Gladiator Sandals with Style

They are the “must have” shoe

for the summer of 2008. Women's gladiator sandals have taken the fashion world by storm. A parade of star studded celebrities have been seen sporting these unusual shoes with great enthusiasm, particularly the younger set including Jessica Alba and Mary-Kate Olsen among others. Gladiator style sandals certainly have their own unique design. Appearing to fall somewhere on the continuum between a shoe and a sandal, this Roman inspired footwear was slow to take off when it debuted last year but, suddenly, it's been noticed and embraced by the mass public.

Unfortunately, gladiator style sandals aren't universally flattering which may have accounted for their rather slow rise in popularity. These sandals form almost a cage-like structure around the foot. They then wrap around the ankle and, in some, styles, extend up the leg. The fact that these sandals extend some far up the leg can make legs look shorter, particularly if you don't have the mile long gams of a star studded supermodel. Plus, not everyone wants to look like a Roman gladiator when they step out the door.

Fortunately, the designers

have gotten smart and modified women's gladiator sandals in such ways to make them more flattering and diverse. With so many choices available, most women can wear some form of gladiator style sandal even though they still tend to be somewhat polarizing. You either love them or you hate "em.

When selecting women's gladiator sandals, you'll want to consider your own anatomy. If you have shorter legs that aren't needle thin, you'll want to stay away from heavier, chunkier, more elaborate styles of gladiator sandals. Stick with the simpler gladiator styles with thin straps and a bit of a heel. If you decide you just have to have the chunkier gladiator style sandals, wear them with jeans. They'll be more flattering worn this way if you don't have the legs to carry them off with skirts and shorts.

One of the classier ways to wear gladiator sandals is to pair a light, thin strapped pair with a small heel with one of the new Grecian gowns. These flowing gowns, drape nicely over the body and can be a pretty summertime party look. A nice combination is a white or cream colored Grecian gown with a light, airy pair of gold metallic gladiator sandals. Make sure to do a pedicure before stepping into this combination. Add some simple gold jewelry and you'll have an outfit that looks and feels wonderful on a warm summer night.

If you have the legs for them, women's gladiator sandals can also be worn with summer shorts of all types and, if you dare, a mini-skirt.

Love or hate 'em, these are the shoes of the season. Are they for you?

Cuffed Styles

Shoes on the high street are more innovative than ever before. Cuffs, or protective materials only at the ankles, are one of the newer shoe fashion trends. These black heeled shoes shown right are from Debenhams Spring/Summer 2008 Women's Accessories. The flat black and white ankle cuff shoe sandal design is called Hera and both are from the Summer 2008 Collection at Shellys.

These unusual pieces of footwear move us toward boots and newer styles of airy summer footwear.

Spring 2008 Boots

So many of us wear trousers and jeans that we love a finished look with a short boot. Both these high st. boots are good for cooler summer days.

The stone boot left and the retro button feature adds a vintage fashion touch. They would toughen up a pretty dress that might seem over girly to some women.

Left - Creamy Stone Boots - £59.99/€100.50, River Island Clothing Co.
Right - Rich Tan Calf Boots - £54.99/€92.50, River Island Clothing Co. Ltd, Womenswear Footwear & Shoes Summer 2008.

Left - Shellys Trick/Treat/Tremble footwear - Red Trick style is £80, Treat and Tremble are both £75 and from Shelly's Spring/Summer 2008 Shoes.

All these themes make footwear far more interesting than it has been for years. Even summer boots with cut out sections enable the summer foot to breathe more easily.

Right - Shellys black knee length and high tan ankle Gladiator open strap wrap shoes from their Summer 2008 Collection.

Which brings us back to the point where we started - Gladiator looks are the big fashion trend of summer 2008. So, get your Gladiator inspired footwear now.

You are reading an original independent 'gladiator sandals' article by Pauline Weston Thomas at www.fashion-era.com ©

Source : http://www.beyondjane.com/Fashion/Trends/How-to-Wear-Womens-Gladiator-Sandals-with-Style.171489