How To Go Sockless -- Tips On Wearing Shoes With Bare Feet


How To Wear Shoes Without Socks In Summer


   I figured out how to wear shoes without socks just this year, and I'm 31. I thought that I'd talk a bit about it, because it seems to be a tricky topic. Sometimes sandals are just not right, either it's too cold, or your toenails look awful, or you need some protection from the dirt. Or you just want to wear ballet flats. I always thought that going barefoot in shoes is just gross, but socks often just look wrong with certain shoes and dresses. So, finally, I have figured out how to do this:

Washable frottee shoe inserts:

   The key here is washable. There are many barefoot insoles out there, but if they aren't washable they'll get gross in no time. Anything with leader is usually not washable, the frottee ones can be hand-washed or even machine washed. Check the packaging for laundering instructions. I got one pair of washable frottee insoles from the Müller and they do the job well. If you can find it, a dark colour is more practical. The inserts not only soak up the sweat and prevent it from touching the shoe, they also prevent bare feet from slipping inside the shoes. If they are thicker, they provide a bit of cushioning and make the shoes more comfortable.

Foot deodorant

   I just use my regular deodorants on my feet (especially the liquid version of the crystal deo) because I don't like to have too many products. A dash of talcum powder can also keep things dryer. I strongly suggest that you use a deodorant with no toxic ingredient for your feet, since the feet absorb stuff easily -- that's the reason natural medicines in balm form are often massaged into the feet. Also, cleaning well between and below the toes helps to keep the feet from smelling.

Socklets

   If you really don't want to go barefoot, socklets give you the sockless look wile providing the traction and the absorption. These can be a pain in the butt, but hear me out. There are three kinds out there: sneaker footlets go up a bit higher and stay put, they are perfect for shoes with a higher vamp and booties. The lower-cut footlets are supposed to be invisible but it's pretty hard to find ones that don't slip off. I have tested out several brands, and annoyingly I have completely forgotten where I have bought the ones I like best. Any recommendations from you? Ballet flats are usually so low-cut that even these low-cut footlets are visible, and in my opinion this looks really tacky. The only solution here is to get decorative footlets with a pretty lace edge and make it look intentional. Black footlets work with black shoes or shoes that have black on them somewhere, otherwise the best colour is something that is close to your skin tone in intensity -- so if you are white you might want to go for pink or coral, or even grey or sky blue. White looks tacky with shoes that are not white. Beige only looks good if it is really lacey and is not too greyish. Of course footlets in the colour of the shoe always work.

   Over to you: do you ever wear shoes without socks? Could anyone recommend me a good brand of footles? What is your favourite foot deodorant?

Photo credit: Toffee Maky / Foter / CC BY-SA

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