Hanging straps on balteus?

[Forty-One]

And I was thinking that it was just something to be flashy (though another part of me is just like "why"? lol), .

Gladiators wore them too, often at the back. Likely, again, just for show. Some were of exaggerated length, reaching right down to the wearer's calves. They must have been really awkward to fight in. There are quite a few images showing them as long as this:



There are also "military style" ones, again worn at the back:



One wonders if a few soldiers might not have worn them like this too (no evidence, though).

Quite a few images of gladiators show the front of their breech-cloth pulled into a strip and weighted with a spherical object. Others have what seem to be straps. Some arena attendants wear what are obviously fabric belts tied like modern Karate belts with the ends dangling. I wonder if the military apron fashion was adopted ultimately from gladiators.