I wanted some winter socks that I could wear with my regular shoes. These socks fit the bill. I am size twelve and the large is perfect, large enough to be comfortable and not tight. They have extra padding on the bottom, are about twice the thickness of my very thin summer socks, and are made mostly from cotton which I prefer over synthetics and wool. I really love to wear these socks and ordered 4 more pair recently. The only reason for not giving them 5 stars is that  there are some areas of the socks which seem to have threads coming out and a thin quality to some areas. So... I question their longevity. This might not be a problem. I have washed them several times and no shrinkage or other problems. Perhaps this is being too critical.