What a great piece of advice (given by Vogue UK), and what a great way to frame this quick round-up of spring 2008 shoes. Shoes this season are, if nothing else, fanciful. Also bold. Sculptural. And sometimes a little crazy! Let’s take a look.

If you’re a collector who follows the trends, here’s what you’ll need to be truly of-the-moment this season: Gladiators. They are everywhere, and come in every form from flats to wedges to boots. They look adorable with this season’s longer dresses and slightly baggy cropped pants…Wedges. “Everybody should have a wedge,” opines celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe on piperlime.com. They’re so great with jeans or sundresses or any of your other summer staples…Patents. Ubiquitous (and really fun and fresh), patent leather is showing up across the spectrum, from a casual flat you can buy at Target to some very pricey Guccis…Metallics. Choose sandals, in gold or silver depending on your skin tone… Raffia. Shoedish (one of my favorite blogs) points to raffia as one of the emerging trends this year…Sex and The City. No round-up published two weeks before opening day would be complete without the “It” shoes from SATC. You probably can’t buy them any more (they’re mostly sold out), but nonetheless you need to see them…Fantastic. Check out this short International Herald Tribune video for a look at some really fantastic shoes.

There’s still time to add – and enjoy – a few or many of these pieces to your collection. Even better, they may be on sale by now (Stuart Weitzman is for sure). Happy shopping!