Crew Socks vs. Dress Socks | Which One is Best?

Most people don’t think about the importance of dress socks vs. crew socks and the fact that they can make or break an outfit. Not only do socks work to protect your feet from perspiration and keep them warm, but wearing the wrong pair of socks could do more than ruin your outfit; it could ruin your entire day.

The last addition to your daily outfit plays a part in your comfort in a few different ways, so we thought it was time that everyone started paying a bit more attention to them.

There are plenty of socks on the market that you can buy, but if you don’t know which is the best pair for your needs, you won’t know where to start. If you want to know when to wear crew socks, most would typically wear them when dressing casually. Dress socks are reserved  for dressing up for more formal occasions. Here we break down the differences between them, and you might find yourself surprised by what we found out.

Regardless if you enjoy bold and striking colors or countless pairs of solid black dress socks, some standards need to be met, and we want to make sure that your socks are meeting yours.

Direct Comparison

Breaking it down

There are a lot of similarities with socks, but also a lot of differences. To better determine which socks we think consumers would benefit most from, we’re going to compare them in two categories.

• Materials
• Sizes

We chose these categories to compare because they’re the most commonly looked at features when consumers buy regular socks.

Materials

The materials used to design socks play a crucial role in not just how long they last, but how well they perform. When it comes to crew socks vs dress socks, the materials used are close to the same.

What are Crew Socks?

After taking a look at a few brands of crew socks, we determined that most use a blend of cotton, polyester, and spandex to make their socks. The percentage of each material varies, but cotton is used for comfort, polyester for durability, and spandex to add some stretch.

What are Dress Socks?

As with crew socks, the majority of dress socks are made with a blend of cotton, polyester, and spandex. We found that dress socks have a higher percentage of spandex and polyester than crew socks.

Winner: Due to the similarities with the materials used in both crew socks and dress socks, we thought it only fair to mark this one a tie. Both of the socks provide comfort, stretchiness, and durability.

Size

The next thing that we are comparing is size. Socks come in an array of sizes, but when it comes to comfort, having the perfect fit is important. If your socks are loose, they could slip off your feet, and if they’re tight, it could cause discomfort.

Crew Socks

Once we looked through a broad range of crew socks, we determined that the majority of consumers purchase socks in size 6 to size 12. However, crew socks offer more than just that. They come in sizes as small as 3 and are available all the way up to 15.

Dress Socks

When we looked at dress socks, we concluded that most consumers also purchased size 6 to size 12, but they didn’t have as much variety in size from what we could find.

Winner: In our opinion, we believe that crew socks win this comparison because of their variety of sizes available.

Final Recount

As a reminder, let’s take a look at the final recount and where things stand between crew socks and dress socks.

• Material: Crew Socks and Dress Socks – Tie
• Size: Crew Socks

The way things stand, crew socks have definitely taken the lead, but is it going to stay that way?

Final Verdict

We carefully considered every element of dress socks vs. crew socks. While crew socks did come out on top in a few areas, that doesn’t mean it’s the overall winner. After some consideration, we determined that the overall result is a TIE.

Depending on the person buying the socks, their needs, and personal preference, everyone can find the right socks for them. Once everything is said and done, you can’t go wrong with either pair of socks.