Sweaty Feet and Proud of It

If you’re looking for the latest thing in socks, don’t sweat it--because the trendiest ones right now are socks made out of sweat-shirt material, and they even have a little drawstring around the top to simulate the waist band on a pair of sweat pants.

Selling for about $7, the sweat-shirt socks are pumping up a lot of interest among athletic types and couch potatoes. “They’re selling just great,” says Sylvia Artieda, sales clerk at Bullock’s in Sherman Oaks. “People really like them for workout, because the little drawstring around the top helps them stay up, just like a pair of sweat pants would.”

But at Socks du Jour, also in Sherman Oaks, manager Melissa Greenstone says the sweat-shirt socks are just as popular with less active types. “People just think they’re hilarious!” she says. “They say, ‘Oh, I can’t believe it--a drawstring on a pair of socks!’ ”

Although kids love the socks for their fun factor, Greenstone says, older customers “such as women in their 40s and 60s” buy the socks for a very practical aspect. “They’re very comfortable because they’re a cotton-spandex blend,” she says. “You can wear them with just about anything. If you don’t want the drawstring to show, you can wear them under pants, just for the comfort of it.”

One young woman, a financial analyst, caused a social fumble when she wore the socks to work one day. “I decided to wear them with a miniskirt cause I thought that would be a really cute look,” she says. “And the guy who sits next to me kept saying all day: ‘Do you know you have a string hanging from your socks?’ ”