The idea of a guy standing around in his sock feet got a whole lot more justifiable when Richer Poorer’s Iva Pawling and Tim Morse swooped onto the scene with their colorful arsenal. “Our socks are such an easy way to accessorize and give yourself a kick of personality,” Iva enthuses about the company’s jazzy Southwestern style.

Thanks to the stalling economy (which gets a nod right there in the company’s name), dudes have leapt at the opportunity to use well-priced foot swag to update their look—bold socks are to the men what crazy nails are to the ladies. “We sort of caught lightning in a bottle,” Tim laughs. He’s also got a theory about creative workplace attire out in sunny California where the line is based: “The joke is that if someone has a suit on, the company is either getting bought or going out of business.”

Tim wouldn’t show us where he keeps that bottle of lightning, but it has a little something to do with the way the duo, along with creative director Joe Tornatzky, amps up each pair with motifs lifted from ombré skies, campgrounds, and even cocktails. (Would that be a “socktail?”) There are no rules except this one: Your socks definitely don’t have to match your shoes. —seth putnam

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