The Evolution of Gladiator Sandals: How the Shoe Style Evolved From Ancient Cultures to Modern High Fashion

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In the midst of promoting Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film “The Odyssey,” Zendaya stepped out in New York City on Monday wearing fall 2014 Sophia Webster gladiator sandals with a spring 2008 Alberta Ferretti dress, channeling the goddess Athena she plays in the movie. The shoes proved to be a highlight of her archival press tour look, with fans and fashion writers saying she was bringing back the gladiator sandal. But bringing it back from where?

Less than two years before the “The Odyssey” press tour took over pop culture, Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” starring Paul Mescal hit theaters in November 2024. These film’s respective costume designers — Ellen Mirojnick for “The Odyssey” and Janty Yates and David Crossman for “Gladiator II” — used fashion to help transport viewers to ancient Greece and Rome, with regal draped robes, intricate armor and, naturally, gladiator shoes involved

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While watching these sweeping period pieces may seem like a door to another world, the ancient footwear style has carried over thousand of years to secure a place in our modern-day fashion landscape

Long before was method dressing for “The Odyssey” press tour with Christian Louboutin’s Millennium sandals and Sophia Webster’s Clementine heels, ancient Greeks and Romans were wearing versions of the strappy leather sandals we still see today. In the world of Roman , where shoes could reflect one’s status and role in society, there was a variety of styles meant for a range of situations, from war to performing on stage

The book “The World of Roman Costume” edited by Judith Lynn Sebesta and Larissa Bonfante, explains that “in both Greece and Italy, sandals with a complicated network of upper straps, sometimes covering the toes and sometimes leaving the toes exposed, were known by a special name: crepidae, a Latin form of the Greek name krepides which transferred along with the style.”

Another category of shoes for the Romans was caligae, which were military boots for soldiers. The regulation style for soldiers up to the rank of centurion included a tough hob-nailed sole, an inner sole to keep the foot safe from turned hobnails and an upper of cutout leather or thin, interlaced leather straps, with the toes left exposed. An additional sandal style included the sculponeae, which is described in Sebesta and Bonfante’s book as “almost identical to Dr. Scholl’s popular clog of today without the buckle.” The calcei, meanwhile, was an enclosed style worn across classes; it was not seen as appropriate to wear sandals outside with a toga and palla (akin to a toga for women), but it was acceptable indoors with a tunic and stola (a traditional garment of Roman women). While enclosed, these shoes could still feature straps wrapping around the ankle.

The gladiator sandal evolved through the years and became a trendy fashion item in the 1960s and early ’70s. Vogue featured a spread of Paco Rabanne looks paired with the strappy style, and Carly Simon was featured in the same magazine in a 1971 issue wearing a dainty version which crisscrossed up her leg. Pattie Boyd was another champion of the style, famously wearing a purple version with circles

Fast-forward to the 21st century and the style heated up again in the 2010s — Zendaya’s aforementioned Sophia Webster style was a fall 2014 design — and became a staple wardrobe piece in festival culture. Kendall Jenner, for example, showcased a tassel-adorned interpretation at Coachella in 2016, fitting in with the event’s signature boho aesthetic. More recently in the 2020s, stars like Tyla, Serena Williams, Gabby Thomas and more are keeping the footwear style going

Zendaya’s Gladiator Sandals and More Shoe Highlights from ‘The Odyssey’ Press Tour [PHOTOS]

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