In the world of socks, somewhere between your dress socks and your athletic socks, exists a weird limbo zone. I’m talking about socks that can be worn with some casual shoes and jeans, without having that now-dreaded white cotton showing (apparently the ladies notice… who knew?). This wouldn’t have bothered me in college, but now that I’m growing up and care a little more about looking sharp, I’ve found myself searching for a solution. I recently found the best option so far in the offerings of Smartwool.

Though they offer both athletic and dress socks, they have a plethora of casual socks in all sorts of solids and patterns. I’ve been submitting three pairs to my testing and I love ‘em; they look great with my desert boots and even dress shoes if they need to. The best part has to be the cushioning bottom that elicits that “ahhhh” feeling from my paws with each step I take. All this would be pretty sweet on its own, but as you probably gathered from the name, all of Smartwool’s socks are made of Merino wool. Merino wool is not only renewable, but keeps your feet warm even when wet. Not to mention, it doesn’t develop a raucous odor like synthetics. Plus, if you’re like me, you still associate wool with some hand me down that itched worse than anything those sorority girls could give you. Fear not, as the Merino wool does not itch at all, even when used in other articles of clothing (stay tuned). Smartwool gives you lots to like. So stop flashing the ratty Champions and add some flair to your ankles.

Editor’s Note: After wearing the Diamond Jim, Tattersal, and Adventurer socks the last couple months, my only recommendation would be to consider sizing up, as I’ve found some of them slip down because they’re too small.

Cost: $18-20