A lot of people go for the cheapest, most basic option when choosing men’s socks. People barely see your socks. Why bother to get good-quality ones, right?

I don’t think that’s a good approach. Socks are something that you wear all day, every day. Bad quality socks wear out quickly, costing you more in the long run. They can also make your feet feel too warm, or fail to provide adequate protection inside your shoes.

Personally, I like short socks that are just barely visible above the top of your shoes. I’m not a fan of the ones that go way up your knees and make you look like you’re off to a soccer match.

My favorite socks are Ralph Lauren’s quarter length socks. I wear them daily–in fact, I’m wearing them right now!

How I Tested the Socks

My testing methodology for the socks was extremely simple. I bought them more than 3 years ago as I write this (I got them in October of 2019), and have been wearing them almost every day since then.

Again, as I write this, I’m actually wearing them right now! Want proof? Here you go:

I’ve worn them for runs, working out, going out, and while sitting at my computer. I’ve walked through my dusty garage with these socks on and regretted it later. I’ve washed them countless times, and bought three additional packs of these socks as some of the original ones wore out.

In short, I’ve thrown every aspect of daily life at these socks, so I know that they’re great.

What I Like About Ralph Lauren Quarter Length Socks

My favorite type of Ralph Lauren socks, and the one that I wear on a daily basis, are their quarter-length men’s athletic socks. I find that the shorter socks work fine for protecting your toes and heels, but if you’re wearing sneakers then the top of your sneaker can sometimes wear against your ankle, causing blisters.

That’s especially true if you wear the socks when you’re working out. Shorter socks can also start to slip into the shoe as they wear over time and the elastic loses its strength. I find that annoying. I want socks that last a long time, and that I can wear even as the elastic starts to become less stretchy.

At the same time, I also dislike taller socks. They’re harder to wear with shorts in the summer because they’ll come all the way up above your ankles, and in some cases almost to your knees. That’s fine if you’re planning to play soccer and want to wear shin pads. But for day-to-day use, I don’t want a sock that comes all the way up my leg and is extremely visible.

That’s why I think that Ralph Lauren’s quarter length socks are a perfect balance. They’re tall enough to protect my ankles even if I’m running in sneakers, but they’re not so tall that they’re extremely visible on my legs when I’m wearing shorts.

It’s a great compromise. Also, because they come a bit further up the leg, even if their elastic wears out they don’t tend to slip down into the shoe.

It’s a personal preference, but these are my favorite sock option.

Colors and styles

Ralph Lauren’s socks come in a wide variety of colors and styles. Personally, I don’t feel like going through the hassle of matching socks that are different colors. I also don’t want to have to coordinate my socks with the other things I’m wearing. For that reason, I buy simple white quarter-length socks.

Here are a couple more reasons that I like them:

• The socks have a classic look, and they’re easy to wash.
• Because they’re all the same color, I don’t have to worry about matching different socks together. That saves a ton of time when doing laundry.
• I can wash them with hot water without having to worry about colorfastness. That makes it easy to keep the socks clean and wash them in hot water periodically to sanitize them.

My only complaint with the pure white color is that if you walk around on a dirty floor with these socks, they can end up with a bit of staining. Usually it’s on the bottom of the sock, though, so it’s not that visible.

Materials and wear

The Ralph Lauren quarter length socks are a cotton blend. It’s nice to have some natural fabric in there, but also to have the stretchiness of synthetics.

The socks do have the little Ralph Lauren polo man towards the top. If it’s important to you that people know the brand of your socks, that’s a nice feature. I don’t personally care; I buy these socks more for their quality than for their style. But if you want your socks to be showy, the Ralph Lauren horsey man has you covered.

The socks are extremely comfortable! The top of the sock has an elastic band that keeps it firmly around your ankle, without being too tight. The heel is nicely cushioned and thicker than the rest of the sock, which is great when you’re working out and landing on your heel.

The toes also feel more reinforced. Again, that’s great for activities like running, where you’re landing further up the foot.

I wear the socks almost every day, and they hold up well over time. Mine usually wear out by developing holes towards the toes, or sometimes in the very back of the heel. I’ve never had one become unwearable because of the elastic. The elastic around the ankle holds up very well over time.

Where to buy

I like to get my Ralph Lauren quarter length socks on Amazon.

You can also get them at many department stores. Macy’s is a great choice for Ralph Lauren products.

This article contains affiliate links that support my writing. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.