I’m not reaching too far back for Throwback Thursday — just to the last weekend of August, when I wore this out to dinner in East Hampton, N.Y.
What Wendy Wore
Puffy shirt: Custom-made by Jean of Ghost Tailor (2013)
Shorts: Current/Elliott (2014)
Sandals: Purchased in Greece (2014)
I got the sandals in Athens in July. I’ve been obsessed with so-called gladiator sandals since the 1980s, and I kept ogling this style in dozens of little storefronts that we passed during our sightseeing. I never had a moment to try any on until the day we were leaving. That’s when I decided I simply couldn’t go home without sandals. MrB and I rushed to the flea market with an hour to spare before we had to head to the airport and I quickly bought knee-high and calf-high versions.
The timing of my purchase was superb because the same weekend the photo above was taken, knee-high gladiator sandals made it onto Bill Cunningham’s New York Times “On the Street” style page. Woot!
Click to see the full Bill Cunningham feature.
Gladiators last had a big moment in 2007/2008, but if I recall correctly, the knee-high, Talitha Getty version didn’t get much love at all. The popular version then was the shorter wedge gladiator, particularly this style by Nine West.
Click for my original post on these sandals.
Maybe people are more open to the knee-high gladiator now because this summer was all about the ugly sandal. If Birkenstocks can be chic, so can knee-high glads, right?
You don’t have to go to Greece to get this sandal style, because Stuart Weitzman has them in various heights and colors. That said, I have a special love for my sandals because of the happy vacation memories attached to them. I do feel strange calling them “gladiator” sandals, though, because gladiators were a Roman thing. It would be more accurate to call my shoes “Grecian” sandals … but I’m going to go with the flow on this one. A rose by any other name, and so on!