Loose Socks

Loose socks are a type of baggy sock that was very popular with female Japanese high school students. The trend was later picked up by junior high girls as well, and is actually still popular in some cases, though the height of the loose sock popularity peaked in the time between 1996 and 1998.

The socks first became popular in the 1990s because they make plumper calves look skinnier. It was a fashion that caught on, and even became very popular in the yamamba gal subculture. Some girls wore “super loose” socks that had no elastic, and that were up to two meters long.

The socks were also thought to be a bit of a rebellious statement, and were not always allowed in school. For this reason, a lot of girls would simply change into them once they left school. Around their peak, loose socks were all the rage in Japan, though they are less-so nowadays.

Since the year 2000, the fad of regular navy blue socks that come up to the knee has been spreading, though loose socks are still worn by high school students. Actually, wearing loose socks is still considered cool in some high school subcultures, and is especially popular nowadays in urbanized areas of Japan, like Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo.

Loose socks are almost always white, and are typically a type of cotton sock. However, black and even navy blue socks have also been popular. They are kept up with a special type of sock glue, and are usually worn with a pair of loafers or mary janes. They often go hand in hand with a mini-skirt, or any type of skirt with the hem above the knee. In the beginning, loose socks were just regular socks stretched out by their owners, though real loose socks were produced later on in the fad’s popularity.

More information on loose socks can be found at the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loose_socks.