Fluffy socks for women: cosy styles to wear at home

Choosing between these two styles comes down to where you'll actually wear them. One disappears under pyjamas at bedtime; the other has to hold its own on a cold kitchen floor at seven in the morning.

Patterns and colours in this selection

Three pattern families cover everything here. Stripes are by far the most common, running from quiet tonal pairings to sharper navy, red and white combinations. Polka dots come on black or white grounds, sometimes with a red toe or heel for contrast. The two animal faces, a dog and a fox, sit on the top of the foot where they're actually visible when your legs are up on the sofa.

Bed socks or slipper socks: which fluffy sock suits you?

The plain style follows the shape of the foot and reaches the calf, so it disappears under pyjama bottoms or leggings without bunching at the ankle. The slipper style is built to replace a house shoe: a deeper cuff, a denser feel and, on several of these styles, a grip sole made for tiles. Sizing differs slightly between the two, so it is worth a glance before you settle on a pattern.

Grip or no grip underfoot

Tiled kitchens and waxed floorboards are where a smooth sole lets you down. Several of the slipper styles carry textured grip dots underfoot, as stated on each product page. The rest, and every plain style here, stay flat and sit more discreetly under trousers.

Sizes and washing

Plain styles are listed for sizes 37 to 41, the slipper ones for 36 to 41, both stretching to fit rather than coming in graded sizes. On washing, every product page says the same thing: machine wash at 30 °C, no tumble dryer, dry flat or on the line, no iron. Turning them inside out first spares the patterned face.

Warm layers for stepping outside

Feet sorted, the cold finds the head next. Our lined beanies for winter pick up where the socks stop.

Round the neck, it's a choice between something you knot and something you pull on, and the scarves and snoods cover both.

Hair clips, gloves, brooches and the rest live together under women's accessories.

A winter gift that gets worn

Socks are an easy present to get wrong, and these are the exception: they get put on the same evening rather than filed away in a drawer. For someone who works from home or spends the winter in a flat that never quite warms up, the pairs with a grip sole are the ones to go for.