The days of the stiff workweek and black and neutral tones in the office have been over for a while, but it seems not everyone got the memo. To bring everyone up to date on what works at work, we begin from the bottom — crazy socks may not be the status quo just yet, but nearly crazy and definitely avant-garde socks and footwear are steadily making their way from the cubicle to the boardroom, and from the statehouse to the Pentagon and beyond. All those reams and reams of black and taupe socks are in your past now — it’s time to fly your freak flag… at least from the calf down.

Patterned Socks: Getting Past Argyle

While argyle is a fine print and a beloved one, there are many others that in decades past would never have been spotted at a leading law firm or on the feet of a corporate mogul. What’s great about argyle is that it’s been rebooted — argyle 2.0 is brighter, more daring, utilizes more vivid and disparate colors, and are definitely encouraged for the 21st century businessman or entrepreneur.

Yet, no matter what is done with argyle, it is still argyle, and so a whole host of other patterns have come to the fore in the world of socks, and all of them are worthy of your attention as potential assets to your wardrobe. Polka dots, stripes, zig zag patterns, art-inspired prints, thick vibrant stripes, and even a variety of camo prints are all well within the realm of the workplace sock of today.

The Brighter the Better: Don’t Be Scared to Be Bold

With the dress sock trend delving deeply into endless unconventional patterns, solid or heather versions of bright colors are also a welcome look. From animated blues and vivacious reds, every color of the rainbow is welcome nowadays in men’s and women’s dress socks. The key to making brightly colored socks work is to maintain confidence while wearing them — if you’re not confident enough to pull it off, this will show in your demeanor. Just as they say, “dance like nobody is watching,” choose your socks the same way — after all, they are your feet, and what goes on them is your business.

The other key to pulling off brightly colored socks is not to flaunt them voraciously. Let people see them, let them be known, but don’t wear high water pants with your low-cut brogans the same day you wear your solid hot pink socks. In other words, you wear the socks; don’t let the socks wear you! Whether you’re wearing tapered pants or traditional flat front slacks, there should never be more than a couple of inches of sock showing. That means keeping your trouser length on point when you decide to wear brightly colored socks or socks with crazy or fun patterns. It’s fine if a little more sock creeps out when you cross your legs, and in fact this can be a great icebreaker when new hires come aboard.