Fashion Synopsis

Et tu, Brute?

Neither Caesar, nor the 80’s wouldn’t have been the same without togas (okay, toga parties in the 80’s) and sandals of multi-strapped leather.

As a young man, a certain future Roman Caesar received the nickname Caligula, meaning small shoe. Even as an adult, Caligula wore children’s shoes because of his petite feet. Roman sandals were crude shoes, but they offered much-needed protection against the craggly landscape. Rugged strips of leather made up the sole of the sandal, and strips of leather crisscrossed over the feet to provide stability. Variations of the latticework of leather strips were made for the different ranks within the Roman court.

This style of criss-cross, leather strip footwear became a popular style in the 80’s. Ironically, the sandals we called “slave sandals” would never have been worn by slaves, as they were forbidden to wear shoes.

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girl's apparel
shoes

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