Sandals, Sandals, Sandals

It's been sandal season for awhile and I can't keep going on last year's any longer. I'm still on my mission for pseudo gladiator sandals. I thought it was settled when I purchased a pair of green ones, but after a shipping mishap with zappos, the sandals never made it to my door (damn FedEx). Now, I have the opportunity to reassess my would-be purchase. I want something tough, but not butch, in between delicate and hefty. These are my new options with the original green ones thrown in .. cause after all, I still like them.

Criticisms:
I'm not sure how I feel about that shape of a heel on the upper left pair, but I like the overlapping on the black. The strap on the white ones might be too high up on my leg, but I like the contrast of a white, tough sandal. I wish the green ones weren't patent; suede would be nice, but I still really like everything else. The brass details on the bottom pair are nice, but maybe too blah. And the last pair is man-made. Dunno if that will make them uncomfy.

I'm Short (Part 2)

If you wear skin-colored sandals, they'll your legs look longer. This follows along the same idea as not breaking up the leg with an ankle strap (or bootie). No colors interfere with the line of your leg. When it's cold out, tights and boots can match. This is the only way imaginable I could do ankle boots. Again, they cut at a weird length and make my legs look stocky.



In my searching for gladiator sandals, I found these Eileen Shields Helen sandals as possible contenders. I can't see myself spending that much money on sandals, being that summer shoes always seem to get seriously beat up and rarely last more than 2 seasons (even with trips to the cobbler). But the idea is there.

I'm Short

I like to wear some crazy stuff, but I still want it to be flattering. Because of my small stature, things that cut across me horizontally just don't work. Like ankle straps. They cut my leg at the ankle and make me look even shorter. Because of this, I don't own gladiator sandals. And sometimes, because of this, I'm biased against these things I can't wear and hate them.

So as I was getting dressed yesterday, I realized with horror that my get-up would go perfectly with a pair of gladiator sandals. Dang it. They would have offset the subtle cruise director vibe of my outfit, and pushed it more towards tribal safari. (My outfit being a navy high-waisted pencil skirt cut just above the knee with a pale beige safari-esque short-sleeve button-down tucked into it.) So now, I'm cursed with the impossible task of finding gladiators that can work with my short, stocky legs.

Maybe these ...