Work and Play: An Uncommon Love Story

Most guys fall into one of two camps: a more relaxed, off-the-cuff look with an overall playful style, or a more serious, put together look. These obviously aren’t cut and dry, and a lot of guys fall somewhere in between. Besides, it’s 2017; there are no hard-and-fast fashion rules. But we digress. Guys have long been told that certain clothing items are only for play or work. While we aren’t suggesting that you throw on a three-piece suit or that nice wool sweater before your next kickball game or that you wear your jorts, jersey, and prince + pete socks to your next meeting, we are, however, suggesting that all of the fun socks for men from prince + pete can be worn with whatever your style may be.

Let’s get into this fashion dichotomy a bit more. We’ll go out on a limb here and say that most guys probably work a job where they’re expected to look a little more “professional.” While the definition of professional has changed over time and has different meaning all across the States, we’re going to assume that your definition of professional dress is different from your dad’s, grandpa’s, uncle’s and maybe your employer’s. For the sake of this blog, let’s draw a line: we’re going to say professional is whatever you feel is appropriate for some high-level meetings at work, an interview, or some other important event where you’re going to put some effort into looking sharp. For most guys, this may mean a slim suit with some splashes of color (looking at you, cool socks), or some tailored slacks and a nice sweater. Whatever your professional style, prince + pete has you covered.

Play Time

Alright, now that we all have in our heads the “professional look,” let’s deconstruct that look and find the balance between that and whatever your more casual look is. If your professional look includes nothing more than wrinkle-free pants and a sweater, then our socks (especially our mismatched starter pack) are right up your alley. But what about those of you who picture yourself in a suit or equally upscale outfit? Not to worry; prince + pete socks were designed to be worn with either your suit or your jeans. So, whether you choose some striped socks like our Hudson Waves style or go all-in and add our Hudson Collection, you can rest assured that your new socks will work with either a suit or those slacks your mom bought you a few years ago that you, somehow, still fit into.

But what about when we’re not dressed to the nines for an interview, meeting, or whatever; don’t you need some novelty socks that add a touch of personality to your wardrobe? For a lot of guys, breaking away from the idea that all socks are created equal can be tough. For years, we’ve all been told that no one looks at socks, so don’t worry about anything besides how they feel. Well, hate to break it to ya, but people absolutely notice your socks, just like they notice your shirt, pants, and if you’ve got crumbs in your beard. While we can’t help you with the latter, prince + pete knows guys need options for dressing both professionally and casually. And that’s exactly what you’ll get with any of our cool socks collections.

Want New, Cool Socks on the Reg? Check Out Our S-Club!

A Hypothetical: The Big Date

Let’s admit it: dating in 2017 is weird. It’s not uncommon to have met on a dating site or app — assuming one of you hasn’t ghosted the other. Or, you’re an old fashioned kinda guy and actually spoke to your date in person before asking her out. No matter how the date got set up, it’s happening. You’ve made plans at that new brewpub for a brewery tour and samples, the one  with the basement below that has cozy nooks, board games, and all kinds of oddities; it’s going to be a great night. But at 4:45, your boss tells you that your project has to be done before you leave — which will easily eat up an hour of your time. Now that you’re going to be at work an hour late, your date scheduled for seven o’clock, you don’t have time to run home and change into your more casual clothes. What to do now?

While you may look a little overdressed in your work clothes, you can certainly tweak your outfit to not appear as a workaholic on your first date. That button up and tie? Ditch the tie, unbutton the top few bottoms, and stash the coat. Not a whole lot of wriggle room with your slacks, but what are those colors popping out around your ankle? Cool designs that don’t quite match but the colors bring your whole outfit together? Yeah, your prince + pete socks have your back. While all prince + pete socks are bold, our Melrose collection of bold, fun socks for men have the color combinations to make any outfit pop. While it’s no match for the jitters, butterflies in your stomach, or other nervousness, colorful socks can add enough to any situation to mix in a little fun and fashion without saying a word.

Hypothetical Two: The Meeting

We’re not talking about a boardroom meeting where you count down the minutes until you can snag another coffee. We’re talking about one of those meetings where you’re meeting a potential client for the first time. You’re stoked on this one because, for once, it’s not dinosaurs of your industry doing the talking; it’s younger guys who’ve reached out to your company for a very lucrative partnership. Already, you’re relaxed and thankful you can slip into a more normal conversation. However, your work attire more closely resembles the professional look of yesteryear. While looks don’t make or break the deal, looks and presentation are an incredibly important part of how we interact with other and their perceptions of us.

Once again, thank your lucky socks that prince + pete can add a bit of flair to your outfit. While you and your potential partners won’t be sitting around discussing the latest sock trends, you’ll absolutely take stock of each other and how each other is dressed; it’s only natural. Even simple things like having perfectly mismatched socks within the same colorway is enough to ease someone’s guard enough to break into a more informal conversation with your newfound business partners. Thanks, socks!

Hypotheticals And Reality

While each of us has our own unique reasons for choosing cool socks with for both casual or professional outfits, we all want socks that can be worn with either when they need to be. And you can expect that each and every one (or two) of our socks will lend itself well to your unique taste.

Wear Your Heart (And Your Personality) On Your Socks

It’s no secret that guys dress the way they do to either a) express their personality, however that plays out or b) dress to fit in with their surroundings. For a lot of guys, the two are inseparable; some guys have the luxury of working in an environment that pays little attention to dress code as long as it’s “work-appropriate.” For others, their place of employment has a more rigid dress code that prohibits a certain level of casualness. For those in the latter camp, it can be maddening to try and find clothes that are comfortable, stylish, say something about your personality, and still meet dress code requirements. What’s a guy to do?

While we can’t offer much help in the way of your company’s dress code, we can, however, offer you some cool socks for men to offset the drab work or school environment that’s stifling your fashion personality. No matter which perfectly mismatched pair (or single sock)  you choose from our huge collection of men’s socks, we’re confident that your decision will add some spice to your wardrobe. But, since we’re not here to just talk about your work’s drab dress code, let’s get into how prince + pete’s casual socks can add some flair to show off your personality no matter where you’re at.

Looking For New, Cool Socks Every Month? Check Out Our S-Club!

Stripes And You

Striped socks have had some ups and downs in popularity over the course of their lifespan. While striped socks come in a myriad of colors and patterns, they remain true to design in that, well, they’re striped. While we’re not out to pinpoint your true personality, we’ve noticed a few personality traits associated with those in our lives who wear striped socks more often than not. For starters, those in our lives who choose striped socks are some of the more dependable people in our lives. We tell them our secrets, we rely on them when we need a good friend, and we can obviously count on them for fashion advice. I mean, a timeless designed like stripes but taken to the next level by prince + pete? Yeah, out striped sock-loving friends who gravitate towards cool socks like the Bleeker Waves sock are the friends we know will pick up when we may or may not need a ride home from the bar.

The Return of Argyle

While you won’t find any average argyle patterns from prince + pete, our Mercer Cannon is pretty close. But don’t think this is your grandpa’s argyle; the Mercer Cannon sock shows off the adventurous side of you with bold shapes, patterns, and colors. For some of our Mercer Cannon wearers, the sock is but the tip of the iceberg of their personality, meaning that their personality simple can be shown via sock. But, then again, whose can? What we’re saying is that if you’re the adventurous type — whether in taking risks with work, life, relationships, or jumping out of a plane — then the Mercer Cannon is the sock style that can keep up with your high-adrenaline lifestyle.

Ride The Wave

True to prince + pete’s commitment not to rehash tired styles and colorways, the Worth Waves may be the sock that defines us all. It's not quite striped, it’s certainly not zig zagged; no, it’s a breath of fresh air in the sock world. It’s an uncompromising design that matches the personality of those who choose to fly its colors. The Worth Waves sock is for those who ride life’s waves, whether they’re gentle ripples that carry us further down shore, or their waves that only seasoned pros can surf, the Worth Waves is the sock for those who refuse to quit, don’t make a big fuss, and know how and when to get things done.

Unique Personalities

Perfectly Mismatched

Ah, morning: a time so important that it can make or break the rest of our day. For many of us, mornings are so hectic that it’s hard for us to remember if we’ve already brushed our teeth or if we’ve packed lunch for the day; there’s little worse in the morning than having to scramble to make food and get out the door on time while trying to remember so many other tasks and things to take care of. But for some of us, getting dressed and ready is what eats up most of our time — especially when it comes to socks and finding a matching pair. Does this sound familiar? Maybe your mornings have gone something like this:

It’s the day of the big interview. You’ve the night before laid out your snazziest duds so they’re ready to go in the morning. Your shirt, pants, and (maybe) jacket are all matched and waiting on you. But after you’ve put on your pants and shirt and sit down to put your socks on, you realize you didn’t set any out the night before. Hurriedly, you make your way to your dresser, only to find a mess of mismatched socks. In your rush to get out the door, you scramble to find two socks that kinda-sorta-maybe match if you don’t think too hard about it. Now, you’ve — pardon the phrase — gotten the day started on the wrong foot, all because you couldn’t find two matching socks to pull your outfit together. If only there was a sock company that’s fighting against how our sock drawers eat our socks one mismatched pair of fun socks for men at a time. . .

The Power of One

Unlike literally every other sock company out there, prince + pete recognized that a missing sock isn’t a problem. Rather, it’s an opportunity. Let us explain: most guys don’t have a ton of socks. And, if they do, they likely aren’t all fun socks with cool patterns or novelty socks that are sure to start a conversation (or, at least score you a few compliments). When one of our socks goes missing, what’s the first thing we do? Start looking for another matching pair, right? No sense in searching for one sock while you’re trying to head out the door.

prince + pete’s solution? Sell color coordinated fun socks one at a time and in odd numbers. It sounds weird, right? But let’s apply this approach to our missing sock situation: if you’ve found one sock but its partner is missing, wouldn’t it be super helpful to have a sock of the same colorway with a different design that works just as well? Not only does it allow you to get out into the world on time, but it also elevates your unique style. If we were a gamblin’ company, we’d be willing to bet that no one around you is going to be wearing socks that pack half as much personality as your perfectly mismatched socks.

The prince + pete approach

We’ve briefly talked about how prince + pete is changing the game for men’s fashion by offering colorful odd-numbered socks for guys who just want to look good while staying in fashion. Simply, prince + pete’s founder (and proud, fashion-conscious mom of three sons), Donna Pappalardo, saw an opportunity lying in wait: create the coolest, softest socks for men that can be mismatched and worn together even when one sock partner is MIA. It’s all about color combinations and patterns that work with each other, rather than against each other. Let’s look at the Worth Collection as an example.

The Worth Collection gives guys both cool and deep shades of blues and blacks that pair well with just about any outfit whether it’s a suit and tie or your favorite ripped jeans and well-worn t-shirt. With its complementing blues, blacks, and offbeat patterns, the Worth Collection (like all prince + pete collections) is perfect for those panicked mornings where it seems that no two socks align. Since the Worth Collection offers 11 styles of novelty socks that are unlike any other socks out there, you can rest assured that, when the inevitable happens and you’re one sock short of a pair, any of the styles of Worth socks pairs well with the other and BOOM — you leave the house with your anxiety in check and your fashion on point. Start the day off with a win.

First Foot into Fashion

Let’s be honest: some guys need a little extra push to get their fashion sense on point. Not saying that you fall into this camp, but in case you do, prince + pete is a great starting point for adding some oomph to your wardrobe. Think of it as starting small with some cool socks. Not too difficult to get your hands on, right? Even if you’re reluctant about adding new colors or patterns to your wardrobe, starting with socks can get the ball rolling, even for the most fashion-adverse guys.

We’re not suggesting that once you try and love prince + pete’s socks (yeah, we’re pretty confident you’ll love our socks) that you go out and buy all new clothes. However, prince + pete socks are known to go well with so many different styles of clothing, so if you find yourself considering adding some color or patterns to your wardrobe, know that prince + pete is here with several mismatched styles, patterns, and colors to compliment any outfit you can come up with. But don’t be surprised if your socks steal attention away from the rest of your outfit. Consider yourself warned. Think you’re ready to give your feet, your style, and your wardrobe the boost it needs while never having to search for another sock again? Then check out our complete collection of cool socks for men and embrace your next step into men’s fashion. Have some questions about what all prince + pete socks have to offer? Check out our FAQ page for all sock-related questions, or feel free to shoot us an email.