Scorching Shoes To Style Your Summer

From Gladiators To Sky-High Heels, A Style Expert Shows This Season's Hot Fashion Footwear

(CBS)  Out of winter boots and into the open air, your feet have another chance to sparkle this season in stylish footwear designed to make a statement.

Style expert Katrina Szish spotlighted some summer styles Monday on The Early Show that are sure to kick your summer into gear.

Szish said gladiators are back -- and not at the Coliseum.

"The gladiator shoe is something we saw last season, everyone said (gladiators) are not gonna last," Szish said. "Well, they're back again and still making women everywhere feel like goddesses."

Though in their second round in the fashion ring, gladiators, Szish said, can take you back in time to the ancient days of Rome and Greece. The sandals, Szish said, feature a T-strap with multiple straps going across the foot. In the past, she explained, most gladiator sandals were brown or black. But now, she said, you can find gladiator sandals in trendy metallic colors, bold bright hues, sexy snakeskin and just about every other shade and fabric.

And they're more diverse than ever, emerging in high heels, low heels and mid heels as full-on gladiator sandals or just in subtle details of the gladiator style.

Szish told The Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez and guest anchor Amanda Holden that even jelly gladiator shoes have shown up on shelves.

"I'm not keen on the jelly thing," Holden said. "They forced me to wear those in the showers at camp."

The gladiators, Rodriguez added, are a throwback to the '80s Madonna styles.

Sky-high heels are another fashion "do" this summer, according to Szish, who says they are higher and better this season -- but walking in them might be a challenge with some of them ranging from six to seven inches high.

Szish said open-toe boots are a big trend this year. People don't think of boots being for summer, Szish said, but this year, they're stepping out in a big way.

Szish added that a lot of the shoes are on sale now, too, at Zappos.com, JCrew.com and Piperlime.com.

Cute and quirky shoes are another way to deck out your feet this season, Szish said.

Oversized flowers, bright-colored jellies, fun fabrics, fringe, rhinestones, sea creatures, and whimsical stripes, are just some of the ways, Szish said, you can show shoes don’t always have to be so serious.

"Think of your shoes as a piece of art and go with something new and interesting," Szish told CBS News.

And if trendy isn't your style, Szish suggested trying neutral and natural styles with beige, creams, taupes and tans -- an ideal pairing for bright colors and white.

"Neutral shoes have the advantage of never really going out of style," Szish told CBS News, "mainly because they're so versatile, but also because many women feel more comfortable wearing neutral colors than they do very bold colors like red, pink or green."