MediPeds Quarter Socks

Two fingers above the ankle bone is the whole specification of this height, and it is doing more work than it sounds. It clears the collar of a low shoe, which is where a bare heel gets rubbed. It sits under a trouser cuff when you cross your legs in summer. And it puts the top edge of the sock on a part of the leg that is usually thinner than mid-calf, which is why some people find a quarter stays up on them when a crew does not.

The two-tone versions on this page are worth a second look, because the colour is not decoration. The grey yarn is the cushioned one, so you can see exactly where the padding runs: under the foot and round the heel, stopping where the plain knit takes over up the ankle. There is one honest disadvantage to the height, and it is the boot: a boot collar lands almost exactly where a quarter sock ends, and it will push the sock down all day. In a boot, take the crew instead.