In the mood for something strong and striking? I suggest you put the Pelle Moda Jahara Platform Sandals on your feet.

Pelle Moda Jahara Platform Sandals

These are what I am loving today – bold and beautiful sandals that are guaranteed to turn anyone’s head. Sky high and sexy 5-inch stacked heels, 1.25-inch thick platforms, and a fiercely fabulous plush leopard printed hair calf material make these shoes such a standout:

5-inch Stacked Heels

Leopard Printed Hair Calf Material

It’s basically all you’ll need to rule the floor. Wear it with a simple black dress and a clutch, and you’re good to go!

Piko Long Sleeve Tee Dress, just US$25!

Jessica McClintock Driftwood Flap, US$42

Get it from Shopbop.com for an accessible US$160.

Remember this post on Vanessa Hudgens running errands and looking perfect in a grey maxi dress?

Well, every piece of her outfit has already been identified except for the lovely gladiator wedge sandals that she wore. No one has put a name or a brand on them yet and I’m still searching high and low for those sandals’ maker up to this day.

I cam across this Herb wedge sandal from Perlina Luxury Comfort Footwear a couple of days ago and I thought I had finally found them. But upon closer inspection, these are sadly still NOT Vanessa Hudgens’s gladiator wedges because (1) they don’t come in VH’s tan color, (2) these have a strap across the toes and Vanessa’s do not, and (3) the ankle ties are different.

They look awfully close though. Check out the Perlina Luxury Comfort Footwear Herb wedge sandals for yourself:

Perlina Luxury Comfort Footwear Herb

These sandals come in black, gold, pewter and moss green (no tan!) and are $112.00 at Zappos.com.

Meanwhile, here’s a side-by-side comparison of the Perlina wedges and Vanessa Hudgens’s gladiator wedges from June 22, 2010:

Vanessa Hudgens’s gladiator wedges and the Perlina wedges

What do you think, could the Perlina Luxury Comfort Footwear Herb wedges be Vanessa’s lace-up gladiator wedges?

Dsquared2 S10D008075 20 gladiator sandals

I’ve been salivating over these Dsquared2 gladiator sandals since they arrived at Zappos.com but I never got around to even thinking about purchasing them mainly because they were priced at over 900 dollars. Sure, they’re over 40% off now (and they still have my size) but that means that they’re still well over $500, a price which I cannot justify paying for a pair of sandals no matter which way I look at it.

I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that the Dsquared 2 S10D008075 20s gladiators are beyond my reach when suddenly, these came along:

The Bamboo by Journee Women’s Stunin Gladiator Sandal in all its contrast stitching copycat glory.

Okay, they’re not really copycats or knockoffs of the Dsquared2s, but you gotta agree that the two black gladiator sandals look very similar. The Bamboo by Journee sandals may have lower ankle straps, leather loops instead of metal o-rings, and buckles instead of studs, but for just a mere $35.43, I’m more than willing to accept those differences and treat them as minor changes.

If you like the look for less sandals, I gotta warn you that the sell out risk for them on Overstock.com is very high. The website has them again every now and then though so if you just enter your email address in the notify box, Overstock will send you an email once they’ve got the Bamboo by Journee Women’s Stunin Gladiator Sandals in stock again.