Football Fashion

[Lachlan09]

Nerd Alert !! This post may be extremely boring and pernickety, so be warned !

I noticed that in the inaugural season of the Scottish League (1890-91), 10 out of the 11 teams wore either all plain black or dark blue socks, even though their shirts and shorts were often of a completely different colour. Hearts were the exception, wearing all maroon socks (and maroon shirt). By 1914-15 season, 32 out of the 34 teams either wore black or dark blue plain socks or with contrasting striped tops, while Hibs wore green socks and Motherwell claret. This style of black or dark blue-themed socks lasted well into the 1920’s, when teams started to adopt coloured/striped socks etc more in keeping with shirt colour.

Socks worn by English League clubs during the periods mentioned above were also mainly black or dark blue.

Any idea why black or dark blue socks were almost universal in the first 30+ years of British football ?

[wullie m]

Lachie, I suspect they washed up well! wullie.

[Lachlan09]

I wondered that too. I also wondered if it had anything to do with Victorian sensibilities and decorum which later became a tradition ?

By the 1950/s-60's etc, whereas St Mirren, East Fife etc and other all had black in their strips and their socks matched that, Rangers, with no black in their shirts or shorts, kept the tradition of black socks with red tops for many years. For me, it's an iconic part of their image when I was a boy.

[tig]

good question which ive no answer for...very puzzling tho

i know some teams away strips have coloured sock and im sure st mirrens are black.