FOOTWEAR 'Sock-er' moms will kick up their heels style

Sexy tootsie toppers range from thongs and tubes to fishnet footsies .
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Once upon a time, socks sought merely to create warmth, or perhaps to match a favorite sweater.
And then, out of nowhere, the humble bits of knit suffered a mid-life crisis, deciding that life had become entirely too dull. Socks wanted fun. Socks wanted adventure. And most of all, socks wanted to feel sexy.
Today, as those who frequent tony department stores have surely noticed, women can choose from a startling array of socks, from tubes designed to encircle the ball of the foot to thongs that lodge between the toes.
Nylon boot-liners now hang alongside fishnet footies and beribboned "toe toppers," all in a wide array of colors.
There are even socks that aren't socks at all, just decorative bits of crochet that wind winsomely around the ankle.
Who knew socks could be so fully reborn?
Women appear to be evenly divided on this unexpected development, some asking incredulously "Why would anyone need that?" while others proclaim, "Finally -- just what I've always needed!"
Still, with sandal and slide season upon us, it's no great leap to predict that socks will keep getting smaller and lighter in the months to come.
High time
On the other hand (or should we say "foot?"), knee-highs have been enjoying a resurgence of sorts. This full-coverage option now comes in interesting new fabrics, such as microfiber or nylon, sporting bright hues and glorious patterns.
Knee-highs offer a great way to call attention to lovely calves -- or, for those who are clumsy or soccer-obsessed, to hide nasty shin bruises.
The best part of all this sudden sockariffic-ness: the price. Just a few bucks can bring your look totally up-to-date -- well, at least as far as your tootsies are concerned.