Mes Chaussettes Rouges, hosiery and French style
I am breaking from tradition and offering my first shop profile from outside Canada. But due to Mes Chaussettes Rouges’ strong online presence, you don’t have to leave Toronto to shop there.
As I walked along Avenue de Breteuil behind Paris’ gold-topped Dôme des Invalides looking for Mes Chaussettes Rouges, I came across a flock of sheep. This wasn’t some art installation for Paris Fashion Week but actual sheep. They were small, black and brown, some with large curled horns, lazily strolling like other Parisians through the park that sits in the middle of the avenue. Except these Parisians were eating grass. The sheep were fenced in and I could see a small pen where they no doubt spend their nights. There was a sign explaining their presence but I wanted to be on time for my appointment so I hurried on without reading. It was nicely coincidental, however, to get this living reminder of where some of the material comes from for the socks I was about to check out.
Mes Chaussettes Rouges is located down a small, nondescript Parisian street in a quiet part of town, and around the corner from the sheep. As Vincent Metzger, one of the owners, told me, very few people just happen upon the store. It is a destination. And what a sight greets you when you enter: row upon colourful row of socks, stacked floor to ceiling in the small space. It is a lovely sight but not the one, as a past customer, I was expecting. Mes Chaussettes Rouges began through an association with socks for the Vatican and the Académie française. When you order online, their socks arrive in branded cloth bags, with handwritten notes and give off a scent that is elegant and old-worldly. All this meant I expected a dimly-lit shop that had been in business for hundreds of years, attended by ancient staff with grey hair and stooped backs.
One half of Mes Chaussettes Rouges, Vincent Metzger
Vincent, and his partner Jacques Tiberghien, are anything but. Young and energetic, they choose this method of shipping not as a marketing gimmick but to build relationships and add personality to online shopping. “On the internet,” Vincent told me, “you are just a bar code. Shops don’t know who you are, and if they seem to know it’s just because there is an algorithm that says because you bought a cradle, you’re probably going to have a baby.” As they are a small company, meticulously keeping track of sales, they know their regular customers very well. “When they visit Paris and come to see the shop and introduce themselves,” Vincent tells me with a big smile, “we know them right away, what they order, what they like. We don’t see customers very often but we try to create a relationship.”
While that is lovely for a regular customer, I can imagine that as a first time shopper, whether in store or more likely online, you can be overwhelmed by the selection on offer, in colours and materials. Vincent and Jacques didn’t set out to confuse but to offer people more choice, and for good reasons. Linen socks for hot climates, wool for cold. Thin cotton that can be worn all year long. Luxurious Sea Island cotton that can feel as soft as cashmere (which they also offer, as well as vicuna). And silk, soft and light, cooling in the summer, warming in the winter. “We try to assess the kind of lifestyle and needs of our customers,” Vincent tells me. And this is why he recommends thinking about how you live in order to choose a material for your socks, before you consider colour or pattern (the opposite of the way most men approach socks, I believe).
Once the material is arrived at, however, there is that question of look. Which colour? And how bright or understated? And what about the many subtle patterns? Of course, that all depends on your personal sense of style as well as your wardrobe. Not to mention your culture and your concept of masculine style. As much as I love the variety at Mes Chaussettes Rouges, I would not wear the bright red Gammarelli socks (their best sellers, due to the clerical connection) or the various bright shades of yellow, green and orange. But that is no doubt due to my English-Canadian (and therefore British) concept of understated elegance. The French see things a different way. I saw a lot of colour on the streets of Paris, in contrast to the grey buildings and grey skies. It was mostly in accessories, but it seems that the French concept of masculinity allows for small bursts of flamboyance. But even with all these colours, Vincent believes there is a limit. “If you go too far,” he says, “you shift from a touch of originality to looking like a clown.” Mes Chaussettes Rouges doesn’t carry “fun socks.”
And yet after considering material and look, I think some men would be put off by the prices at Mes Chaussettes Rouges, starting at about $30 Canadian a pair. And while I won’t bother arguing the point about quality materials and construction that come as a given, one common excuse for not investing in socks is that they don’t last very long. “Sometimes I compare socks to wine,” is Vincent’s rebuttal. “A bottle of wine that is more expensive will not fill more glasses, it is just better.” However, Vincent and Jacques decided a couple of years ago to tackle this issue of durability head on. They experimented with different materials and blends, as well as abrasion tests, until they came up with a sock “that is completely elegant, yet will last significantly longer than thin cotton.” This new range is 72% cotton lisle, 26% nylon and 2% spandex.
Vincent was kind enough to offer me three pairs for review. The pairs I chose have a lovely ribbed design and are indeed slightly thicker than any of my Mazarin or Bresciani socks. They feel great when they are on, the lisle cotton gives a nice sense of warmth and comfort while the spandex certainly gives the socks a very satisfying grip. However, even though they are only a tiny bit thicker than Mes Chaussettes Rouges’ regular line, they are too thick for my custom and fitted OTR shoes. Margins are very small with custom, of course, and I found that that little bit of extra fabric meant my right foot (which is slightly bigger) was pinched at the toes, where normally it is held firm but comfortable. That said, I think these socks will be perfect with my looser fitting longwings and boots (they also work very well with my looser fitting Allen Edmonds brogues, above). So I like them as an alternative but I wouldn’t replace my entire range. Nonetheless, I think they are a great addition to Mes Chaussettes Rouges’ range as it opens them up to a larger customer base.
Also carried are pocket squares by France’s Simonnot Godard. I purchased the grey one with thick blue stripes just on the right edge of the image, which works well with my grey suits.
And I suppose that’s the biggest question, why more men should buy good socks. Vincent has a great perspective: socks can be the weakest link in a wardrobe. “When you have good shoes and a good suit, and if you see loose, cheap socks,” he says with a grimace, “I think it’s a pity for the whole outfit.” And even if you don’t have a great ensemble, “a nice pair of socks can be a good detail.”
Oh, and I did ask Vincent about the sheep. He of course doesn’t make socks from their wool but explains “they are our lawnmowers.”
Mes Chaussettes Rouges is located at 9 rue César Franck, Paris
2 Comments
David
October 14, 2016 at 11:10 am
Dan
July 1, 2017 at 11:09 am
I just recently discovered Mes Chaussettes Rouges and I cannot say enough about their service and all the little touches they provide. I never thought I would be purchasing all my socks from a place in Paris, but they have earned a customer for life.
I had been a very good, returning customer who had an issue with a tiny fraction
of my last order. I was thrilled to think I could still receive properly sized socks and not just the standard S, M, L and XL. Alas this is not the case at all.
For the Gammarellis we select a specific size and receive a standard size in return.
For other brands, specific sizes are sent, but plain luck will dictate if the socks fit or not as Mes Chaussettes Rouge will adjust the size. Very disappointing and remedying this has been a big hassle.