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Various color knee socks have been worn as part of school uniforms. The colors involved have varid widely from country to country. There are also gender connotations. English boys have mostly worn grey knee socks. French boys have worn various colors including white knee socks. In many countries white knee socks have been worn by girls. Scottish boys have worn an especially wide variety of colored knee socks, including bright colors. In many countries, brightly colored knee socks have been worn by girls. We have noted American boys wearing black knee socks.
Little British boys were sometimes dressed in white knee socks, but by the time they began school they wanted grey ones--considering that white knee socks were for girls. Some schools, however, had the boys wear white knee socks for sports. This was not true in all countries. French boys, primarily at private secondary schools, wore white knee socks with blue shorts--in some cases cord shorts. The French schools often had the choir boys wear white knee socks. Some schools in Italy and France where the boys wore smocks required white knee socks. At least one Australian highschool required white knee socks with blue shorts.
Many small state or Church of England primary school
have the children wear plain grey knee socks, often the less expensive style without the turn-over tops. Even at the schools with regulation school stocks with colored stripes
or bars, some boys wear the plain grey knee socks. They are less expensive
than the regulation ones, so are sometimes chosen by thrifty mums. Since
the mid-1980s the English chain stores like Marks & Spencers introduced
knee-length socks without turn-over tops. These were worn mainly by
children at state primary schools, though where preparatory schools did not
strictly require socks with the school colors these were worn because they
were much less expensive. Prior to the 1980s knee socks of this style were
mostly worn by girls. Almost all boys' schools required turn over-top socks.
As many prep schools in the 1980s were making the transition from boys to
coed schools and the primary schools were already coed, the knee socks
without turn over tops became more prevelent. (The schools did not
require different grey socks for the boys and girls.)
Almost all English schools used grey knee socks worn with grey short pants. A few Scottish schools chose colored socks, including bright red and blue, as well as purple, green, and black. These colored Scottish socks did not have colored stripes. In England only grey knee socks had the colored trim. Colored socks, usually dark blue or black, are also worn in New Zealand, although not as common as the grey knee socks with colored tops. Some schools have colored stripes on the dark blue/black knee socks. A few New Zealand schools have light blue knee socks--in some cases an option for older boys.
We have noted black knee socks being worn in both America and Scotland at private schools.
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