As I mentioned in my previous post, Kate Spade knee highs are a small godsend. They’re an oxymoron: a necessary luxury. I wear them with jeans as well as skirts, although I try my best not to look like a Harajuku girl or an age-inappropriate Lolita. (It’s all in the styling. Hint: refrain from pigtails.) The socks stay soft, are just the right thickness, and have eye-catching designs without being gimmicky. And they stay up comfortably without cutting off the circulation right below my knees (because I don’t exactly need varicose veins). They aren’t cheap, costing $18 to $20 a pair, but you get what you pay for. And if you ever see them on sale, don’t think twice! Buy several!

Last week, I bought these Kate Spade knee highs on sale, two for $22. I also found glittery-gold barrettes at J.Crew for $6 each. I added my much-abused Marimekko umbrella to this photo for its black logo.

For the record, there are some types of legwear that don’t particularly work for me. Take trouser socks. They come up to my lower calves but after about an hour, they inevitably slouch down to my ankles.  They’re an annoying compromise, existing somewhere between no-show, low-cut socks and knee highs. Not useful.

These Marc Jacobs socks cost $85. They’re wool and made in Italy, but I doubt they’ll stay up. Or maybe my legs are misshapen and just plain incompatible with this style.

Another example: thigh-highs. While sexy and alluring for the one you love, they are not something I want to wear for 10 hours while sitting at my desk (sorry, male colleagues, if I’ve killed the fantasy for some of you). And for better or worse, I will forever associate over-the-knee socks with Cher Horowitz in “Clueless.”

Flashback to Cher and Dionne in 1995

You can decide if that’s a good or a bad thing…

Update on February 5, 2012: Wearing colorful, funky socks has apparently gained traction in Silicon Valley among some tech entrepreneurs.