way to get around the kind-of-grandpa look of socks with shorts, while still getting to rock shorts and socks.

Cotton is always a good bet when looking for lighter-weight socks, but thinner wool options are out there too (spring mornings can be cold, and warmer socks mean shorter shorts!). Some of our Dreamer’s favourite springtime outfits involve shorts and lacy wool tights.

• O Chevrons •
• O Basics •
• Patricia Merino Crochet Tights •

Slouchable tall socks, paired with garters, are a great way to deal with changes in weather. I, of course, am a huge fan of the Harajuku Super Loose.

Some more lighter socks that look great slouched or tall with shorts and skirts are:

• Ruffle Striped OTK •
• Bess Cashmere Slouch Rib Knee Socks •
• Diamond Lace OTKs •

Whew, this is getting long. I’ll save all the anklet and no show options for later, maybe when it’s a touch warmer. What socks do you start breaking out as it warms up?