Background Info to this Post
I started this blog back in August of 2018 after moving from Connecticut to New York City, with the aim to document my journey learning and teaching in the city and to share book smarts and street smarts. Over the months, my "book smarts” posts have largely consisted of me sharing my academic essays written for various classes, writing about good places around the city to get work done, and a how-to for requesting recommendation letters; my “street smarts” posts have ranged from money-saving strategies to my experience with a professional headshot photographer. Still, the most popular post of all-time, to my great surprise, is one random post about my search for no-show socks during the summer of 2018. Yes, who knew socks could be so interesting?
Full Disclosure
In any case, my no-show sock post from last summer caught the attention, not only of readers scattered across multiple continents, but also the eye of Shala of Sheec—a brand of socks that I referenced in my no-show sock post. She reached out to me a few months ago, sent some sock samples for me to try on, and so prior to writing this particular review, I have been testing these various socks for at least 2 months (as of updating this post on 4/18/2020, I have been wearing Sheec socks for more than 6 months now). I share all of this information not to intentionally bore you but to be transparent about the context of this post. Writing a review was not required on my part (and I am not receiving any kind of compensation for this); however, I wanted to show my gratitude for the complimentary socks by sharing my honest input regarding a brand of socks I have wanted to try. I want to emphasize that this post is voluntary on my part, that all words used are my own, that all photographs are also mine unless otherwise indicated, and that if you choose to purchase socks using the links, I will receive a small commission (I believe it is 10%, the last time I checked). In case you're wondering, any funds I receive from socks (thank you in advance!) will go towards keeping this website alive (FYI, I pay an annual domain fee, as well as a website fee, and together, this costs $164 each year).
My Past No-Show Socks Experiences
Like most (or all) of you, I wear socks everyday (with the exception of flip-flop weather) and I have had my fair share of frustrating socks that slip and rub against your ankles and cut into your heels; socks that more-or-less slide off in your boots while you’re walking (and then you have to awkwardly take them off to fix your socks); socks that snag easily and whose threads you watch sadly unraveling; socks whose toe-area wears off from just a few wears; socks that lose their shape after several washes; socks that are unfortunately one-size only and you have no idea how that works; the list goes on. You can probably imagine my excitement when Shala wrote to ask if I wanted to try out new socks. Who knew trying on socks can be so satisfying as an adult?
Updated 2/12/2021: For this 2021 holiday weekend (Valentines Day, Lunar New Year, Frederick Douglass’ birthday, my birthday…), you can use the code above (BOOKSMARTVDAY) to get 15% off your entire order from 2/12 - 2/19, even on the bundles, which are already discounted. There’s no need to subscribe with this code; simply use it when you checkout. This is the time of the year when I like to stock up on my sock staples—the Active-X socks and the Secret 2.0 thin liner socks. The code, however, cannot be combined with other codes or promotions happening.
Updated 11/26/2020: Shala of Sheec was kind enough to offer readers of my blog a 10% discount (use code STREETSMART) that can be applied on top of any site-wide discount (such as the bundles, which I am a big fan of). I don’t believe this code has an expiration date (yet!). If you are a student, teacher, in the medical field, or part of the military personnel, then I would recommend the taking advantage of the 15% discount (see below). Unfortunately, you cannot combine the discounts. If you purchase socks by clicking on the button above, I’ll receive a small commission of 10%, which I will use towards maintaining this blog. Thank you!
Updated 11/26/2020: Amidst the ever ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Sheec is offering a 15% discount through VerifyPass to all first responders, medical students, K-12 students, graduate students, pre-K-12 teachers, professors, and military personnel. When you verify your status with an eligible email, you will receive a 15% off (down from 20% in the earlier months of COVID-19) code every time you decide to purchase something from this small business of only 11 employees! They are based in Brooklyn, NY, so I consider Sheec to be a local business for me!
Overview of the Sheec Sock Lines
I believe the term “no-show” for socks really depends on the context—that is, the type of shoe you are wearing. Often, “no-show” is attached to socks that are of the low-cut ankle variety, but from my experience, “no-show” socks are not all the same, and may do in fact show. When I received the sock samples from Shala (thank you, again!) of Sheec, I did not realize the huge variety of “no-show” socks. I was surprised to learn that the term “no-show” only appeared for their ActiveX line (my favorite line, by the way), even though I would consider many more of the lines to be “no-show.” So the lesson here for me is that searching for no-show socks requires some special attention, not unlike the attention required in conducting a thorough literature review. Let me explain: Just as you would operationalize search terms when conducting a search of the literature in preparation for a research proposal, a thesis, or a dissertation, so too is it necessary to learn the other terms associated with “no-show” that yield fruitful results. Thus, in writing this long post, I hope it gives you a sense of the range of possibilities out there.
In the section below, I will be sharing some basic information about four lines: 1) SoleHugger Secret 2.0 liner socks, 2) SockShion ball-of-foot sock cushions, 3) SlingBack toe-cover socks, and 4) SoleHugger ActiveX no-show socks. Subsequently, I will provide an in-depth review of two of the four sock lines—ActiveX and SoleHugger. Since at the time of writing this, it is cold and dry in New York City, I will only skim the surface of the SlingBack line, but may return in the spring to write a more thorough review, if there is interest.
SoleHugger Secret 2.0 Liner Socks
Let’s begin with terminology. No-show socks are also called liner socks by certain brands. Thus, you can really expand your search if you try “liner socks” as your search term. Sheec offers four different cuts for their liner socks, as shown below. The socks also come in various sizes corresponding to U.S. shoe sizes. The added bonus is that Sheec offers a similar line for “men,” which to me basically means that there is an expanded size range, assuming that men, on average, tend to have larger feet than women. If Sheec were to ever ask for my opinion regarding the categories of “men” and “women” socks, I would recommend ridding of the labels all-together. After all, it is feet that we are talking about. Regardless of whether if you identify as a man or a woman or are gender nonconforming, we all have feet to attend to, so why not make the sock labels more inclusive? I’d like to think that the cat meme is suitable here: “If it fits, I sits.” Likewise, if the sock fits, all is well (sorry, no rhyme).
Shown here are the SoleHugger Secret 2.0 liner socks, ranging from ultra low-cut (far left) to high-cut (far right). My most frequently worn liner socks are the two in the middle—low-cut and mid-cut. These also come in a beige color, but I prefer the black, as the beige color does stain more easily (I guess due to the boots I’ve been wearing with them). Personally, I consider all these “liner socks” to be no-show socks. This particular line has replaced my old HUE no-show socks (from an earlier post). The HUE socks were much thinner and less durable than these liner socks.
These are the same SoleHugger Secret 2.0 liner socks, except that I’m showing you the information on the packages, including the material composition, care instructions (more about this below), and size information. The packaging is different depending on where you purchase the socks—it is my understanding that the plastic packaging is if you purchase (in bulk) through Amazon instead of differently through the Sheec website.
Here is an infographic from Sheec that compares the different cuts for various shoe types. This infographic is actually meant to be interactive (i.e., when you put your cursor over one of the shoe types, it will show the recommended cut) so you should visit the “shop by coverage” link on the actual website for this feature.
SockShion Ball-of-Foot Sock Cushions & SlingBack Toe-Cover Socks
Let’s move on to the next two lines of “socks” that Sheec offers. The SockShions are not full socks, but rather more sock cushions for the ball of your foot. This line is limited to women; this, I believe is because the company works under the assumption that only women wear heels that may require them to want to protect the balls of their feet. In any case, this was my very first time learning about sock cushions. The concept is a good one; after all, it is this part of the foot that tends to get sweaty so I see the benefit of wearing cushions to absorb the extra moisture, so as to not ruin the shoes. As for sizing, these comes in three sizes (small, medium, large. As for color, there are two: black and cream.
The SlingBack line is also called the “toe-cover socks,” and I would consider them to be “no-show” as well, but not full socks. As the name shows, these only cover the toe area and have a clear elastic band that grips the heel (more photos in a subsequent section). These “socks” are meant to be worn with slingbacks, but can also be worn with heels in general. Just like the other lines, these come in various sizes and two colors. I’m showing the cream color below. Also, there is no separate line for men.
Shown here are two of the other Sheec lines: SockShion for truly minimalistic wear (small on left, medium on right) and SlingBack to basically cover the toe area (small and medium sizes shown). The SockShion cushions are, well, interesting. I will not be showing photos of me wearing them because my feet feel super “naked” wearing them. They are not socks, but truly cushions for the ball of your foot that help to absorb a little “shock” when wearing high heels. I would not wear the SockShions when I know I will be taking my heels off, because, again, these are not “socks” that you would be walking around in at someone’s home.
Pictured here are the backs of the packaging for both the SockShion Ball of Foot Cushion and the SlingBack Toe Cover Socks. Please note the different sizing (substantially different between small and medium for the SlingBack).
SoleHugger ActiveX No-Show Socks
Finally, we have the line of SoleHugger ActiveX no-show socks. These are made of a thicker modal material and are meant for “casual shoes,” per the Sheec website (i.e., sneakers, loafers, boots, and other flat shoes). These come in 5 sizes (S-XXL) and are more “unisex”; you can see from the back of the packaging that the smallest size is for women only, but all other sizes are for both men and women. There are two colors available (black and beige); I only have photos of the beige color, but I recently bought myself the black color and love them!
*Please note that all of these photos were taken back in November of 2019, and since then, Sheec has released expanded sizes for their Active-X line.
The SoleHugger ActiveX line is my favorite and shown here are the low-cut version in the color beige. These also come in a mid-cut version (worn below).
Here is the back of the packaging. For your reference, I am between a size 6.5 and 7 for most shoes and I found the small size for this particular line to fit better than the medium size.
My Personal Favorite Sheec Sock Line
If I had to choose one sock line among the four introduced above, I would invest in the SoleHugger ActiveX no-show socks. I say “invest” here because these are not cheap socks ($10 per pair) but my pair has held up surprisingly well after two months of regular wear (see below for before-and-after photos). You can buy these in bulk for a small saving (e.g., 7 pairs for $63, or 4 pairs for $36). As I mentioned earlier, these no-show socks come in two colors: black and beige. I currently own both colors and I like them a lot. Against my skin, the beige ones are a near “neutral.” The black color is very durable and I prefer them when wearing dark colored jeans or leggings. These socks also come in two cuts: low-cut and mid-cut. Both are great, but I find myself gravitating more toward the mid-cut socks for fall and winter when I wear them with boots, loafers, and sneakers. Compared to the liner socks, these are made of a thicker material (modal) that is suitable for colder seasons. When wearing flats and heels, I will wear the liner socks instead (and choose the low-cut or ultra low-cut).
Below is an infographic from the Sheec website:
Here’s an infographic about the ActiveX sock line, taken directly from the Sheec website.
Below, I will show you a series of photographs of me wearing these socks with various comfort shoes. In the earlier photos, the condition of the socks is new; in the later photos, I show the socks after weeks of regular wear and two rounds of washer-dryer treatment (not ideal, but I wanted to experiment with this, since we all get busy and don’t have time to hand wash socks). I also want to add that the “small” size fit me perfectly, so I went against the recommendation to size up.
These are my favorite socks from Sheec in the mid-cut and beige color. Shown here is the condition out-of-the-packaging. I am wearing the small size, which fits me perfectly.
Here is a side view of the same socks. You can see that the “small” size fits me incredibly well. I appreciate the reinforced toe and the high-quality stitching. There is no seam at the heel area, so there is no chafing (this was one complaint I had about the HUE socks I reviewed last year).
This is what the mid-cut socks look like when worn with loafers. These loafers are from Everlane. You can see that the mid-cut socks do peek out a bit. The low-cut socks do not.
Here are the mid-cut socks in my Soludos. They peek out a bit.
Here are the low-cut socks in the same Soludos. They peek out less and are, thus, more true “no-show” socks.
For cut and quality comparisons, I’m wearing an older mid-cut ActiveX sock on my left foot and a brand-new low-cut ActiveX sock on my right foot. There is only a slight difference between the mid- and low-cuts. You can also see that the “border” (seam? sorry, I don’t know the technical term here) is thicker for the mid-cut sock. I discuss the quality of the modal material after multiple washes more below.
How the SoleHugger ActiveX No-Show Sock Line Holds up
I have been quite pleased by the quality of the Sheec socks, particularly the liner socks and the ActiveX no-show socks, which I have been wearing on a regular basis. Although the care instructions state to air dry the socks, I figured I would try tossing them in the washer and dryer and see what happens. All the socks shrank ever so slightly; I felt the ActiveX socks (made of modal material) shrunk more, and I base this entirely on the empirical results of two trials for two separate pairs of socks. The socks fit snugly but became slightly looser with additional wear. My beige ActiveX socks did pick up some fuzz and pill a bit while in the dryer (as seen in the photos below). The silicone “grips” inside the heel area of the socks remained intact, however, as did the black text. Furthermore, the material did feel rougher than before, and this is expected for anything that goes in the dryer (especially under high heat). The washer and dryer units we have in our apartment building are of the industrial kind, with few temperature settings so my socks likely took a beating. I do plan to hand wash the socks in the future.
Here are the SoleHugger ActiveX socks (mid-cut) after two rounds of washer and dryer treatment. The modal material shows sign of pilling, which is expected; next time, I will follow the care instructions and hand wash and air dry. The toe area is also noticeably thinner, but do bear in mind that I’ve worn these socks regularly for over a month, so in my opinion, they’ve held up quite well.
The silicone grips remained intact after two washes.
The black text on the side of the sock also remained intact after two washes.
The True “No-Show” Socks: The SoleHugger Secret 2.0 Liner Socks
Of all the Sheec socks I tried on, the line called the SoleHugger Secret 2.0 Liner Socks most closely resembled the “no-show” socks I had in mind when I was on a search for them last summer. These socks more-than satisfactorily replaced my old HUE no-show socks from last summer (reviewed in this old post). I was impressed by the expansive collection offered on the Sheec website; as described earlier, these come in an ultra low-cut (too much toe cleavage for my liking, but work really well with high heels with lots of toe cleavage), as well as a high-cut (practical for added coverage, but not the most aesthetic looking). For these liner socks, I would, in general, recommend sizing up. The ultra low-cut in “small” was very snug on me (I guess I have large toes?), but interestingly enough, the low-cut in “medium” was a bit loose. And yet, the high-cut “medium” was just perfect, so sizing up was a win for me. In sum, then, from my experience, the sizing is not consistent, which can be frustrating.
Below, I show a series of photographs detailing various aspects of these socks. All photographs are mine, and when I took them, the socks were brand new. I am not showing a before-and-after comparison for these socks (to be honest, mostly out of laziness, but also because I just have too many sock photos on my phone!). I will say, though, that these socks have held up very well after several rounds of washer-and-dryer treatment. The beige color did stain a little (no surprise, as I wore them a few times with black leather boots…), and the liner socks did shrink a bit (which was a problem for the ultra low-cut liner socks, since the “small” size was already tiny to begin with).
All Sheec socks come in two colors: black and beige. Shown here are the high-cut versions of the liner socks.
These are the liner socks in mid-cut in small (left) and medium (right).
Again, there are two kinds of packaging that you can expect for these socks.
Again, the back information.
The infographic below is from the Sheec website:
As promised, here are a series of try-on photographs. The cream/beige color shows the high-cut style, whereas the black color shows the low-cut and ultra low-cut styles.
For this SoleHugger Secret 2.0 Liner Sock line, I would recommend sizing up. I’m wearing “medium” (or US shoe sizes 7.5-9.5), which fit better than “small” (US shoe sizes 5.5-7) for this particular high-cut.
Here you can see the two different materials. The sole of the sock is made of cotton, for maximum absorption of moisture. The rest of the sock is made of nylon, for added flexibility. The “sheec” label is made of silicone and is meant to grip the base of your shoe so that the socks don’t slide.
In the heel area, there is a strip of silicone to prevent slippage. In general, these work fine for me when I wear the correct sock size, but they are not as gripping as the silicone grips in the ActiveX socks.
I like wearing these liner socks with my more elegant form-fitting boots, like this pair of Karl Lagerfeld Paris suede ones (I love this pair so, so much that I got an identical second pair!).
Here, I am trying on the low-cut liner socks in “medium” (note that these were slightly bit for me).
Although these are called “liner socks,” they are true no-show socks in my book.
As mentioned above, these also have silicone grips in the heel area…
…as well as silicone-padded letters on the underside of the sock to prevent skidding when worn with shoes, and slippage when walking on a slippery surface.
I’m wearing the low-cut liner socks with my Cole Haan flats. The socks peek out ever so slightly, but this can be avoided by adjusting the socks a bit before wearing. My flats are already very snug, so it was important that I chose liner socks that do not add much bulk.
Finally, below I am showing you the ultra low-cut style for these liner socks:
The small size is on the left and the medium size is on the right. Two different packagings are shown.
Here, I’m showing you the socks out-of-package. The left shows the underside of the sock. These are “small.”
Care information on the back of the package.
Here is a close-up of the reinforced stitchings of the sock. The quality is really a plus for this sock brand. I guess that explains the extra cost.
I’m wearing the ultra low-cut socks with another pair of flats. I’m purposefully wearing the black sock color to show you that the socks are truly no-show.
This photo is just to reveal that yes, I am wearing socks!
These are the same ultra low-cut socks with a pair of heels.
Again, showing you what it looks like wearing the ultra low-cut liner socks with a pair of M. Gemi heels. I am wearing the black liner socks to make it easier to assess whether they are truly no-show or not. You can see the sock peek out ever so slightly by my pinky toe on the right foot. This can be adjusted by pulling the sock in the toe area.
Trying on the SlingBack Toe-Cover Socks
I am wrapping up this post by showing a few photographs showing what the SlingBack toe-cover socks look like. I saved this for last because these are not my favorite, and I personally would not invest $12 (yes, more than both the liner socks and the no-show socks!) for a single pair of these, even though they are quite unique. I do own quite a few heels in the slingback style, but I think I would just wear them with bare feet and wipe the shoes clean with baby wipes after each wear. For added ball-of-foot protection, I might go for adhesive silicone pads, but honestly, I have not thought much about this.
This is what the toe-cover socks look like. The soles are made of a cotton material, while the rest of the sock is made of nylon. The toe area is slightly reinforced and the underside of each sock has silicone letterings. The clear elastic band is meant to ensure a good fit.
The infographic below is from the Sheec website:
Here, I’m wearing the SlingBack low-cut toe cover socks in “small.” I chose to wear the cream/beige color to better contrast with the black M. Gemi heels I’m wearing. Again, these are essentially no-show.
The size “small” is a bit too snug for me. I would size up and get the “medium” for this particular line.
Here is a close-up showing the side of the slingback. You can see the clear elastic band running along the side of my foot. Given the style of slingbacks I have on, the elastic band is visible.
Showing you the elastic band around my heel. You can see that the fit is too snug. Size up!
Once again, I’m showing that these toe-cover socks are not no-show for all slingback styles.
Takeaways
We have reached the end of my sock review. This is probably the most detailed review I have ever given about any piece of clothing, so I hope it has been useful. It was fun for me to get to try out the various socks from Sheec. Once my existing socks wear out, I plan on purchasing the ActiveX socks in beige (size small) in bulk, since I do believe these socks are worth the investment. I have been wearing these regularly during the cold autumn days and I plan to wear them into the winter months with my boots. I am also thinking about picking some of these up for my husband (you can shop for “men’s socks” here). Furthermore, I think the SoleHugger Secret 2.0 liner socks are also very solid no-show socks. The quality is the best I’ve seen so far, and this is well reflected in the price (between $10-$11). There is no bulk option for these socks, so I would definitely wait for some kind of promotion to get these, because $10 is still quite a bit for socks (Update: I just learned that there IS now a bulk deal through the Black Friday sale. You can gain early access to the sale now through this link). Then again, socks are something you wear regularly… in any case, once the warmer weather comes around and my existing liner socks wear out, I also plan to restock on these. As for the SlingBack line, I am not ready to spend $12 on a single pair of toe-covers. Finally, I have yet to give the SockShions a fair trial in the spring, but my gut feeling is that $12 may be a bit too much right now, especially while being on a student budget. I’ll let you know if I change my mind…
Thanks for following along (and for the extra support if you do choose to give these socks a try, but absolutely no pressure!).
Catherine
P.S. In light of the recent news of a Black Friday / Cyber Monday sale, I wanted to show a screenshot of a sample deal. You can get early access to the sale here for a limited time. I have selected several discounted bundles (these are the ones I would be getting). This comes to $67.45 (which saves you 10% from the original $74.50). But, if you apply the coupon code STREETSMARTBFCM, you will get an additional 25% off, for a total savings of 32%. My total comes down to $50.59.
