Glad mad

From the ramp, to the red carpet and now on to the high street — gladiator heels are taking the fashion conscious by storm.

From the ramp, to the red carpet and now on to the high street — gladiator heels are taking the fashion conscious by storm.

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Spotted on the international ramp in 2008, the last three months have seen a bevy of Bollywood stars such as Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra, Neha Dhupia and Deepika Padukone sporting them. While 40 per cent of luxury label Jimmy Choo’s Delhi customers go in for gladiators, custom-shoe designer Swati Mehrotra says, “Gladiator heels have now become a wardrobe essential.” Mehrotra adds that customers are now increasingly asking for gladiators in different styles.

At high-street shop Aldo, gladiator heels start from Rs 1,800 and their sales executive, Clement, says, “They are the fastest moving style now.” Janpath and Sarojini Nagar shops started stocking these sandals since last December. “The demand for these has definitely increased,” says Visheshwar Jha, store manager, Kala Niketan, Janpath.