Men's Socks by Subscription: The Sockscription Review

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed)
Apr 4th 2011 at 9:01AM

The idea of the Sockscription is pretty simple (we first discussed it here). The guy who never thinks about buying new socks gets them delivered via mail direct a few times a year. It also makes good business sense for Blacksocks as they know they have your ongoing business. Convenience services such as this make a lot of sense for the modern busy guy - but you also run the risk of having just too many socks. The problem the service tries to avoid is you having hole-ridden business socks when you least want to.

So what about the socks themselves. Blacksocks comes in a few types and claim to be make in Italy (most of them I believe). You have your choice of a few styles and colors (though not white) - but these are intended to be business socks. The highest-end socks are black cashmere. Quality is fine, especially since you will be changing them up pretty regularly.

The basic Sockscription is for three pairs, three times a year. That is nine new pairs a year. I guess that makes sense, though I personally don't go through that many a year. Good bonus: you'll have socks handy for impromptu office gifts all the time. "Greg, looks like you are having a rough day, how about a fresh pair of socks to put a smile back on your face."

If you go through socks so fast you don't even bother washing old ones, some styles come in six delivery plans, meaning you can get 18 new pairs a year. I suggest taking it a few steps further and "sockscribing" to a few sock styles so that you never need to wear the same pair of socks again. Now isn't that the ultimate luxury (sounds like something Jack Nicholson's character would have done in "As Good As It Gets").

Prices range from approximately $90 to just over $200 a year for a Sockscription by Blacksocks, and you can order a trial pair of them for about $10. My only advice to you is be really careful when selecting sizes. European sizes and US sizes never seem to convert properly. To learn your European shoe/sock size before ordering.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: apparel, business, gift, mens socks, review, sock, socks, sockscription, subscription