Gladiator Sandals Styling Ideas – 30 Ideas You Must Try

The gladiator sandals of today have a rather rich history behind it. It started out as a basic functional commodity in ancient Rome to offer protection to the feet during combat, while being comfortable at the same time. However, gladiator sandals quickly grew very popular among both men and women in terms of fashion, ultimately becoming the mark of one’s status and rank.

Pulling off a pair of gladiator sandals is not difficult at all. Be it a bad-ass knee high pair or the cute ankle strap-on options, these footwear are super adaptable and look fantastic with almost any outfit. Below are 30 gladiator sandals styling ideas to help you style yours!

A pair of simple black lace-up gladiator sandals with an off-white short dress – austerity at it’s best.

You can also wear these sandals with shorts and off-shoulder tops. The different shades of tan or beige in this style keeps the appearance from being monotonous.

Then there’s the classic all black option. Monotonous doesn’t necessarily mean boring, especially if it’s black. The silver studs on the straps of the sandals add a bit of an edge to the look.

Like the previous one, the next style features one color scheme also. However, the different hues of tan from all the elements present are complementing each other very well.

Rompers with with gladiator sandals give you the perfect opportunity to highlight the bare legs.

Gladiator sandals are pretty versatile in general. Shay Mitchell here flaunts the same footwear with three different outfits, creating multiple looks using a single pair of gladiator sandals.

Knee High Gladiator Sandals Outfit Ideas

Gladiator sandals come in an array of designs and features. Firstly the height; knee high sandals are the most prevalent. Besides looking amazing, one added benefit of gladiator sandals with strings is that you can experiment with the length. The loose strings enable you to tie them up either concentrated around the ankle or in a criss-cross pattern up to your mid-calf, in case you were looking for something different.

The fixed string gladiator sandals lack that versatility, but it’s not a deal breaker certainly. Wearing these with shorts or dresses is the way to go.

Knee high gladiator sandals look especially flattering with short dresses or skirts. The reason is that these sandals draw some attention to the exposed skin and distribute the focus between the outfit and legs evenly, thus coordinating the entire appearance.

Ankle Or Mid-calf Gladiator Sandals

These type of gladiator sandals are appropriate for those who prefer something a bit subtler. These can be worn with short as well as longer outfits. Take a look at this skirt and shirt for instance.

With pants, ankle gladiator sandals should be more comfortable and logical instead of the knee high ones.

Even with dresses, for all types in fact – short, midi or long – ankle or mid-calf gladiator sandals, with the appropriate color, match beautifully, creating a boho-chic combination.

Heeled Gladiator Sandals Styling Ideas

The next alternating feature of gladiator sandals would be the heels. Go for a convenient height and design according to your comfort.

We believe dresses or skirt + tops would be the accurate pieces of clothing with such sandals as the heels go hand-in-hand with the femininity of these attires.

But if you’re not into the girly vibe, you can add on a leather jacket with your dress. This creates a stark contrast.

For tan gladiator sandals, it might be a little tricky to win the matching game. Off-white is a pretty standard choice in such cases, but if you’re looking to try something different other than the traditional neutral scheme – light or pastel colors would be apt. Take this blue chambray dress for instance.

The next style features a rather uncommon color for gladiator heels – grey, unlike the usual black and tan. This pair of gladiator sandals looks lovely with the similar toned dress.

And that takes us to the next section with two more not so common colors for these sandals.

Red Or White Gladiator Sandals

Red, being such a bold color itself, tends to get most of the highlight. So wearing them with mellow outfits, such as the following, would maintain a balance in the look.

White gladiator sandals on the other hand are not as dramatic as the red ones. So you can pair them up with almost any item of any color. If there is no hint of white on your outfit, make sure to carry a white accessory, which is the bag in this case.

How To Style Skirts & Long Dresses With Gladiator Sandals

Wearing long outfits with gladiator sandals might seem counter-intuitive; after all the length of the fabric would cover up the sandal straps, right? Wrong! Take a look at these styles below.

The gray basic knitted dress shown above is something you can try out with your gladiator sandals this winter. Despite being long, it leaves some parts of your legs bare to be adorned with the straps.

The outfit below features an A-line ivory dress with tan gladiator sandals and a tan sling bag. In both cases, the length of the dresses are just enough to pair them up with ankle or mid-calf gladiator sandals.

And if you want to wear a dress with knee high sandals, consider one with a slit. Dresses with slits are not only comfortable but are fashionable as well.

Asymmetrical high-low dresses are another option if you’d like to focus on the footwear. With the front part being high, you get to flaunt your sandals as much as you want.

By now it should be evident that any type of gladiator sandals can be paired up with any clothing item. And mini skirts are no different.

Asymmetrical skirts make the list also.

Lastly, A-line maxi skirts, although long, are something that you can try out with your gladiator sandals during the summers for your next beach party.