Amsterdamn-based, fashion house Viktor & Rolf puts its own very special stamp on the hybrid gladiator/bootie profile for Spring 2010. You can’t see it so well in this image, but the stamp on the side of the shoe is what puts it over the top. Good for those nights when you’re sick of taking everyone’s b.s. Pair these heels with a black hoodie and a sullen face and let people know you’re not as nice as they think you are.

Pictured brands (L-R): Dolce Vita, Bernardo, Sam Edelman & Sam Edelman

David Z, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the N.Y. retail scene, has been holding down the shoe needs of fashion-obsessed city dwellers for basically ever. No, you’re not gonna find ground-breaking, sky-high heels there, but you will find stylish shoes that will end up being the season’s eyecatching workhorse. We asked women’s buyer Christina Ciglar to break down leading trends at her stores and also what she thinks the edgier fashionistas will be hunting for. This is what she had to say:

“The leading trend for this spring will be flat sandals with embellishments, updated gladiators, and covered-up sandal styles. After a long, cold winter customers are looking forward to wearing the spring fashion. The fashion forward customer will be wearing ’70’s influenced styles, chunky heels and platforms to go with the jumper trend. The same girl cannot wear the sky-high heels that have been out with the new clothing trends because that overall look is too hookerish.”

More shoe images on the other side.

Spring 2009 will be a good season, I’ll bet, for women’s footwear. A lot of new ideas sprung up during 2008 and it’s looking like a lot of them will be expanded on and combined for next spring. Here’s a spring 2009 J.Shoe style that combines gladiator looks on a platform with Native American detail influences.

^^This one was my fave. Click to the right to see Courtney’s (who was repping the line) fave….

Lois: HighSnobette at Hotmail dot com