Roman fashion still on trend more than 2,000 years later

This week sees the release of Paramount Pictures’ new adaptation of Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. This epic tale is guaranteed to set pulses racing – not least for the sight of Jack Huston at the reins of a chariot. The ancient world has, however, inspired some equally epic fashion so take your cue from our favourite Greco-Roman influenced looks and prepare to do battle for tickets.

The sandal

What were you wearing on your feet in the summer of 2015? It may well have been a gladiator sandal. The catwalks of Milan and Paris saw to that. French designer Isabel Marant sent out earthy warriors in tightly pleated minis paired with buckled ankle height sandals while Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli offered a more romantic take, with finely braided knee-high versions teamed with macramé woven dresses resembling delicate armour. Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton, however, created structured affairs with platform soles – showing them with tunics that had the appearance of designer breastplates.

The tunic

The Boho movement of the Noughties provided ample opportunity for channelling ancient civilisations. And spearheading the decade’s aesthetic were supermodel Kate Moss and actor Sienna Miller who made the look their own, taking it from music festival to the city streets. Remember Kate in that supersized coin belt slung around a khaki shift and Sienna Miller at Glastonbury working the battle-scarred centurion look with studded belt and distressed tunic? Halle Berry went a step further in a white dress by Rachel Roy cinched with a rope tie. Just the thing for a trip to the agora in Ancient Athens.

The MET Gala

The MET Gala, the celebrity-packed ball held annually in New York to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is ever an eminently stylish affair, with the red carpet becoming an unofficial runway for celebrities wearing designer gowns. This year pop sensation Taylor Swift donned bespoke Louis Vuitton – a fierce silver tunic with sandals that laced up to the knee while actor Emma Stone opted for a metallic harness worn atop a flowing white Grecian style gown by Miuccia Prada.

The ancient world also proved inspirational for Rosie Huntington-Whiteley who chose a Balmain tunic of pleated leather and leopard print calf hair (above) for the event’s 2014 incarnation.

The armour

Jean Paul Gaultier’s SS10 tribal-inspired collection featured one look particularly worthy of a gladiatorial contest in the Colosseum with asymmetric body jewellery worn with a blue Grecian-inspired gown. Nicolas Ghesquière’s grommeted epaulettes of Resort 16 had the look of armour and Valentino’s SS16 collection saw leather breastplates that would make your fellow charioteers green with envy.

The boys

Rather more sober of late, there were a couple of seasons where Donatella Versace’s menswear collections were utterly immersed in the Greco-Roman zone. SS13 represented peak phalanx with her contemporary pugilists giving more than a nod to their ancient forebears, while SS15’s beach-ready boys sported towels in the manner of togas (below).

The (amphi) theatre

The American Superbowl of 2012 provided the perfect forum for a sartorial trip back in time to the ancient world. Madonna let rip in custom-made Givenchy worthy of a warrior queen while MIA’s look resembled that of a bellicose Cleopatra. In other news, Beyoncé prefers to leave historical costume to her backing dancers.