When it comes to getting dressed, socks are an afterthought for most men. This is why you see guys strutting around with white cotton socks under dress slacks or short athletic socks under khaki pants.
I can’t blame them. It’s hard enough to pick out the right shirt-pants combo everyday. Plus you have to wear the right shoes and accessories, and everything needs to fit properly.
It’s a lot. And now we have to think about socks too?
To make matters worse, socks wear out faster than other clothing, so you have to replace them regularly. Which means you have to go to the store and make decisions about brand and color and price.
I think every man has found himself standing in front of a giant rack of socks at some department store wondering:
- How much should I spend on a decent pair of dress socks?
- Should I wear plain socks or flashy socks?
- Is over-the-calf better than mid-calf?
- Is cotton better than wool?
- Will these socks be comfortable?
Not to mention sizing. The vast majority of “one size fits all” socks are too big for anyone who wears shoes smaller than size 8 US.
It’s all a bit overwhelming, which is why most men settle for whatever black/navy socks are on sale at the mall.
But you don’t have to settle, and you definitely don’t have to pay department store prices. Instead, you can buy your socks from Viccel.
Viccel Socks
Let’s get one thing out of the way – the Viccel website is ugly. Real ugly. Like middle school computer class build-your-own-website ugly. It seriously looks like something from 1995.
Luckily, the socks are a different story. I’ve searched high and low for socks, and I’ve tried out many different brands, and Viccel takes the cake.
I’ve been buying Viccel socks for long time now. Here’s why:
Super low prices
I don’t know how Viccel manages to keep their prices so low because their socks are really nice.
Even without a discount, their socks range from just $10 to about $25 per pair, depending on the type. This is considerably cheaper than what you’ll find in department stores (if you want 100% cotton or wool socks).
Plenty of options
Whatever combination of weight and color you need, Viccel will make it for you. I don’t know of any other company that does this.
Want over-the-calf (OTC) heavy weight wool socks for winter? You got it. How about mid-calf lightweight summer socks? You bet.
They have all of the basic colors, from bright canary yellow to deep forest green. Their patterns are pretty limited, but they seem to be adding new designs regularly.
Whether you need boot socks, dress socks or socks to wear with
Smaller sizes
This is another thing that sets Viccel apart from other sock sellers. They make socks in different sizes. I have small feet (insert joke here), and it’s not always easy to find small socks since most socks are “one size fits all”.
Viccel carries socks all the way down to size 6 (US). This is crucial for men with smaller feet, especially when it comes to OTC socks.
See also: Best Socks for Small Feet
See also: Best No Show for Men
I ordered four pairs of charcoal gray Viccel socks but found the color to be black rather than dark gray. The fit was OK but felt off, in other words, appropriately sized but didn’t fit like other socks I have tried. Customer service was glacial (weeks to reply) and while they offered to take them back/trade them, it would cost the same as ordering new ones-not worth it and not happy with their service.
I ordered several pairs and was happy with the look and feel of the fabric, but the area around the toes was too big, it felt baggy and uncomfortable. I really wanted to like them, but it just feels weird. I am going to try and return them unfortunately.
Help with the Viccel site would be appreciated. The site has ordering by U.S. SOCK size. Is that the same as my shoe size? I’m typically a size 7 shoe so is that a size 7 sock?
Yes you can choose your shoe size from the size selection.
I just received an order of socks today that I ordered on 2/13 (2 pair) from Viccel. I ordered US8.5 winter over the calf, however, what I received appears to be closer to US12 and they are well over-the-calf, more like over the knee. I haven’t washed them and honestly, I don’t think they could shrink enough to be usable. I was really hoping these would live up to the hype.
I’d strongly encourage you to contact them and see if there has been a mix-up. I have a dozen socks from viccel and they’ve all been exactly the size i ordered and right below the knee. It’s entirely possible a mistake was made, but Viccel has always been very responsive for me when contacted.
I sent them a message the day I received the socks but have not heard anything yet. I used their website to send a message, is there a better method?
[email protected] is the address I’ve always used to contact them.
I have tried that email address twice and receive an undeliverable message because the mail box is full.
I decided to wash one pair of the socks I received, that improved the fit but not enough to be satisfied with them. In addition, after one wash the top of the sock is unraveling. I have tried repeatedly to send a message the [email protected] address but it is always returned undelivered due to a full inbox. I sent them a message via facebook and did not receive a reply. I would not recommend these socks or the company to anyone. This is not customer service.
[email protected] is working now also you can send e-mail to [email protected]
in addition to mail you can send message on http://www.viccel.com
I recently bought 6 pairs of these. They looked HUGE at first, but I decided to wash one pair and see what would happen. It has gone down to a much closer fit, but the foot part of the sock is still pretty big and baggy, which is surprising as it is a 5-8 size, and I wear an 8.
Currently deciding on whether I should wash more of them and try them on, or try to send them back. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Apologies, sock is a size 7, not 5-8.
Did you try tumble drying them? I’ve found that when i accidentally tumble dry them (you’re not supposed to), they’ll shrink considerably, but then stretch back out when I wear them. I too have the size 7 socks (shoe size is usually a US 6.5 or 7). I have 10 pairs from Viccel and all of them are dead-on size-wise.
Yeah, I tumble dried a pair, but it didn’t really help. Still a lot of excess fabric. The “winter weight” socks I ordered in the same size fit much nicer. If you want a couple pairs of socks that have been worn once or twice let me know, I’d be happy to send them to you, as I can’t use them.
Brock–any idea where to purchase athletic socks for short guys? I’m a size 6.5, so the usual OTC socks are huge for my feet.
I bought their socks 2 months back..3 of the socks had issues which they replaced. The color are nice but they started ripping at the elastic bands… I have read few other blogs and most have complained the same.
These socks suck. I ordered 6 pairs of over-the-calf black socks. They have holes in them after two washings. Going back to Brooks Brothers (which are now 40% off until July 3rd).
Really? I haven’t had any holes yet (multiple washings).
Have you contacted Viccel about the issue ? Viccel will do our best to solve the problem.
They want me to send them back. What a hassle
That is a hassle… seems like for socks, they should just offer to replace or refund.
Maybe Kemal can help out??
We offered different options and pay back option we wanted only unused socks back and we would accept postal cost too.
I purchased my pair from them two years ago and they are still going strong. And I’m pretty hard on my socks. I’d definitely contact them.
I ordered a pair of over-the-calf dress socks from Viccel. They arrived two weeks later and were obviously high quality, but although labeled correctly, they were Humongous! The sock was 28 inches total length (my inseam is 29), 22 inches from heel to end (reaching my thigh), and the foot portion was literally a foot–12 inches from toe to heel.
Perhaps most annoyingly, I found no options for returning the product. I would certainly not recommend this company.
Have you tried the socks after washing ? but in any case please contact info at viccel.us for your issue sure we will do our best for your happiness.
I have to know: What brand/style are those chukkas in the top photo, the middle pair?
Cole Haan, can’t remember what they’re called (got them from Nordstrom a couple of years ago. Very similar to these – http://rstyle.me/n/yzba8n4v6
It’s amazing how hard it was to figure out how to buy on their site. That said, awesome post! Excited to get some info on the matter as I’ve been in the market for some socks.
I love a man who is brave enough to wear fun socks! This is a great resource to have – and thanks for the head’s up on the lame website – I probably would not have given it a second look. Thanks, Brock!
Brock,
I used your link a few weeks ago after searching for ‘socks for small feet’ and received my first order this week. I was pleasantly surprised with the delivery speed after the reviews I read on some forums. I wore my first pair today the fit was great. I was really worried when I received them because they looked HUGE for my 7.5-8 size foot…way bigger than my usual socks. But once I put them on, I couldn’t complain. The only downside so far was my feet were slipping inside of my ECCO shoes. I think this is due to the mercerized cotton being slicker than my usual cotton socks. I’m hoping this friction increases after a few washings. In any event, thanks for posting the discount and being an ambassador for us smaller-sized guys.
Regards,
Paul
http://www.paullundjr.com
@plundjr
I love viccel! I’ve been buying my socks from them for well over a year, as they were the only place that I could find to sell OTC socks in a size that would fit a U.S. size 6.5 foot. The only complaint I have with them is that it can take several weeks for delivery. The fastest was 3 weeks; the slowest was 7. But the quality is EXCELLENT, especially given the price.