Finding a pair of socks that are faintly color coordinated with a suit is about as demanding as most want to be in the morning. But by mid-afternoon, when your toes are sweating and your ankles are itching, somehow your choice takes on new importance. It seems those wet, itchy feet have become something of a rallying point these days for the $2.4 billion a year sock business, which is talking new technology like never before. In fact, not since odor-eating biogard was developed in the 1960s have sock makers made so many claims about the comfort and durability of their socks. In the past decade alone the sock industry has spent millions of dollars and thousands of hours developing high performance sport socks for everything from tennis and jogging to hiking and biking. They've added multiple layers of yarn, or cushioning, to key stress areas (read: toes and heels) for longer wear and greater comfort. They've also improved wicking -- a Pampers-like process of transporting moisture away from the skin -- by weaving water- resistant fibers such as Lycra, acrylic and/or nylon into the material for added dryness during athletic activities. ``If your socks don't keep your feet dry you develop more friction, which causes itching and blisters,'' explains Jeff Gilleland, marketing director at Kayser-Roth, the nation's second largest sock manufacturer. Now it seems sock makers are starting to apply some of this technology to dress socks. The obvious problem is how to create a dress sock with extra cushioning and water-transport capabilities without increasing the bulk of the sock? What makes the process possible are all the new super thin fibers -- Coolmax, Duramax and core spun and micro-denier Lycra -- capable of doing in a small space what other fibers require lots of room for. ``What we've done is develop this dyed cotton yarn which wraps around a strand of Lycra,'' explains Mike Speyer, president of Mountain High Knitting, a San Diego-based manufacturer of dress socks for major department stores. Speyer says the small trace of Lycra replaces large amounts of nylon or acrylic once needed for stretch and ``stay-up ability,'' while the cotton provides comfort and absorbs moisture from the foot. ``Think of it like a pencil. The cotton is the wood and the Lycra is the lead going down the middle. So the Lycra never touches the skin.'' By comparison, a regular dress sock knitted with nylon ``is like putting plastic around your feet,'' he says. ``With nylon the water repels but it just beads up.'' We tracked down a handful of sock makers testing new dress sock technologies and put their samples through a week's worth of washings and wear. Here is how the major brands performed: BRAND: Perfect Fit by Great American Knitting (sold under the Gold Toe, Perry Ellis and Arrow labels); at department and specialty stores; available in solid colors and fancy patterns; $6.50 (anklets) to $7.50 (over-the- calf). TECHNOLOGY: A core of thin Lycra is ``braided'' with a cotton, wool or rayon yarn for stretch and added comfort. PERFORMANCE: The socks have a snug elastic band at the opening designed to keep them from slouching. But after an hours wear they were around our ankles. Nevertheless, the socks retained their look and color through 10 washings. Comfortable and virtually sweat proof. BRAND: Burlington DuraMax by Kayser-Roth; solid-colored with a zigzag green stitched toe; $5 to $7 at department and chain stores. TECHNOLOGY: Rather than adding Lycra to the blend, the company has developed a patented, high-tech method of weaving existing sock yarns -- cotton, nylon, acrylic, wool -- to strengthen and expand the lifespan of the sock. PERFORMANCE: Soft, comfortable and retained their elasticity after the first four washings; After the sixth wash the color dimmed and the socks became slightly rigid and difficult to get over the ankle. Moderately moist toes after eight hours of wear. BRAND: Ultimate Fit all-natural socks by Mountain High Knitting; solids and multi-colored patterns; $6.50-$9.50 at major department stores. TECHNOLOGY: The company has adapted its knitting machinery to weave small traces of ultra-thin Lycra (3 percent) in place of large amounts of stretch nylon (as much as 35 percent), to create the first all-cotton dress sock. (Note: The U.S. government doesn't require manufacturers to identify fibers if they are less than 5 percent of the overall fabric.) PERFORMANCE: Soft and comfortable but had a tendency to slip down around our ankles. Nevertheless, the socks retained most of their color and elasticity through eight washings. Slight moisture on toes after five hours of wear.