Kimmy Gibbler’s Funny Running Socks
The Full House alum makes compression gear look stylish.
Andrea Barber, best known for playing Kimmy Gibbler on the sitcom Full House and its update, Fuller House, has a thing for funky running socks. When she took up the sport four years ago, Barber wore black compression socks to reduce inflammation in her legs. But the utilitarian look didn’t mesh with her otherwise vibrant vibe. Barber, 39, met her match when she discovered PRO Compression, a company that makes bright, colorful athletic socks. “A fun sock can turn your whole run around,” says the four-time marathoner. “When I get a new pair, I’m more motivated to get out the door.” In her Orange County, California, home, Barber’s dresser drawer holds more than 20 compression socks, arranged by color and pattern. Here, a few faves.
Multicolor Stripe
After Barber showed these off on social media, her fan following nicknamed them “The Gibblers” in honor of her alter ego. On February 26, the day Netflix launched Fuller House, a revival of the original show, people who bought the socks posted their own pics using #nationalwearyourgibblersday.
Christmas Sweater
Barber wore these for a December half marathon after wrapping up Fuller House (above, left). “I had taken a long break from running while filming and was feeling a little bit down,” she says. “But then the socks came in the mail. Other runners yelled, ‘Nice socks!’ during the race, and that was really motivating.”
Pink Argyle
Barber has long considered these to be her favorite pair (“pink goes with everything”). But she hasn’t worn them since the fall. “I wore them in a race that didn’t go well,” she says. “I have a bit of superstition. I will wear them again. I need to wear them for an easy run so I can have a positive association with them again.”
Shamrocks
March 17 was supposed to be a rest day for Barber. “The Shamrocks were begging to be worn,” she says. “So I did a quick three-miler, which proves socks are motivators!”
White and Black
The newest addition to Barber’s collection is also known as the “Jailbird.” “I wore them for the Hollywood Half Marathon,” she says. “On the course I looked up, and waddaya know, there was a Fuller House billboard with my face on it. Truly a surreal moment.”
Kit has been a health, fitness, and running journalist for the past five years. His work has taken him across the country, from Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, to cover the 2016 Olympic Trials to the top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine to cover Scott Jurek’s record-breaking Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2015.
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