Would You Wear Gladiators Over Jeans?

May 27, 2008 @ 11:02am

Gladiator Sandals A curious phenomenon is sweeping the streets of New York, and we're dying to know if you've seen it elsewhere:

Girls strapping their gladiator sandals over their skinny jeans.

It can look clumsy if you don't have the right proportions for it (hint: if your legs are quite short, turn away from the screen), but there's something intriguing about turning gladiator straps into a kind of accessory themselves, and it also stretches the shoes past their summer use into Spring and Fall.

But is this look just really silly and best seen on a Vice Magazine "Don't"?

Or does it actually have real fashion potential?

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 11:05AM

i HATE this look

posted by FashionIntelligentsia

May 27, 2008 11:05AM

No fashion potential for me. I'll leave this one to the L train.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 11:07AM

Do not want.

posted by Katie H

May 27, 2008 11:10AM

I say it's a DO! I started doing it last fall. It works best when there isn't a huge contrast in colors between your jeans and the sandals- I don't like the white ones in the picture, that's just a bit obnoxious.

I have also done this look with a pair of light brown strappy suede wedges with ankle wraps. It was barely noticeable, but added a bit of an edge to my fall/ spring transition outfit.

It's a great look for those days when you want to add a little zing to your outfit, but it's kinda chilly or you need to be comfortable.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 11:12AM

yeah, totally. if its done right, at least. very sienna, no?

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 11:12AM

you guys are really weak trend forecasters...i saw this all over london last summer and i'm pretty sure sienna miller started it, or at least helped launch it...

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 11:16AM

It's been happening in Chicago, too.

posted by mpw

May 27, 2008 11:19AM

Ugh, no. Who wants to look like rehashed Sienna Miller?

posted by fay

May 27, 2008 11:22AM

It'd probably be a Vice Magazine "Do"; which is all the more reason not to wear it.

posted by socialista

May 27, 2008 11:23AM

I've been wearing my gladiators over jeans for a while now! I wear gladiators almost every day.. and well when the weather isnt as nice to wear a skirt, dress, or shorts... you gotta go with jeans. I think it works, but it definitely depends on your jeans though!

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 11:45AM

you need a perfs body and adorable gladiators to make it worthwhile, but I have seen it look good on people. Then again, I apparently live @ model central according to a previous post (I see noot and gemma A LOT), so I am probably just seeing way too many people who can pull off anything. p.s. I am NOT including myself in that category!!!

...and this is kind of horrible, but I first recall seeing this look in one of the cory kennedy Nylon articles in which she "takes on" making mom jeans look cool. She sort of succeeded even though she is not my fave.

posted by fashionursta

May 27, 2008 11:45AM

It's the summer verion of jeans stuffed into ankle boots and you need long legs to carry it off, and the jeans MUST be skinny. Also all over London since last year.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 11:50AM

yeah this has been going on for almost a year and i've seen this on so many people, both on celebrities and on the street. personally i would never do it but i think it looks cool if it's done right, which is really rare.

posted by etoilee8

May 27, 2008 11:53AM

I saw a bit of this in New York. Don't like it. Will stick to wearing my gladiators the old fashion way.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 11:55AM

its been happening for awhile. ive been doing it for 2 years and i am not the quickest with these kind of things.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 12:03PM

No thanks.

I like my shoes UNDER my pants, just where they belong.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 12:27PM

I'm not going to go there, I don't like it, but I have seen some 15 year old somethings trying it out here in Toronto. It is very Sienna Miller, but it never caught on with people for a reason.
However, the way Katie H describes wearing them, and helping her transition to fall sounds like it could be edgy. But I'm not adopting it for everyday.

posted by bastylefilegirl

May 27, 2008 12:42PM

NO! I saw one of the high school musical girls doing this on people.com two months ago and I thought it was dumb then and it's dumb now. Why would you tuck your jeans inside your sandals? It looks a little wonky like your cutting your legs off or something.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 12:56PM

I saw a very short girl doing this about a month ago and it made her look like she was missing parts of her legs. Not a good look for most people.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 12:57PM

Was seen in LA last summer too, can be very cute or at least edgy, when done correctly.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 12:57PM

My best friend just bought some and wears them under her jeans, and they look awesome. Over her jeans would have ruined it. If you want to see the whole thing, wear them with shorts, she did that too and it looked great, so great I almost bought a pair :)

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 1:04PM

hate hate hate. gladiators are soo overexposed right now.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 1:15PM

awful....just terrible! thats the worst trend i have ever seen. It has a careless look about it...hate it

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 1:16PM

I guarantee in 2 years everyone will regret this look.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 1:36PM

SOO Sienna Miller circa 2005. I remember she used to do this whole look all the time.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 1:52PM

here's the thing for me,when I put on an ankle strappy sandal after putting on said tightish trousers, the strap/s COULD go over but having considered just leaving them tucked I think that the uncomfortableness completely negates fashion and makes it a stupid idea.
however,I love those ankle boot sandals with jeans.haven't seen those since I cut up a pair of peterpangetaway boots in 1983.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 2:40PM

i wore a pair of knee high black gladiators over black legging yesterday because it was freezing in San Francisco - totally unintended. The black on black combo wasn't bad, especially because the leggings are fitted so they don't bunch. I'm not sure I would wear this again as a calculated outfit choice but the look worked as an impromptu decision.
xx

posted by hipstersdontlie

May 27, 2008 3:00PM

I prefer my gladiators on Russell Crowe!

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 3:02PM

i totally thought i was the only one who did this.
rats.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 3:22PM

I have seen this around town twice and I thought this was a mistake.

posted by marybelle

May 27, 2008 3:40PM

THIS IS SOOOO BAD, BAD, VERY BAD! I agree with commenter MPW. Sienna Miller at ANY stage is bad enough, but rehashed Sienna = YUCK.

posted by hannah

May 27, 2008 3:51PM

Not if they're white. It just looks tacky. But maybe if the colors were closer... but when I get my gladiators, they'll definitely be under my jeans.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 6:11PM

yeah, it's over here across the pond in london as well. i saw it today actually, on Brick Lane aka hipster heaven...usually Londoners seem to be more on top of things, and this is spoken as an american expat

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 6:36PM

I SPECIFICALLY remember Sienna Miller saying she did the gladiators-over-pants thing AS A JOKE. It was because she was sick of getting so photographed all the time and decided to mess around with people's heads and see what stuck with the trendoids.

posted by guest

May 27, 2008 8:57PM

you should check out kingdom of style. queen michelle, an irina look alike, DIYed her own glad straps. and she did that over tights. looked pretty goo actually.

posted by guest

May 28, 2008 12:09AM

I say hell to the naw

posted by guest

May 28, 2008 12:17AM

oh yeah! i love this! i started doing this last year... not right, but ive figured it out this year. i do it with these really cute sam edelman silver gladiators and some black skinnys... ive even seen a sophomore at my high school do it, and it looked really cute! im from midwest suburbs too... if it makes any difference, which i am sure it does...

posted by guest

May 28, 2008 7:35AM

silliness.

posted by guest

May 28, 2008 7:50AM

I live in Melbourne, Australia and people have been doing it since last year, some pulled it off and on others it looked like they were just trying too hard. Not for me anyway

posted by guest

May 28, 2008 9:36AM

I've been thinking of doing this with my gladiators for a second. I agree that it looks best when the colors don't contrast too much, unlike the white one in the picture.But I also was also strapping my wedges over my skinnies a year or so ago. Maybe that makes me a slave to Sienna but who cares, the most important thing about fashion is that you have fun with it. You're supposed to try things out that's how you find your style if, it turns out bad it turns out bad but at least you know.

posted by guest

May 28, 2008 10:19AM

I first saw this look on an Olsen.

posted by guest

May 28, 2008 7:55PM

Vice DON'T for sure!

posted by guest

May 28, 2008 8:51PM

I love this!! I just went to NY for the first time a couple of days ago and saw a girl doing this. Needless to say I loved it so much I brought it back to CA and it's going to stick with me :)

posted by guest

May 29, 2008 2:10AM

In Hong Kong nearly the whole street wear it but i never see anyone wear it over jean but i think the gladiators definitely over exposed

posted by chicagochelsea

May 29, 2008 4:23PM

I don't like it, where them with leggings, shorts, dresses and simply put the skinny jeans over!! It reminds me of a bad 80's fashion.

posted by guest

May 29, 2008 6:42PM

I saw girl at school doing this and I nearly wanted to tap her on the shoulder and inform her that her hem was accidentally tucked into her sandals until I noticed that both were done like that and the look was intentional. It looks weird to me, like when someone has their pant-leg stuck in their pants because of being in too much of a hurry. Not pretty.

posted by guest

Jun 07, 2008 1:29AM

i do this every time i wear skinny jeans and gladiators together, which is to say, often. i dont like how it looks in the photo you posted though. i think the reason i like it on myself is 1) my jens are leggings-tight around the ankles, so no bunching around the sandals and 2) my sandals are black and my jeans are very dark, so its not as contrasty as in the picture. i didnt start doing it as a "look", thats just where the straps fell when i put on my shoes, and i kinda liked it.

posted by guest

Aug 21, 2008 5:16AM

Anyone who does this should be shot. Seriously.