Gladi-hater No More

After (many) months of denial, I've had to admit the truth: gladiator sandals are here to stay. For now.

Yes, I may have grasped this simple concept about a year after everyone else. But with money tight, I was determined to stick with my classic (read: boring) Jack Rogers and simple Rainbows, instead of shelling out cash on fleeting trends.

Though when something is still "in" after a year, I think you are no longer allowed to refer to it as "fleeting".

With warm weather approaching (quickly? Not so quickly? It's hard to tell), I've got to hop on the bandwagon sooner rather than later. The question now is, where to start? (Hint: a store sounds like a good place.) Even then, gladiator sandals are everywhere. Every storefront seems on the verge of bursting from the sheer amount of these sandals that they contain. The choices are unbelievable. For starters: how high should my sandal be? Ankle? Mid-calf? Knee? (Neglia, Aldo. com, $125.00) Will my heel be covered or uncovered? Now for colors-metallic? Snakeskin? Nudes? Perhaps a neon or multi-color? (Rosenberger, Aldo.com, $75.00))

How many buckles do I want? Should there be laces? Will my toes be strapped in or out on their own? Zippers? FRINGE? I'm dizzy.

Then I must ask whether I could choose studs, grommets, beads, rhinestones, or ruffles. (Pour La Victoire Ella, Piperlime.com, $215) What about "earth toned stones" or bedazzled adornments? Do I need embedded sole studs?

Luckily for you, gentle reader, I've thrown myself into the trenches and narrowed things down to three choices. However, if you need excessive embellishment (see above) or have twig-like gams that will look good in anything, you're on your own.

Option #1 is Groove's "Charmer" (Piperlime.com, $55.00) Wear them with something above the knee, like these denim Bermudas from the Gap ($49.95):
Option#2, Matt Berson's Gladiator (Piperlime.com, $170.00)Love the embedded sole studs! Use it to dress up something simple, like this cotton cobalt dress from Express ($39.50):
Option#3: J. Crew's "Rimini"(jcrew.com, $78.00) Pair this delicate little flower of a gladiator with your cuffed boyfriend chinos and a breezy summer top.

"Genius!" you say, "Pure genius!". I must agree. It's time to bite the bullet. When it comes to gladiators, my new motto is go big or go home-but sure as hell don't go up to my knee. I've putting preppy aside (just for a second) and going trendy. I'm a gladi-hater no more!