[Note: all images are clickable for a bigger view.] I got a "smaller-footed" pair of Super Stripes in "natural and seafoam". Natural being a more creamish white and seafoam being a more greener blue. Which is awesome, and I love the colourcombination!

Here’s how they got to me in the Sock Dreams package.

Neatly folded up, with the little card wrapped with a string. It’s nice to get little presents like this, it makes it feel more special. And it’s highly informational. This is what the card reads:

Sock Dreams
Super Stripes
Long comfy stripey socks
Smalls
80% cotton, 20% other (lycra/spandex/acrylic)
Wash in cold or warm
Dry on low or hang to dry
MADE IN THE USA
www.sock-dreams.com

It actually doesn’t matter if you put the hyphen in the website url, but that aside, I find it incredibly helpful to know how to wash socks. I used to never care about washing instructions until recently, where I’ve come to the amazingly obvious conclusion that it’s better to take care of your beloved garments than to ruin them by either washing them too often or washing them wrongly or even drying them wrongly. Maybe this also has a little bit to do with the fact that I’m living with someone who doesn’t have common sense when it comes to the laundry, so I have to literally show him the instructions or else it will go wrong. So in that case: instructions are handy! Keep them somewhere safe. Or you could collect them. Maybe start trading them. Perhaps you could make some sort of wallpaper. [If I would've kept all the labels on my socks, yes, maybe I could have. Ha.] Okay, okay. What I really wanted to say is: you don’t always get labels with your socks! These socks where just folded up and didn’t have anything sewn or stapled or otherwise attached to them directly – which is great, because this way the socks don’t get ruined by removing the label – but it’s wise to read what’s on the label if you get one. It’s there for a purpose: to let you enjoy your socks longer.

"Long comfy stripey socks" indeed they are! They are suuuuuper long. They are listed as Over The Knee socks [OTK] but they could very well be Over The Knee Extended. At least, for a person as tall as myself. I’m not very tall but I do have long legs in comparison to the rest of my body. What happens is that with normal OTK socks, the sock ends a little over the knee. Maybe halfway on the upper leg, but never more. But with these OTKE, as I’ll call them now, the socks never really ended. My leg ended and there was sock left. Okay, if I wanted them totally stretched, I could and they would literally end at the end of my leg, starting at the hips. So then it’s like I’m wearing tights. Which can be handy!

What they look like, totally stretched, pulled up to the end.

[Ignore my weird appearance of bloomers, for one my dress is a little short and for two I was moving because of the self-timer so the bloomers showed up.] But as you can see in the picture, or rather can not see: there is no end to these socks when you pull them up. As you can also see, they are a bit loose around the lower leg. They’re not extremely baggy however, but they do have the tendency to fall down. They’re more suitable as slouchy socks, as that is what they will be if you don’t pull them up. To keep them pulled up, you definitely need some sort of sock garters.

Pulled up but not stretched: very slouchy around the ankles.

So what happened when you don’t pull them up, you might ask? For one, I didn’t really find them successful as OTK socks. I don’t have a picture of it, but it just looks a little weird, to have socks pulled up over your knees, stretched at the top but slouchy at the bottom. As Knee High socks [KH] however, they look very nice. There’s so much sock to slouch, you can almost slouch them all the way up to the knee!

Worn as knee highs.

See what I’m talking about? I really like these socks like this: as knee highs. The problem is that when you start walking, as they are so loose, the socks start dropping more and more. But, around knee high length they kind of stay okay. At least with my legs…

Two different lengths.

Here I tried to show off the "knee high versus dropped down" thing. When you leave them drop they end up like on the right: totally slouched. Isn’t it cute? :D But I do really love the semi-slouched halfway-pulled-up look as I said above, knee high length. I know these are called OTK, but you really can do a lot with them! It’s like having the best of two worlds.

The slouch look.

Excuse my weird poses, I’m not really a professional in showing off socks in different stages of being worn. But don’t you love this? Slouch look is love. It still shows the stripes, and if you just walk around without garters on these socks they will definitely end up looking like this! Cute, no? It’s pretty comfy and warm, too.

I tried to show off how long these socks really are, how far they can go when stretched out. Believe me, they are looooooong.

This photo was in the best lighting conditions I think, and I must say I absolutely adore this colour combination. I have to admit though, the texture is pretty uncomfortable when all stretched out and when you sit on it, it doesn’t feel soft and smooth against your skin as they are pretty thin and air comes through those tiny holes. But when you slouch these socks, however, they get pretty warm and comfy, I guess because more fabric is gathered.

And as for the traditional showing-off-socks photo… when stretched out, I didn’t even fit the whole socks into my frame!

Verdict: I really like how looong these socks are, you can do so much with them! And the colour combination is to die for! The only downside is the fact that they don’t stay up as OTKs and you need garters, and there’s also the fabric that is less soft and comfy when all stretched out. All in all, just don’t stretch these too much and they are like heaven! A great first for a review.

[Also, please ignore my red knees.. I had to get on my knees to adjust the camera and all. Then they got red :( The socks have nothing to do with it!]

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