Socks

A novelty sock is bought for the print, not for the sock. The length decides where it sits and the design does everything else, which is why the same pair reads as a joke with sneakers and as part of an outfit with boots. That second one is the job most people are actually buying for. A plain boot is footwear. A boot with a knee high over it is a look.

It is also the easiest thing in the store to give someone. Socks are the default add-on gift for a reason: no sizing conversation, no guessing a fit, and a print can be aimed at one specific person in a way almost nothing else at this price can. Stocking stuffers, bachelorette bags, birthday add-ons and the thing you put in the box so it is not just the one item.

The part worth knowing before you buy is how the design got onto the sock. A knit-in pattern is made in the yarn, so it survives the wash and keeps its color for years. A printed design sits on the surface and fades, especially on white. Turn either kind inside out and wash cold and both last considerably longer. On fit, most novelty socks are made one size to fit most, and the only length where that gets tested is over the knee, where the calf does the deciding rather than the shoe size.

Grouped by length and by theme, with the rest of each one next door.

• Crew socks: ankle to mid calf, the everyday length. The one that works with sneakers and the one that gets gifted most.
• Knee high socks: the festival length. Worn with boots and a short bottom, and the reason the whole outfit reads as put together rather than assembled.
• Over the knee socks: the longest of the group and the most dramatic. Sits above the knee, so calf width matters more than shoe size.
• Weed and rasta prints: leaf prints, rasta stripes and 420 designs in every length. The most searched theme in this category and the deepest one on the site.
• Unicorn, mermaid and rainbow prints: the ones that get bought to match a festival outfit rather than to wear to work.
• Slogan and food prints: text pairs that say something out loud, plus cupcakes, donuts and ice cream. Both do the same job, which is being noticed from the ankle up.
• Stockings and fishnets: the sheer end of the same question. Layered under or over socks for anyone building a leg rather than picking one piece.
• Legwear: socks, stockings, tights and leg wraps together, if you would rather see the whole range in one place.
• Accessories: pasties, body jewelry, glitter, harnesses and bags. The rest of the finishing layer.
• Gifts: where socks end up most often anyway, alongside everything else worth wrapping.