Sticking the, er, sandal in

My lovely friend Tot F has been bemoaning the emergence (or perhaps that should be the re-emergence) of the Roman sandal as a fashion object.


"There are many things to miss of ancient Rome", she opined; "their sandals are not one of them".


She is, as always, correct.

These shots were taken at the Roman amphitheatre at Nimes.


It's an impressive structure -- a deep bowl carved out inside so that the scale of it surprises you when you walk in from the outside.

Of course deeply unpleasant things were done here, as can be seen on the racks of postcards outside the arena:


I mean, why on earth would anyone make grown men fight in nappies? Those Roman johnnies were particularly perverse.

Anyhow, as my eye was gliding over the heroic stones of this graceful architecture, they happened to alight on this astonishing chap:


There, kitted-out in authentic Roman tunic, exposing acres of manly thigh, was some sort of Gladiatorial fluffer.

I don't think I need to point out that he is the one standing on the right in this next photo, but I will, just for the avoidance of doubt:


You get a much better view of the tunic (or, rather, mini-skirt/rompersuit combo) from the back. Let's just get a little closer to that manly musculature, just for a moment...


Anyway, the point is -- and I think we can all agree on this -- that the tunic worn by Roman gladiatorial fluffers is, in fact, a veritable work of art, and one which I personally would like to see returned to the catwalk (and the men's outfitters) post haste.


Incidentally, I stumbled across those two fluffers a bit later -- what a coincidence! -- in a different part of the arena. I had not been furtively following them around, while they struggled to get away from the leering pervert with the camera.


Quite enough of all that old stuff -- just an opportunity to reiterate that my friend Tot F knows about what she's banging on. No question.