DALLAS | President George H.W. Bush like to speak his mind with socks.
A visit from friend and fellow former President Bill Clinton inspired him to wear a pair emblazoned with the 42nd President’s face. He donned Houston Texans’ socks when meeting with the head coach. At the funeral for his wife, Barbara Bush, he sported socks featuring books as a tribute to her work promoting literacy.
Bush, who served as a naval aviator in World War II, will be buried this week wearing socks featuring jets flying in formation — a tribute, his spokesman says, to the former president’s lifetime of service. The mayor of Houston has urged people attending a City Hall tribute to Bush on Monday evening to wear colorful socks in memory of the former president, who died Friday at age 94 .
Bush was one of several a high-profile people to adopt a menswear trend of using socks to add a bit of flash to an outfit. Others include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The trend peaked in the men’s market four years ago, said Marshal Cohen, a chief industry adviser of the market research firm NPD Group.
It has endured, with color and novelty driving growth in the market, he said. And as menswear became more casual, socks replaced the tie as a conversation piece.
“Year after year we got more and more casual and the fun novelty sock became an opportunity of expression,” Cohen said. “As we got rid of ties, guys still wanted to be able to put some style to a navy suit or a black suit.”
