A Socksy Sight

For many, lunchtime at the Newsroom translates as a place to get a healthy bite or a magazine. For us, it’s the place in town to catch a glimpse of that obscure object of sartorial splendor, the Power Sock.

Below table-top level, what is oft-hidden under soft Italian leather is here revealed in all its toe-hugging glory. Feast your eyes on a Paul Smith striped pair here or a playful Nicole Miller pattern there, while their cell-phone-enhanced owners munch duck quesadillas and sip fruit smoothies.

This sock-stalker’s dream is made possible thanks to what resident shoeshiner Thurston Watts (known to the scuffed shoe set as Mr. Thurston) calls Shine-and-Dine.

“People have an hour to eat, but they don’t have eight minutes to shine their shoes,” he says. Thus, an idea was born.

From 8 till 3 Monday through Saturday at this vegan-friendly bistro in Beverly Hills-adjacent, Watts shines patrons’ shoes while they dine, leaving them a square of carpet on which to rest their shoeless feet. According to Watts, Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, James Earl Jones and Keenen Ivory Wayans, plus countless entertainment execs, Cedars-Sinai docs and designers have all exposed their hosiery.

Although he occasionally observes something as outre as a protruding toe, Watts says that “very seldom do I find bad socks. It’s like my mom always said, ‘Wear clean socks and underwear, because if you ever have to take off your shoes, you can. If you’re ever in an accident, you look OK.’ ”