Loafers were not designed for January. They sit low, they are open at the ankle, and most of them are unlined. The sock is the only insulation you get. Choose it well and loafers are a twelve-month shoe. Choose it badly and you will be back in boots by the second week of November.

This is the winter follow-up to our guide to socks with loafers. Same shoe, colder months, and a shorter list: four socks we would actually wear with loafers between now and March, in the order we reach for them.

What a winter loafer sock has to do

Three things, in this order.

Keep the ankle warm. A loafer leaves two to three centimetres of ankle exposed, right where the trouser hem stops. That strip is what feels the cold first. A crew sock that reaches mid-calf covers it; an ankle sock does not.

Stay thin. Loafers fit close. A thick boot sock changes the fit, squeezes the instep and makes the heel slip. The warmth has to come from the fibre, not the thickness, which is why cashmere beats cotton in this shoe every time.

Earn its visibility. With loafers the sock is always on show, winter included. It should look chosen, not survived. Colour or a clean rib, never grey sports cotton.

1. Cashmere crew socks: the winter answer

If you own one pair of socks for loafers in winter, make it this one. Our cashmere crew is 10% cashmere and 38% virgin wool, knitted fine enough to fit inside a loafer exactly as a cotton sock would, and warm enough that you stop thinking about your feet by the end of the street. Recycled polyamide at the heel and toe keeps it alive through the season; the blend is Global Recycled Standard certified.

The plain colours are the ones to pair with loafers. A dark loafer with navy, khaki or black cashmere reads as a whole; red, orange red or golf green turns the gap at the ankle into the point of the outfit. The red above, with a black loafer and dark denim, is the combination we would send anyone to first.

One size for women and one for men, by design. The men's cashmere covers EU 41 to 45, a narrower span than our cotton because cashmere stretches less. Designed in Brussels, handmade in Portugal, €35 a pair.

Men Cashmere Crew, Navy€35 Men Cashmere Crew, Light Grey€35 Men Cashmere Crew, Orange Red€35 Men Cashmere Crew, Khaki€35 Men Cashmere Crew, Golf Green€35 Men Cashmere Crew, Black€35 All men's cashmere crew

Women Cashmere Crew, Red€35 Women Cashmere Crew, Bold Blue€35 Women Cashmere Crew, Khaki€35 Women Cashmere Crew, Lime€35 Women Cashmere Crew, Golf Green€35 Women Cashmere Crew, Black€35 All women's cashmere crew

2. Cashmere striped socks: the same warmth, a little more to say

Same blend, same crew length, with a broad two-colour stripe. Stripes and loafers are an old friendship, and in winter the stripe does a useful job: it breaks up the block of dark trouser and dark shoe without needing a bright colour to do it. Ecru and black, grey and red, navy and strong blue all sit comfortably under a wool trouser. The golf green and lime above is for the days you want the ankle noticed.

Both the plain and the striped cashmere arrive in a gift box, which is why December is when we sell the most of them.

Men Cashmere Striped, Ecru / Black€35 Men Cashmere Striped, Navy / Strong Blue€35 Men Cashmere Striped, Grey / Red€35 Men Cashmere Striped, Military / Green Grey€35 Men Cashmere Striped, Black / Beige€35 All men's cashmere stripes

Women Cashmere Striped, Black / Beige€35 Women Cashmere Striped, Red / Pink€35 Women Cashmere Striped, Military / Golf Green€35 Women Cashmere Striped, Grey / Red€35 Women Cashmere Striped, Strong Blue / Navy€35 All women's cashmere stripes

3. Classic ribbed socks: for the office and the heated train

Most winter days are not spent outdoors. They are spent at a desk, in a car, on a train with the heating up too high. Cashmere all day in those conditions is a lot of warmth. The classic ribbed is the cotton sock for those days: long-staple Italian cotton in a vertical rib that holds its shape, stays up without a tight cuff and looks sharp in the gap above a loafer.

The rib matters more than it sounds. A flat cotton sock in winter light looks thin. A ribbed one has texture and shadow, and the texture reads as intentional against polished leather. Navy, dark green and anthracite are the quiet winter choices; bright blue and yellow are for anyone who refuses to dress for the weather. €22 a pair.

Men Classic Ribbed, Navy€22 Men Classic Ribbed, Dark Green€22 Men Classic Ribbed, Anthracite€22 Men Classic Ribbed, Yellow€22 Men Classic Ribbed, Bright Blue€22 Men Classic Ribbed, Black€22 All men's classic ribbed

Women Classic Ribbed, Red€22 Women Classic Ribbed, Navy€22 Women Classic Ribbed, Ecru€22 Women Classic Ribbed, Green€22 Women Classic Ribbed, Pink€22 Women Classic Ribbed, Anthracite€22 All women's classic ribbed

4. 5 Stripes: the loafer sock, in a winter colourway

Our most-worn sock, and the one most people mean when they say socks with loafers. Five stripes at the cuff, 1970s sporting heritage, long-staple Italian cotton. It is a cotton sock, so it belongs to the milder end of winter and to indoor days, but it is also the sock that makes a loafer look deliberate, and that does not stop in December.

For winter, choose the deeper colourways: brown, blue and navy; green, ecru and khaki; wine and red for women. They sit under a dark coat the way a navy and ecru pair sits under a linen one in June. €25 a pair, in men's and women's sizes.

Men 5 Stripes, Ecru / Blue / Red€25 Men 5 Stripes, Ecru / Blue / Yellow€25 Men 5 Stripes, Ecru / Green / Blue€25 Men 5 Stripes, Brown / Blue / Navy€25 Men 5 Stripes, Green / Ecru / Khaki€25 Men 5 Stripes, Orange / Ecru€25 All men's 5 Stripes

Women 5 Stripes, Ecru / Blue / Red€25 Women 5 Stripes, Orange / Hazelnut / Sand€25 Women 5 Stripes, Wine / Red€25 Women 5 Stripes, Ecru / Green / Strong Blue€25 Women 5 Stripes, Green / Agave / Sand€25 Women 5 Stripes, Pink / Red / Orange€25 All women's 5 Stripes

Loafers in winter, by day

Three rules that always work

Crew length, every time. The sock should reach the calf so nothing shows when you sit. A sliver of skin above a loafer is a summer look.

Match the sock to the trouser, or contrast it on purpose. Navy sock, navy trouser, black loafer is the safe winter uniform. Red sock, navy trouser, black loafer is the same uniform with an opinion. What does not work is the half-way: a sock close to the trouser colour but not quite.

Keep the loafer polished. Winter pavements are hard on leather, and a scuffed loafer undoes a good sock. A minute with a cloth before you leave is the whole job.

Loafers, worn in the cold

See all socks

Questions we are asked

Can you wear loafers in winter?
Yes, with the right sock. A thin wool blend crew sock keeps the ankle and foot warm without changing how the loafer fits. Save them for dry days; a suede loafer and wet snow do not get on.

What socks go with loafers in winter?
A crew-length sock in a fine, warm fibre. Cashmere and wool blends first, ribbed cotton for heated offices and trains, and a dark striped cotton sock for mild weekends. Avoid ankle socks, which leave the ankle bare to the cold.

Should socks for loafers in winter be thick?
No. A thick sock changes the fit of a loafer, squeezes the instep and makes the heel slip. Warmth should come from the fibre: a cashmere blend of normal thickness is warmer than a heavy cotton sock.

What colour socks go with black loafers in winter?
Navy, dark green, anthracite or burgundy if you want them quiet; red, orange or bright blue if you want them seen. Avoid pale grey, which reads as sportswear against polished black leather.

Are Escuyer cashmere socks thin enough for loafers?
Yes. Escuyer cashmere crew socks are knitted fine from 10% cashmere and 38% virgin wool, so they fit inside a loafer as a cotton sock would. They cost €35 a pair and come in a gift box.

Escuyer. Considered design, made to last.