Trend Overboard! The Gladiator Sandal

Conventional wisdom tells us that Rome wasn't built in a day, right? Well, it hasn't taken much longer than that for a promising summer fashion trend--the chic gladiator sandal--to become a fashion disaster.

In a matter of weeks, the gladiator's spawned a series of previously unfathomable, "Oh no they didn't!" shoes...or how about we just call them contraptions instead? Just a quick walk through your nearest trendy neighborhood will reveal any number of ill-advised choices that commit the cardinal sin of shortening a woman's legs: fringed suede gladiators, calf-abusing knee-high gladiators, snakeskin gladiator heels...the list goes on.

There's a reason why you'll see stars like Mary Kate Olsen and Jennifer Connelly sporting them, but never Salma or Eva. That's because we know better, gracias a dios. Still, as a matter of public interest, we feel it's necessary to show you some of the worst perpetrators of the gladiator craze gone wrong. You've been warned!

-Richard Lopez