Those big, black, stripy, things are back this year. And no, I don’t mean giraffes; I’m talking about the shoe accessories known largely as Gladiator Sandals.

Gladiator sandals are those sandals that look more like an accessory a prostitute might wear, rather than a summer time relaxing style of footwear.

If you had the guts to wear them last summer you better have the guts to wear them again this summer because there is word the fashion world expects them to become an even bigger hit this year.

The only difference from last season’s releases is that they will be taller and fringed in 2010.

So far this year they have been seen them used in a bunch of the spring fashion shows, and have been embraced by designers and experts in the field.

The good thing about Gladiator Sandals is that you can make any outfit interesting with them and if you don’t feel comfortable with the knee high length you can tone it down with the shorter calve length, or bootie length.

The gladiator comes in many styles so you can still wear it the way you want to, and tailor them to most outfits.

Gladiator Sandals retail at a number of selected and boutique stores and range in their prices depending on the designer and quality of the product.