Sandals Can Dress Up or Down Any Outfit

Strappy, heeled or slip-on, wearing sandals gives our feet time to breathe.

These open-toe and often open-foot shoes help keep us cool and allow us to accessorize outfits in a new way in steamy weather.

Choosing the correct sandal for an outfit is all about styling and how you add other pieces to create your look, says Erin Sumwalt, fashion market director for InStyle magazine.

While the gladiator sandal is a huge trend again this summer, the fabrics this year are not as edgy and dark, Sumwalt says.

"The way they are designed this year makes them much easier to wear," Sumwalt says. "The gladiator sandal is being done in a much more delicate way. You don't have to be 10 feet tall to wear them, because they may have a thinner strap, which is much more flattering on most any woman's leg."

Look for them in nude, taupe and metallic. There are many options to fit most body types and allow transformation from day to evening.

Some offer flirty embellishments -- feathers, rhinestones and fringe -- which make them perfect to pair with a dress, Sumwalt says.

"We are looking at essentially three types of sandals for summer," says Gregg Andrews, Nordstrom's fashion director. "The heeled platform gladiator with a lot of band, the wedge sandal and the pancake-flat sandal, which have more detail than ever."

The gladiator is dubbed "the seasonless sandal" because it covers a lot of skin, he says, and it can be worn into the fall with socks.

"Metallics go with lots of outfits and can usually be worn in an office setting," says Zoe Glassner, senior shopping editor at Marie Claire. "Keep your flip-flops for the beach, especially if you live in the city. ... Choose a nice flat sandal. They can be as comfortable as flip-flops, and they will look great."

The gladiator is more grown-up this summer, says Tracey Lomrantz, Slaves to Fashion blogger for Glamour.com. The new design has combined the cage look with a higher heel to give the shoe more sophistication.

And then there is the classic wedge.

"Wedges are an amazing summer shoe," Lomrantz says. "It is comfortable to stand on for long periods of time and also is very cute. An espadrille is your classic summer shoe, one that always looks good. Brigitte Bardot wore them and designer Michael Kors still designs them, so it is a shoe that transcends time."

The most basic sandal -- a flat made of leather in a neutral color with a T-strap -- goes with every look for summer, Lomrantz says.

Sandals can be the most powerful fashion accessory, says Eileen Lewis, director of fashion strategy for Zappos.com, because they can dress up or down an outfit.