Dutch shoe protecting flimsy socks, say (8)
I believe the answer is:
clothing
'socks say' is the definition.
(socks is a kind of clothing)
'dutch shoe protecting flimsy' is the wordplay.
'dutch shoe' becomes 'clog' (I've seen this before).
'protecting' is an insertion indicator.
'flimsy' becomes 'thin' ('thin' can be similar in meaning to 'flimsy').
'clog' enclosing 'thin' is 'CLOTHING'.
(Other definitions for clothing that I've seen before include "Attire" , "Wear" , "Apparel, garb" , "wardrobe" , "trousers?" .)