Throw out whatever rules you think you know about socks and shoes. What's the point of throwing down some hard earned cash on a pair of lace ups just to have them muted by boring, run of the mill socks? Go with a soft or muted pastel color that won't steal the spotlight from your main attraction, your shoes. Even your everyday Joe the plumber can pair his favorite black or gray slacks with boring socks. It takes a real gangster to pull off  these stone gray pants by Gant by Michael Bastian and muted pastel purple Merino socks in Pantherella Shoes (by Toms).