The gladiator sandal trend has been popular for the past few seasons and it definitely will not fade away anytime soon. However, there are some outfits that should not be worn by gladiator sandals. With the hundreds of sandals of this type available online and in stores, it is almost impossibly hard to resist purchasing more than just one pair. So once you have a few gladiator sandals in your closet, make sure to educate yourself about how and when to wear them. You do not want to become a fashion victim.

The fact that these shoes usually end at the ankles is the main reason why they are tricky to wear, and the ones ending at the calf are even trickier. Because the straps cross the ankles, it creates a horizontal line that cuts the length of the legs. Unfortunately this makes you look shorter.

The following are three things to remember about what you should not wear with gladiator sandals:

Tip Number 1: Assuming you are of either average height or weight, or simply short in height, you should never wear your ankle-high or calf-high gladiator shoes with a tea-length (calf-length) dress or skirt. The reason is that a dress of that length will cut your height. Wearing a pair of ankle high gladiators will cut the length of your legs. To avoid this problem, you may want to wear a shorter outfit, either a mini or one that ends a few inches above the knee. Alternatively, you change your shoes to show more skin on the legs and feet.

Tip Number 2: Do not wear knee length dresses or skirts with gladiator shoes, especially ones that end below the knee. The reasoning is basically the same as for tip number 1, so wearing a shorter skirt can help solve this problem. If you have short legs and a long torso, always go for the really short outfits.

Tip Number 3: You should not wear a dress or skirt that ends just along the ankles where your gladiator shoes end. The reason is that your shoes already end at the ankles, therefore 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. To prevent this problem, 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. Just around a centimeter away from the floor is preferable.

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

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

Crystal Robertson is a fashion writer with a particular focus on bags, clothing, and shoes. To find out more about gladiator sandals, please visit http://www.allgladiatorsandals.com/

Related Articles