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Essentials Week spotlights unexpected items that make our daily lives just a little bit better.

When I was in elementary and ?? ??? ??? ?? ?? 1973middle school, I had a dance teacher named Kristin who was the absolute epitome of cool. She had a punky Avril Lavigne aesthetic, listened to the chillest music, never chose embarrassing recital costumes, and once let my class watch the iconic 2000 film, Center Stage,even though it was rated PG-13.

She taught me about music, dance, and life, but perhaps, more importantly, she introduced me to the unsung hero of the sock world: half socks.

For those who've never heard the words "half" and "socks" said together before, let me clarify that they're notthe same thing as no-show socks. How dare you.

No-show socks are sorry, goofy-looking, devilishly ineffective excuses for socks, and half socks are like their way better cousins. No-show socks are also slightly smaller than regular ankle socks, whereas half socks are quite literally regular socks cut in half so that only the toes and ball of a foot are covered, like so.

People who've never laid eyes on a pair of half socks before today might think they look like fabric abominations. The first few times Kristin wore them to class instead of her dance shoes I was a bit taken aback. But I was also an impressionable youngster who thought anything she did was cool, so I begged my mom to buy me a pair.

I was too shy to sport my half socks in class, but I wore them at home whenever I got the chance. I'd giddily prance around the house with my incomplete socks on, sliding and spinning across the wooden floors on my toes. The little toe covers not only captivated and confused everyone who saw them, but they made me feel as cool and unique as Kristin. Who knew a sock — or technically part of a sock — could do so much for self esteem?

One day, I finally decided to take our relationship to the next level and tried wearing the half socks with sneakers. My world was forever changed, and now I can't imagine wearing sneakers without them.

Anyone who wears Chuck Taylors, Vans, Keds, or other lace-up or slip-on sneakers has likely experienced the dreaded sock drop. You know, that day-derailing moment when a sock, especially a low-cut sock, slips down around your foot and awkwardly bunches under the arch? Yeah, it's hell. Everything's fine when you put the socks and shoes on, but a few steps later, you're left walking on lumps of misplaced fabric.

Prior to learning about half socks, I foolishly dealt with sock drops on the daily. Before giving into defeat I'd pull the fallen socks back up a few times — as high as possible, ensuring I gave my feet sock wedgies — but my efforts never made a difference. Once a sock drops, it's almost always down for the count.

But half socks? They get the job done, and simultaneously give the impression that you're an extremely chill person who wears sneakers sans socks — without the grossness of actually going sock-less, of course. Some may argue that exposed ankles are still gross, but these people are likely living in the 18th century, so whatever.

Wearing sneakers without socks looks great in my opinion, but it's simply not practical. Your feet and shoes are left sweaty and smelly.

In my experience, the sweatiest part of the foot is the ball, which half socks fully cover without ever sliding out of place. It might look like the sock fragments would come off more easily than full socks, but they cling onto the front of your foot for dear life. It's marvelous.

Another concern of half sock haters might be that it would feel strange to have a sock cover only half of your foot. If you think about it, though, half socks are the same as walking on a no-show or ankle sock that's slipped halfway down your foot. Half socks simply cut out the irritating sock bunch, and its absence makes all the difference.

If you're shopping for half socks, they're sometimes referred to as "mule socks," "toe topper socks," or simply "toe socks." Be careful when searching the latter, though, as you may stumble upon socks that cover each individual toe. (Those are notwhat we want. I'm strictly a toe mitten person. I don't do toe gloves.)

There are several solid half sock options available online, but if you have an old pair of socks that you're not too attached to you can always cut them in half and make your own half socks. (I do this whenever an ankle sock gets a hole in the heel to avoid throwing the entire pair out. It works wonderfully.)

I have drawers bursting with ankle socks, crew socks, boot socks, knee socks, overthe knee socks, and even a few pairs of shitty no-show socks. I value them all for different reasons, but the half socks are the real MVPs of my sock drawer.

Half socks aren't meant to be worn with everyshoe, but they're absolute must-haves for anyone who loves sneakers and hates sock bunching.