19 Responses for "Street Styles: The Cute Gladiator"

1. Jae Young August 22nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm 1

   Yeah, still hate the gladiator sandal. It stumpifies everyone’s legs and reminds me of sandals my mother forced me to wear as a little kid. Trend is not always right. You know like might does not mean mean right

   Which just goes to show that Korean dressers aren’t so concerned about their shorts legs because if they were, they would one and all reject gladiator sandals AND leggings. I think they should just except the stumpy. I mean I have. Sort of

2. impolite one August 22nd, 2008 at 11:37 pm 2

   gladiator sandals themselves aren’t bad, it’s just the specific ones. I agree they look shitty with leggings on short-legged girls, but you can’t go off wishing for people to change their bodies either…

   Just another case of certain trends being latched onto and choked to death in Korea… If things didn’t have to all go one way for everyone, then I’m sure trends would have a bit more longevity as well. Gladiator sandals have a couple honest years in them, but they will be dead in Korea by the end of this summer, because of how ugly the last incarnations will get. Watch Korean girls murder all that is good about those Margiela open-toe sandal boots next year.

3. FMS August 23rd, 2008 at 12:05 am 3

   Oh, I hope not, about the open-toed boots.

   I’ve already seen them here, and have been hoping they’d kind of pass without tipping over into the mainstream. So, I will predict that they won’t. Still, I know, half of that is hope, more than prediction. We must hold onto hope somehow, right?

   So — it won’t happen!

   Let’s hope I’m right.

4. impolite one August 23rd, 2008 at 1:55 am 4

   Well, I like open toe sandal boots, and especially the Margiela S/S08 ones (both ankle and thigh-high versions), but the problem that we’re facing here is that as fashion trickles down, it just becomes cheap and availability to the masses makes it look tacky because the masses make it tacky.
   Inherently, there is no reason for why, 10 foot away from a camera lens, some things look cheap and some things look nice, but in the end it somehow works out that way, right? It’s just nature of clothing companies trying to be a certain style without copying them directly, which leads to some pretty cruddy results and finishings sometimes.

   I also wanted to say I really like gladiator sandals on men, it was a novel look on the Raf Simons S/S 07 and 08 runways, but alas that is just another thing with the potential to go terribly wrong in the wrong hands.

5. Jae Young August 23rd, 2008 at 4:06 am 5

   I don’t want Korean women to change their body types at all! That would be a little too much uh self-hating even for a professional hata such as myself. It’s okay for people to look short, because I myself am fairly short, but Koreans are the ones that are obsessing over their height and their lines. I have yet to PS myself so that my legs look longer in my photos. So you know, it’s the war between trendiness and creating the sort of illusion you purportedly want, that’s the point I was trying to make.

   Shoes and I have a love hate relationship anyway. Gladiator shoes are also often cut for a particular foot shape, long and lean, unlike hooves like mine–short and wide feet. I just think it’s a v. unforgiving look. So I tend to go for more classic silhouettes in shoes because of that.

   Avant garde things like open toe boots rub me the wrong way, because they really only tend to work if you get the originals, not the knock offs, and they really don’t last for more than a season. Who has tens of thousands of dollars to pay for a pair of shoes that will only last a few months, if you’re lucky? Knock offs can be fun but how do you knock off an open toe sandal boot? And I could see those shoes becoming mainstream,

   I think this is why I will never be a fashionista, even if I am interested in fashion. I suppose this is why fashion is art for people. But I think my practical tendencies are showing, alas.

6. tinaxxe August 23rd, 2008 at 4:36 am 6

   they dress so much like the women in the US

7. impolite one August 23rd, 2008 at 5:38 am 7

   I too am not a tall Korean guy, and have been blessed with short (though not thick) legs. It’s all I have, but I too veer away from cropped pants and highwaters (even though I really want to wear some) and stick with long 34″-36″ inseam jeans that stack up and give me visual height. I’m gonna give long super-tapered trousers a good workout this fall, as well, a la Lanvin.

8. impolite one August 23rd, 2008 at 5:46 am 8

   And Jae Young, you are right, you do have to buy the originals oft times, to get the ‘look’ going, as is the case with those Margiela thigh-high open toe sandals. You know what the solution to funding those kinds of interests is, though? Designer resale. I think with ‘pieces’ that are iconic though, they have an enduring quality that makes them cool to wear for quite awhile, even longer than they will last. Prada S/S 03 is a collection not really that iconic or remembered, but it actually was pretty novel and I still see lots of it’s influences on the street even today. That whole ‘futurism’ buzzword that brought about silver everything and futuristic gladiators and zoris, super short shorts and oversized tops and jumpers, that was all in Prada SS 03. All of that would have stayed pretty relevant even until this summer, and maybe even into next, on the streets.

9. 수경 August 25th, 2008 at 2:42 am 9

   are the checkered button shirts the trend in korea now or what? lol u captured so many of them in ur photos.. while i thought the checkers should be gone by now

10. 수경 August 25th, 2008 at 2:45 am 10

    oh btw gladiators are everywhere in my country now that i thought i’ve grown sick of them.. at least there are people wearing variations of gladiators somewhere else but girls in my country seems to be wearing all the same gladiator shoes – scary >.<

    i saw the gladiator shoes once go with long skirts – imagine how horrified i was

11. lovelyprincess August 25th, 2008 at 9:18 pm 11

    I was just in Singapore and saw some people wearing the original gladiators. I prefer the ones with gladiator styling like my black heels I bought in Apgu on Rodeo. The “originals” aren’t too cute. But they still beat those ugly Crocs.

12. 수경 August 25th, 2008 at 10:21 pm 12

    @lovelyprincess, the era where people worshipped the Crocs have JUST passed.. count urself lucky you don have to take that lol..

    the crocs were everywhere on the streets then.. :/

13. lovelyprincess August 25th, 2008 at 11:30 pm 13

    I think it’s funny how here in Korea it’s mostly the kids wearing those things. The only adults I’ve seen wearing those things are westerners. Not me, though. My Mom hates those things, too.

14. Yina August 27th, 2008 at 7:28 am 14

    Leggins and flat gladiator sandals are a most unfortunate combination. I don’t care how tall and thin you are, it’s just about the most unflattering combination I can think of. Wear one of those two items if you must (though, personally, I’d never touch either), but both of them together is like you WANT your legs to look as unappealing as possible.

    Having said that, heeled gladiator-styled shoes are fine and something I’d actually wear.

15. Gomushin Girl August 28th, 2008 at 11:41 am 15

    Heeled gladiator boots? That there be ajuma territory! – along with all those various see-through lace and other crazy boot materials.
    And dude, what’s wrong with crocs?!? LONG LIVE THE CROC!

16. vivi August 28th, 2008 at 11:48 am 16

    From reading the comments I feel like I am the only one who loves these shoes lol. I even own a pair of knee high gladiators like the ones Mary-Kate has and a couple of other ones in different styles. And thankfully, the part of California that I am from these shoes aren’t rocked that often.

17. lovelyprincess August 28th, 2008 at 6:20 pm 17

    Yes, I’d agree that heeled gladiator boots are getting into ajumma territory.

18. janie August 29th, 2008 at 3:22 pm 18

    i wish i was taller so i’d actually look good in gladiator shoes. i always try them on though when i see a pair…hoping i’m going to look better in them. hahaha. too bad that didn’t work out….^~^

    anyways, congrats michael on your arirang appearence. i’ll check it out when i have a little more time.

19. Feetmanmanila August 31st, 2008 at 11:54 am 19

    Ok, Ive been looking at this site for awhile, its interesting, a bit funny and as an expat living in the Philippines, in an area with a huge number of Koreans ( I lived in Seoul for 5 years ) I see many of the fashion trends the Korean women bring here. LOve the short shorts and heels, the local women here are also pretty with great legs, but they tend to go for the sandle look…great for us feet afficionados, but the Korean women just look so much more feminine, in fact here its the local women that have a clunky walk in heels, the Korean women do it a lot better! anyway just an opinion from afar, I guess I jumped in now, so I will be adding thoughts..who knows, I may have to get pics here to add of fashion trends Koreans take with them !