With frozen trees and school delays, it may seem a bit too early to bring up a discussion of spring and summer sandals, but with the weekend looking bright and sunny we might as well prepare. Stores are already showing off their best selec tions of phalange-showing footwear, so it’s time to paint those toenails a pretty shade.

Now before you start ask ing, I’ll point out that I’m not going to talk much about flip-flops in this article. They’re cute, but not particularly classy, and unless they are de signer, they’re probably not in fashion.

Surprisingly, sandals come in all shapes and sizes; there’s always a spinoff of some sort, leaving the ‘fashionista’ in us all to be discontented with just one pair. Specifically spotlighted in this article are sandals that are strappy, sim plistic, flat and heeled. And let’s not forget about the em bellishments: Valentino even has a line of studded sandals!

I’m unsure of what to label the first type of sandal on this list that has come into style. It’s a mix between a fishing sandal a huarache and a t-strap. The sandal is flat, with an ankle or t-strap to hold it on your foot. The toes are ei ther fully enclosed, like a fish ing sandal, or show only a bit of peep toe. In this region of the foot the material is often woven, like a Huarache, but can also be plain with cut-outs.

Think Zooey Deschanel and vintage-looking. A great place to find these sandals is the online store, ModCloth, though they clas sify them as flats because of the closed toe. You’ll most ly find these shoes in muted colors, but I also think you can’t go wrong with white for a nice clean look.

Platform is a popular de cision when picking out the perfect sandal. There’s al ways the wedge option, both for nights out and for more casual situations depending on what clothes you wear with them. Neutral colors, like brown and nude, are a simplistic choice to wear with boot-cut pants. Espadrilles, a wedge with a rope wrapped heel, are also good for a ca sual occasion, and they emit beach vibes.

But if you’re looking to draw attention, you’re going to want a print, whether it’s just the wedge part or the entire shoe. When limited to the heel region, patterns come in tribal prints, stripes or chevron. Make sure your outfit doesn’t contrast it too much. While canvasing the whole shoe, the pattern is often floral, but don’t worry, there are many varieties to choose from!

Another form of platform emerging onto the scene is the f latform shoe. Unlike the usual platform, where the heel is higher than the toe though both are elevated, the flatform shoe has one almost -even platform underneath the entire foot.

This platform can be ei ther tall or short, depending on your comfort zone. It’s made to look a little funky, but for the fashion savvy adventurer, this is the trend to conquer before summer arrives. Don’t let it scare you; after all, it is just a sandal.

My favorite emerging sandal trend is some thing I like to call the “sim ple and straight.” This sandal of ten has an ankle strap and a straight strap across the base of the toes. Simplistic and stunning with a stiletto heel, you can wear this shoe to formal events or fancy dinners.

When in flat or perhaps short-stacked heel form, the “simple and straight” san dal can have added straps between the toe and ankle. Unlike its stiletto sister, these straps are more fun when varied in color and pattern. Metallics, f lorals, animal prints, pastels and bright col ors are all popular choices to add some extra pizazz to your classically comfy sandal.

So whether you will be sticking to the sandals you know and love this spring and summer or trying some thing new, I hope this trend report has shown you what shoes to buy in preparation of the warm weather. After all, a girl can never have too many.