Kelly sent me a “Find Me” request and asked me to help her find some “sturdy” gladiator sandals (my description! I mean, good for walking A LONG TIME in) in bronze or gold metallic. I kind of got sucked down the rabbit hole at Zappos, clicking through “recommended” items, etc., but I found some good ones, that are also pretty cute. Of course, as soon as I heard “gladiator” I thought of the Gentle Souls Break my Heart sandal which I’ve been lusting over forever, but they don’t come in bronze metallic. Also love these Eileen Fisher sandals with a slight wedge, but they don’t look substantial enough for lots of walking.
Here are some I found that I think should work for Kelly – they all got very good reviews (Kelly, the bronze metallic qualifier was the hardest part!!!):
1 Naot Dorith sandal | $137 at Zappos (Naot has a lot of good options)
2 Gentle Souls Blinque sandal | $195 at Zappos (a few other colors are on sale at Nordstrom for $97)
3 Born Jill Crown collection | $125 at Zappos
4 Softwalk Torino sandal | $99
Of course, I’d also be remiss if I didn’t throw out the Mephisto Helen sandals, ($135 at Zappos in BRONZE!). They’re not exactly gladiator sandals, but I pretty much think they’re the best sandals EVER. Especially if you’re into comfort. I love the way they look too :))
More sandals I love, but didn’t necessarily fit Kelly’s color requirements (some are also pictured below):
Taos Trophy sandal | $99 at Zappos
Gentle Souls bless pine | $185 at Zappos
Gentle Souls Bless Art | $185 at Zappos
Gentle Souls break my heart | $195 (I have been wanting a pair of these forever…these are the “gladiator” sandals I’d get, in gray or brown though)
Naya Hilary | $125 at Zappos
Eric Michael Miami sandal | $90 at Zappos
Ugg salah sandal | $125 at Zappos
And more…
Do you have any other recommendations? What’s your go-to brand for comfort/sturdy sandals?
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Have a great weekend!!
LOVE love love the recommendations – thank you so much!! My shopping cart at Zappos is already filling up 🙂
I’ve looked at the Mephisto Helen before, but I’ve tried a couple pairs of Mephisto shoes that haven’t fit me properly. Wonder if the sandals fit differently? Might just have to try!
I like the way Mephisto fits, better than birkenstock but haven’t tried any styles other than the helen…
Let me know what you end up getting!!
I just ordered, gulp, 7 pairs of shoes! Obviously I won’t keep them all. But I might keep more than one pair 😉
Ack! Jealous! Which ones?
I have those Gentle Souls “Break my heart” sandals in a sort of grayish taupe from last year. They are VERY cute and comfy, but I don’t know if I would describe them as “sturdy.” The sole is a little thin.
Love it that Kelly ordered 7 pairs!!! (A TRUE shopper if there ever was one! 😉 ) I love all of your choices, Grechen, but especially the Gentle Souls “Blinque” and “Break my Heart” and the Naya “Hilary” in green. I have had the Gentle Souls lace-up gladiator on my Pinterest board forever…it’s like my perfect sandal!!
I ordered the Ecco Flash low gladiator and Groove, Naot Dorith and Bernice, Softwalk Torino, Erin Michael Miami, and Taos Trophy. Based on appearance only, I think the Dorith is my favorite, but I know that I can be picky about how shoes feel (comfort is really important) so having more options can only be a good thing!
So I don’t feel too bad about ordering so many shoes – my mom is also interested in these shoes and will try them on when the package arrives 😉 Heaven help us if we like the same styles.
AWESOME!! I love the dorith also, it’s probably my favorite of the ones i posted. naot seems to have a lot of good options, i’ve always wanted to try their shoes, i don’t know why i never have…
i am SO picky about shoes – I get it!
let me know how they work out
oh. good point. they seem better than some for city walking though. at least that’s what i tell myself to justify them 😉
I love Worishofer sandals. They always need to have a rubber sole added by a cobbler, but they are soooo comfortable. I always get tons of compliments, too.
I can vouch for those Naya sandals. I just wore them 2 days at Disneyland and my feet felt wonderful?!
I love Worishofer, but I always feel like they’re best when they’re “ironic.” And I’m old as dirt, so they might just be seen as orthopedics on me!
I can also vouch for the Naya sandals- love them! I feel like they look best with long skirts and pants (cropped or long), but I have pretty muscular legs so I’m picky about what I considering “flattering” to the leg. Comfort wise they are awesome!
lol. totally agree with you on that. i tried some one when they first started becoming trendy and they looked HORRIBLE on me
me too Lala! i definitely tend to like flat/strappy sandals with long skirts or pants because of my legs.
good to hear such great reviews on the naya sandals…may have to be my next pair!
Oh, hey, I also just wanted to mention that I have a gladiator/fisherman-esque pair from Topshop that are really cute (although not bronze):
(sorry for the massive url …)
I don’t know if they will last more than a few months because they are pretty cheap (don’t look it) but they are really comfy for walking!
**edited by grechen to embed the link…
the link didn’t work, actually – are these your sandals?
SO CUTE.
Yes, those are the ones! And THE PRICE IS RIGHT, even if it does take 10 days to get them.
that’s always been my issue with topshop…and sweaty betty. i would totally buy more from them if it didn’t take so long! i’m all about instant (or near-instant) gratification 😉
I always try to find stuff at the Topshop in Manhattan (Soho) but they are always out of my size, somehow. Or the item that I like is out of stock altogether. But there is some great, cute stuff available if you don’t mind waiting!
I find it so difficult to get adult sandals to fit me so this is a great help! I am only a size 3, so all th sandals I try on are pink and girly. I am more a Birkenstock girl and I love to hike. I am going on Holiday soon, so I will use this to help me pick me shoes!!!
Thanks
Cass
Shoes arrived today. I think I have narrowed my choices to the Ecco Groove (pretty grey/silver though), Taos Trophy (fairly casual with the embossing, but sooooooo comfortable) and Naot Bernice (not a metallic – nude that matches my foot color which I find a little odd, but again, soooo comfortable). Sadly the Dorith fits oddly on my right toe box. But I’ll try everything on again tomorrow with a couple of outfits and see if I feel the same. Mom is coming over on Saturday to see if she likes any of them. Thank you sooooo much for helping find these options!
you’re welcome! you made some good choices 🙂
i’ll be interested to hear how you think they work with different outfits. thanks for being our guinea pig!!!!!