In a recent unexpected excessive outburst of (possibly unwanted) creative energy, celebrities nowadays feel the need to be more than just one thing. We’ve got actors who are compelled to sing, models wanting to act, and the inevitable celebs who think they can design. Le sigh. It started out as a great idea, but now that we’ve got celebrities launching their clothing lines left and right, it’s really becoming oversaturated, overexposed, and just plain over.

They should really take a cue from the celebs who practically invented the celebrity clothing line, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. Although having had a clothing line of their own since they were, well, born, MK&A didn’t rest on their laurels. As soon as they had legal access to the fortune that they built, they rebranded themselves as mini moguls, style icons, and a fashion force to be reckoned with. They launched their couture label The Row in 2006, and its success prompted the twins to follow it up with another successful clothing line called Elizabeth and James.

MK&A’s first foray into shoes in the Elizabeth and James line include a number of roman sandals, including these Elizabeth and James Edge:

Elizabeth and James Edge roman sandals

They also have flat roman sandals, the Elizabeth and James Becky:

Elizabeth and James Becky

Of course, MK&A’s famed shoe collection includes very high heels, so these 4 1/4″-high roman sandal-inspired heels fit right iin:

Elizabeth and James Julie

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen made sure to have a little bit of something for everyone in their clothing line.

Here’s another MK&A trait that other celebrities with clothing lines should take a cue from: model your own clothing!

Mary Kate Olsen in Elizabeth and James Edge roman sandals

Purchase Elizabeth and James shoes through Zappos.com.

Recently engaged Emily Blunt was spotted wearing a pair of cute stone embellished flat Roman sandals while heading off to the airport. Her look was comfy casual in ripped jeans under a sweater vest and a long sleeved knit, just the right ensemble when you’re up for a long flight ahead.

Wearing flat sandals is the best alternative to wearing sneakers when you’re traveling. It is dressier but still gives you the comfort you need while you do heavy luggage lifting. Sneakers are a little too casual, and the outfits you can pair it with are quite limited. With flat sandals, you can either dress up or dress down. Either way, you will look sexier too.

I was able to find a couple of stone embellished Roman sandals just like Emily’s. I hope you like this selection of mine. I made it a point to choose ones that aren’t too pricey, though I couldn’t resist including the Elie Tahari Mabel Sandal, which costs US$302.

Diba Late Lee Sandal, on sale at US$39

Sam Edelman Giada Sandal, on sale at US$76

Elie Tahari Mabel Sandal, US$302

BCBGeneration Uma Sandal, only US$79

These photos were taken a while back (September 15, 2009 to be exact), but how can anyone resist not ogling at the amazing Balmain cage roman sandals that Heidi Klum was wearing that day?

Heidi Klum taking her kids to Karate class

Close up of Balmain studded cage roman sandals

Simply gorgeous.

What makes these sandals fit so perfectly are the elastic straps. Yep, you read that right, the straps that appear to be leather are not made of cowhide but of elasticized rubber bands. The heel, the sole, and the rest of the sandals are made out of leather, but the straps are all stretchy fabric.

These Balmains are also available in a high-heeled version, which makes them look even fiercer:

The real Balmains go for nearly $900. Of course, we went hunting for some similar styles at (much) lower prices. These are arranged according to how similar they look to the Balmains:

GUESS Designa, $109.95

Baby Phat Marianela, now only $86.13

Type Z Hennelly, now only $77.60

Kinda cool how the shoes that look most similar to the Balmains are also the cheapest.

The cage footwear style is one 2009 trend that we wouldn’t mind seeing more of this year in 2010.

Buy these cage roman sandals on Zappos.com.

Early this January, Rihanna was spotted in Mexico with  L.A. Dodger boyfriend, Matt Kemp, both taking a break from the buzz and the cold winter weather. The lovebirds were easily spotted as they drew attention to themselves by wearing large Mexican hats. I guess they were simply enjoying, and couldn’t care less whether they would be seen or not.

Rihanna and Matt (behind in mask) spotted in Mexico

Ri-Ri was looking sexy as usual, cooling herself under the hot sun with some ice-cream cone, wearing only a thin cover-up to mask the red bikini that she paired with some lace-up Roman sandals.

You can tell from the picture that she was simply there to unwind and enjoy because she was even too lazy to lace up those sandals! Well, what’s the use of lacing up if you’re going to dip into the pool every few minutes anyway, right?

It’s a nice pair though, slightly daintier looking because of the lace-up strings, not like the usual Roman sandals with thick multi-straps.

Want the shoes? Here are some suggestions:

Type Z Latika Lace-up Sandal

Type Z Jasmine Lace-up Sandal

Promisuous Zaria Lace-up Sandal

Though not as common as its sister (the ankle-high gladiators), knee-high gladiator sandals can actually do wonders to your style, provided that you wear it in the right manner, of course.

Type Z Noteworthy Knee-high Gladiators

Knee-high gladiators have the ability to hide thick calves, or make your legs look even thicker. That is why it is very important to choose the right sandal design to achieve the positive benefits.

There are a few things you need to know before putting the sandals on. Here’s a how-to guide to help you achieve a winning look with knee-high gladiators:

1. Wear short outfits – mini skirts, mini dresses, and short shorts are the perfect pieces to match with your knee-high gladiators. The shorter you are, the shorter your wardrobe should be (without showing your buns, of course). If you are on the tall side, then you can afford a longer outfit, but still, keep it several inches above the knee.

Model on runway wearing knee-high gladiator sandals with short shorts

2. Avoid too many horizontal straps, and keep the straps thin – instead of choosing a pair that is pre-dominantly horizontal, choose one that has a vertical strap at the center front with fewer horizonal straps across it. The vertical straps will make your calves look slimmer. However, make sure that the T-strap is not too thick; otherwise, it will defeat its own purpose. Keep the horizontal straps thin as well.

Penny Loves Kenny Arius Knee-High Gladiator Sandals

Diagonal straps – if you want to wear diagonally oriented knee-high gladiator sandals, make sure the T-strap is present. Remember to keep the diagonal straps thin and at a minimum.

Alexander McQueen Knee-high Gladiator Sandals

3. Wear the right knee-high gladiators for the right occasion – if you’re wearing a pair of jean shorts, then using rugged looking knee-high gladiators is ok. But if you’re wearing a more formal looking outfit, make sure the knee-high sandals are dressy enough to keep up with the dress!

Fustasma Roman 10 Gold Knee-high Heeled Gladiator Sandals

Leg Avenue Roma Knee-high Heeled Gladiator Sandals

Heeled and dressier knee-high gladiators for dressier ocassions

4. Don’t show too much skin on top – because the length of your dress, shorts, or skirt is already on the short side, it would be best NOT to show too much skin on the top half. Otherwise, you end up looking sl_tty. So try to keep it low key, keep it covered, keep it classy.

Mary Kate in knee-high gladiator sandals and a long sleeved tunic

5. Keep the statement piece at ONE – let’s keep it real ladies, wearing knee-high gladiator sandals is a fashion statement. It’s also a BOLD statement, so keep your outfit and accessories on the low side. Avoid looking like you’re trying too hard. Keep it simple; let your knee-high sandals speak for itself.

So there you have it, 5 simple rules to guide you in looking fashionably stylish in knee-high gladiator sandals.