While on set for the fall collection shoot, Jen Gerson, our women’s fashion editor, fell head-over-heels in love with the vibrant knee socks she discovered on our models. Jen is the classic Rugby girl, preppy with a modern twist — but we’ve never known her to be a knee-sock wearer. In her words, “I knew I was going to have to tweak my style to embrace this prep school staple.” So we set her off on a Rugby-fuelled challenge to see if she could live her school-girl fantasies for three whole sock-filled days. Check out her style diary below.
Day 1: At Work
For the first day of my personal knee-sock challenge, I ransack my brain and my closet to conjure my very best prepster look. A Rugby Fair Isle dress layered over a ruffled blouse? Score. Pairing knee socks with a short skirt, even a debatably too-short skirt, or dress is a classic prep-school style. (To figure out if your skirt is short enough, rely on the private school tradition of working backwards from the rules: Does it reach your fingertips? Not short enough!) I don maroon-and-navy-striped socks, nude patent-leather flats and voila! I snap a photo and e-mail it to my mom, who calls as I’m walking to the train: “You look SO cute! Why don’t you dress like this every day?” In the office elevator I bump into two co-workers who coo with admiration. The approval of my mother and my colleagues? I love knee socks. Also, they make me feel tall and thin.
Day 2: At Play
I return from an early-morning gym session feeling deceptively athletic and decide to dress accordingly. I love the idea of playing up the sporty, as opposed to flirty, side of knee socks, and the Rugby Bedford cuffed shorts (or any short, really) is a perfect way to do that. For an ultra-classic style, try with a longer walking or Bermuda short instead. You’ll look double tall, I promise. A Rugby tank tops off the perfect look for an afternoon movie with an old friend.
Day 3: In Floral
Off to meet a friend for a stroll around Soho, I am feeling very urban-chic in the Rugby Jacqueline floral dress with the Cawley sheer Henley underneath and black-and-white-striped socks. Since knee socks are so old-school preppy and structured, it’s nice to “loosen them up” with a dress or top that’s more free-flowing and organic. My friend decides that more people ought to wear knee socks on Sunday as it is “the day of church-going.” While not fully sure what he means, this much I know: My knee-sock adventure was nothing short of a religious experience.