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Is what he buys typically considered a women's-only garment, such as dresses or skirts? Or is it something that men and women wear, but that is cut/tailored differently, such as jackets or trousers? Or is it something that differs in style, such as shoes?

Does he have larger-than-usual breasts that he needs bras for?
Does he have feet so small that he needs to buy women's socks or shoes? hands so small that he needs women's gloves?

doriana
Is what he buys typically considered a women's-only garment, such as dresses or skirts? Yes, but it's neither dresses nor skirts. Or is it something that men and women wear, but that is cut/tailored differently, such as jackets or trousers? Or is it something that differs in style, such as shoes? This is a better description. The item in general exists for both men and women, but there is a special style of it that is usually only worn by women.

Does he have larger-than-usual breasts that he needs bras for? Good guess, but no.
Does he have feet so small that he needs to buy women's socks or shoes? hands so small that he needs women's gloves? No, size is not the issue.

Does Erwin wear the garment while at work? at home? out in public?
Is his job relevant?
Is the garment worn on the head? upper body? lower body? whole body? Is it typically visible? hidden by other layers?

doriana
Does Erwin wear the garment while at work? No. at home? No. out in public? Yes.
Is his job relevant? No.
Is the garment worn on the head? upper body? lower body? This. whole body? Is it typically visible? hidden by other layers? This.

Is the garment panties? tights? leggings? shapewear? socks? stockings? shoes?

doriana
Is the garment panties? tights? leggings? shapewear? socks? This. stockings? shoes?

Does he do it for fun? Utility? Shock value? Medical reasons? A hobby? Side hustle? To trick or scam someone? For warmth? To look good? Does he do it for someone? If so, one person? More than one?

GalFisk
Does he do it for fun? No. Utility? Yes. Shock value? No. Medical reasons? No. A hobby? A hobby is relevant. Side hustle? No. To trick or scam someone? No. For warmth? No. To look good? No. Does he do it for someone? No. If so, one person? No. More than one? No.

Are the women's socks relevantly: small? Thin? Of a certain material? Such as silk? Nylon? Colorful? Fancy? Cheap? Expensive? Elastic? Warm? Cold? Absorbent? Repellent? Is this the only relevant garment?

Is the length of the socks relevant? If so, overknee? knee-high? mid-calf? crew? quarter? ankle? "invisible"/no show?
Colour of the socks relevant? Pattern?
Are the socks lace / lace trimmed?

Is the relevant hobby related to sports? entertainment? music? games? food? drink? technology? Is it usually performed indoors? outdoors? alone? in a group?

doriana
Is the length of the socks relevant? Not much, but some lengths are excluded. If so, overknee? knee-high? mid-calf? crew? quarter? ankle? "invisible"/no show? Quarter or crew would work.
Colour of the socks relevant? Pattern? No.
Are the socks lace / lace trimmed? No.
Is the relevant hobby related to sports? This. entertainment? music? games? food? drink? technology? Is it usually performed indoors? This. outdoors? But sometimes also this. alone? This, mostly. in a group? But also this is possible.

You seem to have missed GalFisk's questions.

Does he wear the socks while doing the hobby? before? after?

Is the hobby yoga?

doriana
You seem to have missed GalFisk's questions. - Rectified, see below. Sorry for that.

Does he wear the socks while doing the hobby? This. before? after?
Is the hobby yoga? No.

GalFisk
Are the women's socks relevantly: small? Thin? This. Of a certain material? And this. Such as silk? Nylon? This one. Colorful? Fancy? Cheap? And also this is relevant. Expensive? Elastic? Yes, thus nylon. Warm? Cold? Absorbent? Repellent? Is this the only relevant garment? Yes.

When wearing the socks, are they see-through? Do they match the tone of his skin?
Do the socks break? Does Erwin intend them to? Does he expect them to?

Is the hobby weightlifting? some other kind of strength training?
Does he want to see his feet while doing the hobby? If so, to check his form/technique?

doriana
Is the hobby weightlifting? No. some other kind of strength training? No.
Does he want to see his feet while doing the hobby? No. If so, to check his form/technique?

Did you miss Balin's questions? Does he wear them on the feet? In the way one normally would? Does he wear any other footwear? If so, relevant what? Does he wear them as protection? For warmth? Lack of warmth? For comfort? For the way they look? Or don't look?

GalFisk
Did you miss Balin's questions? - Sorry again. Rectified below, with apologies.
Does he wear them on the feet? Yes. In the way one normally would? Yes. Does he wear any other footwear? Yes. If so, relevant what? Yes. Does he wear them as protection? Yes, among other reasons. For warmth? Lack of warmth? For comfort? For the way they look? Or don't look? No to the rest.

Balin
When wearing the socks, are they see-through? Do they match the tone of his skin? Either, but irrelevant.
Do the socks break? Sometimes. Does Erwin intend them to? No. Does he expect them to? He takes it into account that they don't have a long life. Therefore it's good that they're inexpensive.

Does he wear other footwear under the socks? over the socks?
Is the other footwear also socks? shoes? slippers?
Does the hobby involve any equipment?

doriana
Does he wear other footwear under the socks? No. over the socks? Yes.
Is the other footwear also socks? shoes? This. slippers?
Does the hobby involve any equipment? Yes.

Are the socks short-lived because: it's in their nature? Regular wear and tear? Increased wear and tear? Chemicals? Heat? Do they protect his skin from injury? Do they develop runs when damaged? Relevant? Is the elasticity relevant apart form the fact that they conform tightly to his feet?Is his hobby a sport? Art?

Does Erwin need to put on socks as quickly as possible?
Is he practicing this with the nylon socks?
WAG: Is he a triathlete?

GalFisk
Are the socks short-lived because: it's in their nature? Regular wear and tear? Increased wear and tear? This. Chemicals? Heat? Do they protect his skin from injury? Yes. Do they develop runs when damaged? Possibly. Relevant? Not much. Is the elasticity relevant apart form the fact that they conform tightly to his feet? No. Is his hobby a sport? Art? Some might consider it an art, but it is (also) a competitive sport.

BitterLemonCurry
Does Erwin need to put on socks as quickly as possible? No.
Is he practicing this with the nylon socks? No.
WAG: Is he a triathlete? Good guess, but no.

Sport-art: figure skating? Diving? Gymnastics? Do the socks prevent blisters? Burns? Cuts? Puncture wounds? Stings? Scrapes?

GalFisk
Sport-art: figure skating? This. Diving? Gymnastics? Do the socks prevent blisters? Burns? Cuts? Puncture wounds? Stings? Scrapes? I think all of that what can happen when sweaty skin rubs against leather.

Do the socks protect his feet from the leather of the skates? Does he wear women's socks because they're thinner? And his feet have to fit precisely to the skates?

Could he just not wear socks? Do the socks actually go over his feet? Do they serve any purpose other than protecting his feet?

Do the thin elastic socks give him an advantage when competing? Or practicing? Do the skates fit better? Can he feel them better? Control them better? Do most male figure skaters do this? Most female figure skaters?

Balin
Do the socks protect his feet from the leather of the skates? Yes. Does he wear women's socks because they're thinner? Yes. And his feet have to fit precisely to the skates? Yes.

JenBurdoo
Could he just not wear socks? This would ruin his feet. Do the socks actually go over his feet? Yes. Do they serve any purpose other than protecting his feet? No.

GalFisk
Do the thin elastic socks give him an advantage when competing? Or practicing? Do the skates fit better? Can he feel them better? Control them better? All of it. Do most male figure skaters do this? Most female figure skaters? I guess so. Maybe not the top pros, but ambitious amateurs would.

SPOILER
As said, socks for skating need to fit closely and be elastic, with no chance of slipping or sliding around. And they need to be thin in order to give you a good feeling of the boot and the ice and to transmit the power optimally. There are special skating socks available but they're terribly expensive. It has turned out that standard nylon socks for ladies, five pairs ten dollars, do an excellent job.

Well done, Balin, GalFisk, Jen and Doriana. Thanks for participating.

Nice puzzle and something to file under "Today I learned..."

Thanks for appreciating my educative efforts. By the way, there is one more female accessory which is in sports context even almost exclusively used by men. (But I won't turn that into a puzzle.)