UrbanUpdate

Nike Performance Cushion Crew training socks> $14 for 3 pair, Buy now at Amazon

Admit it: your sock drawer is a mess. At best, it’s a sloppy—and possibly smelly—historical record of all your past lives—a couple of saggy soccer socks here, a pilled, dressier pair there. At worst, it’s like a townie bar circa last call—everyone a little washed up, desperately searching for his or her mate. But even if you’ve kept your socks paired and in pristine condition through years of washing and drying, chances are that you have different socks for different occasions. That’s a pain if you’re packing to go away for the weekend, or if you’re just packing to get a gym session in after work.

The solution to all of your problems? One sock to rule them all. The Swoosh. Specifically, the Nike Performance Cushion Crew. Or, in bro-ese, mid-calf black Nike’s. It's the only sock a man really needs—cool enough for Michigan’s famed Fab Five in the early ‘90s, and, since there's been no cooler quintet since, cool enough for all of us non-dunking mortals since.

But if Chris Webber and Co. kicked the ball onto the hill, it’s the sock’s versatility that has it still rolling a quarter century later. You can wear this sock everywhere. It's the Swiss Army Knife of the chaussette world, which is especially useful when days are long, and full of events requiring different shoes. Wear 'em to the office (depending on the dress code, you may want to hike 'em up high enough to hide the swoosh), then head to the gym without swapping socks (and, most importantly, without allowing your bare feet to come in contact with a locker room floor). From that hypothetical weeknight workout you could wear them with some black derbies to a wedding (but think hard about changing into a fresh pair). Like the Fab Five, Nike’s versatile ankle wrapper thrives in the transition: corporate lunch to happy hour, pants to shorts, hot date to...sex with your socks on. Not saying you should—just saying that if you do, these are the socks to do it in.

Nike Performance Cushion Crew training socks$14

Amazon

The Cushion Crew has ribbing to mimic a dress sock, but enough cushioning to keep you comfortable through four hours of open-bar-fueled bad dance moves. And though it’s thin enough to slide into sleeker shoes—your loafers or drivers—it’s thick enough to keep your toes warm should your fancy footwear carry you to freezing locales.Clay Skipper is a Staff Writer at GQ.XInstagramRelated Stories for GQNikeGQ RecommendsBest StuffSocks