You think this is a lot of socks?’’ says Brian Lawton, a sales associate at the Sports Authority in Long Beach, California, to a customer marveling at the free-standing displays of sport socks—cotton-blend Nikes, acrylic Thorlos, black crews. Lawton beckons the visitor over to an endless wall display where socks of every description hang from pegs like so many Christmas ornaments: polka-dot ‘‘no shows’’, whisper-thin running socks, over-the-calf snowboard socks, snazzy two-toned quarter socks.

Anyone shopping for athletic socks these days may be overwhelmed at the staggering number of choices boasting the latest technology and fibres with names like Coolmax, Thermax, ClimaLite, Thorlon and on and on. With so many choices, pity the poor shopper who yearns to fall back on mom’s stock advice: ‘‘Buy cotton. Cotton breathes.’’ Nowadays, it’s oh so much more complicated than that.

For starters, researchers have found that—contrary to mom’s advice—you’re better off with socks made from synthetic fibres and blends. Choices now include fibres engineered and blended to keep your foot warm or cool; to hug your arches or ankles; to protect your foot from a pounding or to slide in your shoe like a stocking.

These features may not matter when it comes to puttering around the house, but they can make a big difference when it comes to staying dry, comfortable and blister-free while exercising. ‘‘It’s a common misconception that socks are not important,’’ says Dr Douglas Richie, a podiatrist in Seal Beach, California, a recognised expert in sports socks who has researched the effects of cotton and acrylic fibres on feet. Richie says, ‘‘When people get calluses and blisters they first blame the shoe when they should be looking at the sock.’’

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