Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Welcome, Gladiator fashion!

My little brother is in love with the show Spartacus. It's pretty much all he thought about until the new show Game of Thrones came out. Even now, he quotes Spartacus all the time and wishes he could go to gladiator camp. This Spartacus love is not unique to my brother. In fact, it's showing up all over the place in women's fashion... Check out this Spartacus costume:


According to the website for the Colosseum, Romans really did wear sandals, primarily because the temperature in Rome was too hot to allow for full foot coverings. Apparently, Romans never went barefoot because a bare foot was a sign of absolute poverty. The sandals Romans wore were generally rigid leather attached by leather cords or straps, so the Gladiator sandals we see today in modern fashion are a rejuvenated interpretation of this slightly primitive footwear. What's interesting is that just like today, Gladiator sandals had a bit of fashion to them. They were often studded with metal nails on the soles to add structure to the soles, and although gladiators in the arena didn't really need that sort of support, the nails added style and realism to the show. Today, we're copying the gladiators...


I personally thought the gladiator look was a little silly when it first came out, but now, I have fallen victim to the fashion bug, and I like them. I definitely believe that this fashion craze relates directly to my brother's beloved Spartacus. And while I don't really like the show, I have now begun to dress like the characters!

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