Originally known as anklets (that term has since shifted to more commonly refer to jewelry that encircles the ankle), ankle socks are a textile form of footwear that cover the entire foot and joint with the lower leg, sometimes extending slightly beyond it. They are closely related to the Bobby socks of the 1940s and '50s, which cover roughly the same area but have more material and fold the cuff over itself or are bunched around the ankle to achieve a similar length.

History

They are simultaneously a very recent addition to, as well as the archetype for, the more than 6,000 year old tradition of wearing socks. The earliest known practice resembling modern socks involved wrapping the feet in animal skins that only reached the ankle, where they were loosely tied. The invention of textiles saw socks becoming much longer in order to use the changes in diameter at various points on the leg to apply tension to the fabric which helped keep them in place. The modern iteration, however, records sporadic (and largely unsuccessful) attempts to popularize the style beginning in the mid-16^th century but their widespread adoption would not occur until the mid-20^th century, once the tighter weaves of industrial loom-spun fabrics and invention of synthetic fibers combined to produce designs with sufficiently-enduring elasticity for them to become both comfortable and fashionable.

For much of their early history and lasting into the beginning of the 21^st century, they were thought to bestow an appearance of innocence or youthful vitality, likely attributable to their huge popularity with parents for infants and small children. More recently, attitudes towards them have shifted to denote a much more utilitarian aesthetic, worn primarily for their benefits of fully protecting the wearer from abrasion by shoes' tongue and collar lining while also trapping less heat during exertion than longer styles, but stripped of being considered broadly fashionable.

Differences with similar styles

They differ from the shorter no-show socks (often called trainer socks in Commonwealth countries), a further refinement on the style, which do not or only partially cover the joint in an effort to remain obscured from view by other footwear worn over them—typically for sartorial rather than practical reasons. While opinions vary on the exact distinction between ankle socks and the longer crew socks, most agree that crew socks are defined by the presence of a tighter, ribbed cuff meant to be worn around the lower leg, fully above the joint with the foot. The height of this cuff can vary, with mini, quarter- and half- being common terms used to describe those which cover various amounts of the lower leg but do not reach the calf (as crew socks are typically understood to do) and thus more closely resemble ankle socks. Ankle socks that have a ribbed section typically locate it around the arch of the foot.

See also

• toe_socks
• stockings