What's the deal with white socks?

I’m old enough to remember when socks were white, black, and maybe argyle and a few colors.

Now? I can get SpongeBob socks.

It’s my point that socks for casual are whatever and then formal should be black with black shoes.

Unless you’re Audrey Hepburn.

From Always in Fashion

I think of two things when I put on a pair of white socks (which is only with sneakers and for a workout). The first is my mother’s sure-fire sign that a man was a loser: white socks with dress shoes. The only man I’ve found who did that was my date for the eighth grade school prom. He was thirteen. The second is the story about Audrey Hepburn and the white socks she wore in “Funny Face”.

I have no doubt I too wore white socks in grade 8.