Some 2000 and odd years ago, an otherwise civilized Roman Empire would get the same kick out of gladiator fights that we now get, say, from watching professional football:

As you can see from this ancient mosaic, gladiator footwear was serious business, complete with over-the-knee plates to protect the precious shins. Those shin-plates have been underrepresented in the long and glorious tradition of classical paintings, which more often than not depict sturdy, beefed-up warriors wearing the most ridiculously fragile footwear contraptions, made of delicate strings woven and attached in fanciful ways. They’re also underrepresented in the current resurgence of the so-called gladiator-trend sandals, because, let’s be honest, if anything, we want to showcase our shins, not protect them from the world (although in certain crowded subways that wouldn’t be such a bad idea–but I digress).

And so! I’ve finally accepted the fact that gladiator sandals are EVERYWHERE, I mean, just pick your shoe store of choice, online or not, and voila! There they are, and they have been there for a few seasons now, so I can’t willfully ignore them any longer. For here’s the thing: I stayed away from gladiators because they tend to “cut” the foot from your leg, often with bulky plates and multiple ankle straps, and disrupt the natural lines and the illusion of “elongated” that I so direly need to create. Which is to say, I’ve often thought that unless you’ve got wispy legs like a runway model, why, those gladiators are likely to turn you into the spitting image of those two beefcakes duking it out in my introductory mosaic. And that’s not a good look for me, is all I’m saying.

But! I think I’ve reached the critical point in time when I’ve got to get into a pair of gladiator sandals, or my summer wardrobe my life won’t be complete. A cursory perusal of my favorite shoe haunts on the internet has presented me with approximately 322,485 handy choices, give or take two. Ayyyyy! to quote the Manolo. What to do? After a rigorous selection process consisting mainly of “let’s just stick to one website, or I’m going to shoot myself,” I’ve narrowed down my choices to two:

The curiously-named Dolce Vita “Daisy-11″ sandal, in gold or pewter (probably gold, since gold and gladiator go together like that), $60 at Piperlime:

Or, the more high-end Cynthia Vincent “Dinah,” $200 at Piperlime (hey, Zappos has it listed for $214–what’s up, Zappos? Piperlime’s delivery is also free, you know!):

They both have that classic woven look on the vamp, and multiple ankle straps (which are pretty cool, if you ask me). I’m not completely sure I should spend so much money for a shoe that might as well go out of style next year (what? it’s been known to happen!), but the Cynthia Vincent sandals do have a quite excellent design. On the other hand, the Dolce Vitas are cheap and attractive and definitely satisfy the gladiator tooth. What say you, Internet? Which should I choose?

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I love Diane von Furstenberg breezy wrap dresses–flattering and bright, the very definition of feminine. So I really really wanted to love her shoes–I really tried–but instead I ended up, oh, I don’t know–a little underwhelmed? Some of the choices were really meh, like this “Comfy Chic” slide:

A simply metallic band attached to a chunky cork wedge–yawn!

I tried to get up my enthusiasm with these:

There’s nothing wrong with these Dolce thong sandals per se, but the $240 price tag puts a cramp in my style. I guess they’re pretty, but again, I guess I expect even more pizzazz from Mrs. Diane.

And speaking of thongs, she seems overly enamored with them. Now, I’ve never been a fan of high-heeled thong sandals. I’ve only recently  (and barely) gotten used to wearing thong sandals at all; but having that bit of leather rubbing between your toes with the added pressure of the high heel? Why, that must be torture! So this is why I don’t understand why this is needed for a sandal that would otherwise work fine without the thong–the CEO stacked heel sandal:

It’s a pretty sandal (even prettier in red), but–why the extra thong? There it is again:

I actually love the simplicity and lines of these Milano cutout mini-wedges, but…don’t love the thong–simply because it’s not necessary.

Overall, while I’m not necessarily impressed with the collection, there are several attractive options that might float some other people’s boat. Me…I’m going to stick with her dresses for now, thank you very much!

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I was sighing over the perfect Zanotti rose sandal a few weeks back; in the meantime, I’ve discovered that it also comes in blue, wanna see?

Yep, still pretty, still out of my price range at $550.

But! Never fear! Rose seems to be a popular sandal flower this season. Poetic Licence has issued this pretty version that’s selling like hotcakes (plus, it’s double the rose!):

The red version is $80 at Piperlime or Endless, $88 at Anthropologie; and if you want it in gold, Zappos is barely holding on to their last pair in a size 8.

Anthropologie also has this pretty-pretty raffia rose sandal, for $188:

Then there’s this adorable French Sole “Serenity” sandal, $202 at Zappos (also comes in a black/cream raffia combo):

But wait! There’s more! How about this darling Moschino sandal, available in yellow or red? ($354 at Zappos):

My, my, roses are really in season this spring, aren’t they? Go grab a fresh one while they’re still in bloom!

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You may have noticed that I’ve been mysteriously silent for the past two weeks.  Or maybe you haven’t, because Shoesense and Shomore have been keeping you footfully entertained.  But I’ve returned.

And where have I been, you might ask (that is, if you’re one of those who noticed my absence).  Exploring Japan is where I have been.  It was my first time there, and I was all over the country, so the main focus of the trip was not shopping.  I mean, I love to shop as much as (and often more than) the next girl, but this time it was really about the sightseeing.  And that’s not even getting to the terrible dollar exchange rate, which worked as a very effective retail deterrent.

But it’s all relative, right?  Not much shopping is different than no shopping at all.  I’m only human.  And when I walked into the Tokyo Takashimaya Times Square entrance and saw this display, I was, of course, lured further in.

So, further in I went.  And discovered a whole line of shoes by Tsumori Chisato, a Japanese designer whose quirkiness and style I’ve long admired, but isn’t easily accessed in the USA.

It was actually these that first drew my eye to the opposite side of the shelf pictured above.

But I manfully (womanfully?) resisted.  It was, after all, the first day of the trip, and who could predict what other things would be in store.  But I kept thinking about them as I watched the Japanese women walk to and fro on pavement and gravel and cobblestones in their stiletto heels.  And by the end of the trip, when I discovered that our hotel in Kyoto wasn’t far from the Takashimaya store there… well, a purchase-minded visit became a rather high priority.

Into the store in Kyoto I went.  And out I came with these red patent leather lovelies (which are actually the same shoe as four colors on the bottom shelf in the first Tsumori Chisato picture).

They’re surprisingly comfy, actually.  They look very narrow when they’re not on my (rather wide) feet, but the individual pieces of leather over the toe all stretch and move by themselves, so the effect isn’t a toe-squishing one.  And keep your eyes peeled for this look, too (the multiple strips of leather gathered up over the toes).  It was all over the place on lots of Japanese shoes in stores and on feet.

The other thing that was on many a Japanese foot was crazy fun little socks (colors, lace, sparkles, bows, toeless… pretty much you name it, I saw it somewhere) that spice up a pair of pumps or flats or t-straps or pretty much any shoe with an open area on the top of the foot.  So I had to snag a bunch of them, too.  That’s what the gold bit in the above picture is.  And in case you can’t see it clearly, here’s a separate photo.

So I came home from Japan a happy shoe lover.  And a happy OCD shoe lover at that, because I was able to bring home the shoes in their shoebox, which can now be used for the careful storing and protection of the new babies.

Stay tuned for some more photos of shoes from Japan as I get them sorted out from the depths of my camera’s memory card.

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As usual, the NYT picks up on as few commonalities seen in a few more or less obscure places and turns it into a trend: this time, it’s fringe, baby:

The shoes you see in the picture are Paul & Joe Neo fringe high-heeled sandals, $600 at shopbop.com, and fringed gladiator sandals, $730 at Etro (NY store).

I trolled teh interwebs but found scant evidence about this so-called trend. Ok, here’s some: Candela “Flecos” fringe sandals, $225 at Intermix:

And Fendi peacock fringe sandals, $540 at eLuxury:

Prada did the fringe thing  a season or so back:

Personally, I’m not a big fringe person–but I’ll have to agree with the experts: if you’re going to wear fringe, keep it limited to one item on your body (no fringe shoes AND bags at the same time, or, God forbid, fringed suede jacket–brrrr!).

Whatever you do, however, don’t put any fringe in your step that looks like this:

…unless, of course, you wear them while doing your household chores, case in which we’re willing to look the other way.

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