I think I am a somewhat well dressed fellow considering that I live in a Midwest sinkhole. I don’t rock sweatpants outside the house, my belt matches my shoes, I don’t have a mullet, and I am aware of trends before they appear at Old Navy. I am definitely no Sartorialist, but no one has ever said “Wow Neal you look like shit today” either. I believe this qualifies me to say the following: gladiator sandals are ugly.
I chose to bring this up now that we are in the heat of summer. Everywhere I go, girls are rocking these ridiculous things. It reeks of Crocs. I don’t understand the appeal, or the practicality of fastening and unfastening upwards of 5 buckles. They come in heels, boots, knee highs, flats, etc too. The message is: no matter what kind of shoes you like, we can make them ugly.
You need perfect legs to make the look even remotely palatable - like this, and if the shoes don’t match the outfit - forget it. I imagine this trend is costing American’s hundreds in pedicures. There go all those stimulus checks! Less important, considering what women will endure in the name of fashion, is the total lack of arch support. Perhaps one of our readers can inform me as to how comfortable it is to walk around in these.
I’m not a foot person and neither are most dudes I know, so your shiny complicated shoes are just a big distraction. Wouldn’t you rather that people looked at your smiling face and not your poorly maintained cuticles?
Here’s a mantra: 2 buckles or a T-strap - it looks like crap.
frankly, my legs are perfect, and i look fucking hot rocking some gladiators. so please, don’t hate.
val, being the tall girl you are, i suppose you might be able to pull it off - but the look is not for everyone. further the “4 inch clear [gladiator] heels’ that you mentioned over aim are inappropriate by any and all standards.
Fabulous? I know gladiators aren’t meant to be cute, but these look bloody terrible. Never found a pair of gladiator sandals on any femme 13 and up that I liked on them. What’s their downfall to me? Simple- too many straps with no sense of style no matter what any lady daresay. These are big straps that are nowhere near stylish. Too many wide straps in the kind of arrangement that would make Julius Caesar happy are terrible. Flat gladiators are terrible to me. Nothing cute, nothing stylish, nothing fun, nothing attractive, or lovable… just ugly and abominable. Defend them all you want. I hate these. They look terrible. I think of most gladiator sandals as sandal alternatives to boots. And really, they’re terrible. I’d rather fisherman sandals than gladiators.
Throw these sandals to the lions in the lions’ den.
John - glad I have an ally in this. Fortunately, the oncoming cold weather signals the end of sandal season - but something ever worse looms on the horizon… UGGS!