TOP 3 Outfits You Should NOT Wear With Gladiator Shoes

The gladiator trend has been ongoing for the past few seasons and it looks like it won’t fade away anytime soon. The shoes are to die for. But ladies, let’s be truthful, and I mean really honest. Though totally exquisite and irresistible to have, the ‘glads’ are a bit tricky to wear.

With the multitude of gladiator sandals available online and in stores, it will be hard to resist purchasing more than just one pair. So once you have it in your closet, be at least wise enough to know the how to and how NOT to wear the ‘glads’ to avoid looking like a fashion victim.

Most gladiator sandals whether flat, wedged, or heeled, usually end at the ankles. A couple of beautiful examples are the following:

The BCBG Girls Amir, available at  Shoebuy.com

The Luichiny Rosey Posey, available at Shoebuy.com

The Luichiny Savy Sue, available at Shoebuy.com

The fact that these shoes end at the ankles is the main reason why it is tricky to wear. If they end at the calf, then it would be all the more tricky.

Because the straps cross the ankles, it creates a horizontal line that cuts the length of the legs (thereby cutting the height of a person). The thing is, the more legs you show (and I mean skin), the taller you look.

The reason why these shoes look so good on models is because they are very tall and leggy. So they can actually AFFORD to lose a few inches.

Unfortunately, not all of us are blessed with thin bodies and long legs. So we have to work our way around the trend and make sure that when we do wear these gladiator sandals, we still end up looking stylish and ‘fantabulous’ (as in fantastic and fabulous).

Here are a few tips on what outfits you should NOT be seen wearing with ankle-high gladiator sandals:

TIP #1. Assuming you are either of average height and weight, or simply short in height, NEVER wear your ankle-high or calf-high gladiator shoes with a tea-length (calf-length) dress or skirt.

Reason: a dress of that length will cut your height. Wearing a pair of ankle high gladiator shoes will cut the length of your legs. What’s left? A few inches of your skin making you look way shorter.

Fix: Wear a shorter outfit, either a mini or one that ends a few inches above the knee. OR, you change your shoes to show more skin on the legs and feet.

TIP #2. DO NOT wear knee length dresses or skirts with gladiator shoes, especially ones that end below the knee.

Reason: Same reason as #1

Fix: follow #1, wear a shorter outfit.

In cases wherein your vertical proportion is not equal (as in you have short legs and a long torso), always go for the really short (and I mean mini) outfits.

TIP #3. DO NOT wear a dress or skirt that ends just along the ankles where your gladiator shoes end.

Reason: Your shoes already end at the ankles, wearing a dress that ends at the ankles will show no legs, just horizontal straps and fabric. This kind of get-up will make you look very short.

Fix: The long dress or skirt should be longer, ending at the floor or just long enough to touch the heels of your feet, not showing any of the horizontal straps (around a centimeter away from the floor).

By wearing the skirt or dress floor length, you will actually look taller because there are no horizontal lines cutting your height (the only horizontal line would be the hem of your dress or skirt, and that’s already on the floor).

To sum it all up, the best outfits to wear with gladiator shoes would be those that show more skin/legs – mini dresses, mini skirts, short shorts, and short dresses that end a few inches above the knee.

You can wear the long dress or skirt with ‘glads’ as long as it is floor length, or heel length.

Remember, keep to the rules so you can wear your gladiator sandals in flair and style.