Fleece-lined shoes are so cozy—but should you be wearing socks with them?

It’s officially peak fuzzy shoe season. And this begs the question: Should you wear socks with shearling shoes—or does it defeat the purpose of swaddling your soles in fuzzy fleece?

It seems cruel to deprive your toes of such a cozy experience… but as podiatrist Suzanne Fuchs points out: “The moisture or sweat from your feet will be worsened by the fabric and friction in your shoes. You need something that will absorb, and/or help decrease the amount of moisture.” So basically, yes, please wear your enclosed shearling shoes (boots, loafers, sneakers) with socks.

Fuchs recommends looking for socks that are made with copper and silver, as they are antibacterial. She also suggests socks made with temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking fabrics, such as merino wool or a nylon blend. Skip the cotton socks, as Fuchs says they can actually keep heat and moisture in, causing more sweat.

Mules and slides with shearling are a little trickier because they’re designed to be worn sans full socks. However, a quick Google search reveals that you can actually buy half socks designed specifically to be worn with slides and mules.

Moral of the story: It’s probably in your best hygienic/not-making-your-shoes-smelly interest to wear socks with your shearling-lined shoes, even though it’s tempting to just let the aforementioned fleece envelop your feet in its fuzzy softness. Le sigh.

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