MenuHighlight

HTML

<nav>
    <ul id="h">
        <li class="selected"><a href="#1">Menu Item 1</a></li>
        <li><a href="#2">Menu Item 2</a></li>
        <li><a href="#3">Menu Item 3</a></li>
        <li><a href="#4">Menu Item 4</a></li>
    </ul>
</nav>

CSS

@import url(http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Copse);

body {
    background-color: #222;
    font-family: 'Copse', arial, sans-serif;
}

ul {
    list-style-type: none;
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
    overflow: hidden;
    text-align: center;
}

li {
    /*float: left;*/
    display: inline-block;
    width: 100px;
    height: 30px;
    border-bottom: 3px solid #dc143c;
    margin: 0 1px;
    position: relative;
}

a {
    text-decoration: none;
    color: #fff;
    text-align: center;
    display: block;
    position: relative;
    z-index: 1500;
    line-height: 30px;
}

div.hhelper {
    position: absolute;
    z-index: 1400;
    width:100px;
    height: 3px;
    background-color: #dc143c;
    bottom: 0;
}

li.selected div.hhelper {
    height: 30px;
}

JavaScript

$(function() {
    $('#h li').append($('<div/>').addClass('hhelper'));
    $('#h a').not('li.selected a').hover (function(){
        $(this).parent().find('.hhelper')
            .animate({height: 30}, 1000);
    }, function(){
        $(this).parent().find('.hhelper')
            .animate({height: 3}, 1000);
    });
});