Is This The New Gladiator Sandal?

You can likely recall the last time and place you purchased a pair of gladiator sandals. The flat-soled, lace-up, caged-in shoe seemed ubiquitous not too many summers ago (R.I.P. the celebrity obsession with the knee-high version), but aside from the worn-out Valentino Rockstud pair in the back of our closets, the neoclassical silhouette is best left to the sale aisle of DSW. And since we've outgrown the ornate style, there has to be more to life than our standard rubber flip-flops.

A cursory glance at Instagram's Discover page is enough to lead us down a rabbit hole of these lace-up, ankle-tie sandals. Less cagey and more lace-y, the new-wave of lace-up sandals are a lesson in knots and ties in just the right places. To add to it's allure, they're littered across the board from super casual to ready for a night of shimmying. Find yourself a pair for the daytime and a pair for a night out. It's almost summer '18: Give a thumbs down to the utilitarian gladiator sandals of the past and a thumbs up to your new favorite pair of shoes.