Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
A sock is a bag-like covering for the foot and lower leg, designed to ease chafing between the foot and footwear, keep feet warm and absorb sweat from the feet. Sock lengths vary, from covering only the foot to reaching knee level. Socks are usually made from cotton, wool or nylon. Although socks are sold in pairs, and contrary to shoes, the two socks of a pair are usually identical. The word sock is also used for the inner lining of a shoe, which is a separate meaning from the garment.
Sock lengths vary, from covering only the foot, to knee level.
Socks are usually made from cotton, wool, or nylon.
Although socks are sold in pairs, and contrary to shoes, the two socks are usually the same.
A sock is also the term given to the inner lining of a shoe, distinct from the garment.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sock). 11/15/04 Modified by Apparel Search. |
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The sock is a working interface between skin and shoe, and its three stated jobs, easing chafing, warmth and absorbing sweat, explain most sock design. Chafing is eased because the sock takes the friction: the shoe rubs the sock, the sock moves with the foot, and the skin is spared the blistering that a bare foot in a shoe quickly earns. Warmth comes from the knitted structure trapping air, thickest in boot and winter socks. Sweat absorption matters because feet sweat heavily; a sock that holds moisture away from the skin keeps feet comfortable and shoes fresher, and changing socks is the simplest foot care there is. Cushioning is the unstated fourth job: padded soles in athletic and boot socks absorb impact at the heel and ball of the foot.
Men's, women's and children's socks divide by use as much as by size. Dress socks are thin, smooth and long enough to keep the leg covered when sitting. Athletic socks add cushioning, arch support bands and moisture-managing fibres. Novelty socks carry prints and colours as a fashion statement. Children's socks favour durability and easy sizing. Arm warmers, sometimes sold as arm socks, apply the same knitted tube idea to the arms. The knitting machinery behind all of them belongs to hosiery manufacturing, a specialised branch of the clothing industry with its own sock and pantyhose machinery.
Care is simple but fibre-specific. Cotton socks wash hot and wear hard, though they shrink a little and fade. Wool socks are washed cool and gently to avoid felting. Turning socks inside out before washing protects their surface and helps the inside, where the sweat is, get cleanest. A sock's life ends at the heel and toe, where it wears thin first; reinforced heels and toes are the mark of a sock made to last, and matching pairs after washing remains the household problem no manufacturer has yet solved.
From shortest to longest: low-cut and no-show socks that cover only the foot and sit hidden inside a shoe; ankle socks ending just above the shoe; crew socks reaching the mid-calf; and knee socks reaching to just below the knee. Boot socks are a thicker, longer style made to wear inside boots, cushioning the shin and calf against the boot shaft.
Most commonly cotton, wool or nylon, and in modern socks, blends of all three with elastane for stretch and fit. Cotton absorbs sweat but stays wet; wool absorbs and insulates even when damp, which suits cold weather and hiking; nylon adds strength and abrasion resistance; synthetic performance fibres move moisture away from the skin for sport.
Length and construction. Socks end at or below the knee and are separate garments for each foot. Stockings cover the whole leg and are held up at the thigh. Pantyhose join two stockings to a brief in one garment. All three belong to hosiery, the branch of clothing that covers the feet and legs.