This Spring shoes are marching in two very different directions: the slim, femme stiletto and the power-girl gladiator.  While many of us are familiar with stiletto pumps a la Manolo Blahnik’s classic BB, gladiators ne powergirl gladiators are a shoe of a different story.

These warrior sandals have evolved beyond the standard flat sandal featuring straps and buckles — on the Spring Runways we saw banded leather sneaking up the calf, ending just at the knee.  From Altuzarra’s beaded and buckled vertiginous version to 5F’s new collection from Ancient Greek, gladiators are making quite the impact.  Other iterations were seen from Tom Ford, Brian Atwood, Laurence Dacade, Nicholas Kirkwood, Alexander Wang and Isabel Marant.

*click through album on right for images*

So how to style these road warriors?  Think tough.  These gladiators are not for the faint of flair.  Pair your gladiators with Spring’s tougher trends — Second Skin, Sport Utility and Contrasting Views.  Concerned about gladiators cutting your leg short?  Try more feminine styles from Valentino’s Rockstud Collection or Isabel Marant’s studded gladiator (we at 5th/58th feel that Isabel designs with the short girl in mind).  Pair your gladiators with something short, sheer or slit — the idea is to wear your gladiators as a tease, to conceal and reveal.

Second Floor Shoe Salon: Altuzarra, Brian Atwood, Jimmy Choo, Nicholas Kirkwood and Tom Ford
212 872 8947

5F: Alexander Wang, Ancient Greek for Marios Schwab, B Brian Atwood and Isabel Marant
212 872 8941