Dinosaur socks

Dinosaur socks are one of the few novelty categories that work equally well for a six-year-old and a forty-year-old, which makes them unusually useful. They're also the natural home of the three-dimensional sock, because a stegosaurus has an obvious row of plates to run up the back of your leg.

The spiked knee-high is the signature item here: plush triangular ridges sewn along the shin, usually in a contrasting colour, so the sock has a silhouette from across the room. Beyond that, expect fossil prints, cartoon T-rexes with comically short arms, and a persistent line of designs about dinosaurs being bad at things.

Sizing note worth repeating: many dinosaur knee-highs are sold in a single "kids and adults" size, which in practice means they fit a wide range of feet but a narrow range of calves. Check the stated calf measurement if you're buying for an adult.