Let’s face it. If you decide to spend $150 to $400 on your winter boots, you’re hoping to have them for a good, long while. The only part of your footwear that you can change as often as your outfit is your socks. According to Stephanie Muir-MacCallum at J. L. Coombs in the Old Port, that’s exactly what Maine women are doing.
Merino wool knee and over-the-knee socks are the big sellers, she says. Brands such as Smartwool, Darn Tough and Point 6 are marketing these socks, which are warm but not scratchy, as more natural alternatives to synthetic products. A typical pair of Smartwool knee socks costs between $19 and $25.
Leggings and tights are also big hits among women who are pairing skirts with boots. At Bliss, cashmere-blended tights in neutral colors such as gray, brown and black, are popular. Fleece-lined tights by ilux, which sell for $32, are also a trendy buy.
Still, it’s the variety of colors and colorful designs that makes socks such big sellers among women. You’ll find cable patterns, zig-zags, plaids, and lots of purple, red, orange, yellow, blue and green on the shelves of many shoe stores.
“Socks are the one thing you can change every day,” says Muir-MacCallum. (Although you can wear them more than once because most are anti-bacterial these days.) “People like to have fun with their socks.”
Warm, unscratchy and colorful socks are everywhere this season, including J.L. Coombs in the Old Port. 
