The great thing about espadrilles,” says a well-connected friend who wore a pair to a royal wedding, “is that you can curtsy in them. The base gives you support so you don’t wobble as much when you bow.”
The Spanish shoe is everywhere. at Wimbledon, Zara Tindall wore a black pair. Lady Violet Manners appeared in a white pair at the Cartier Queen’s Cup Polo Final. And the Countess of Wessex also chose white on a recent trip to Cyprus.
Almost every woman in the Spanish royal family has stepped out in these shoes recently, including Queen Letizia and teenage princesses Leonor and Sofia.
That Duchess of Cambridge is barely out of them: Last month she kicked a football while wearing nude espadrilles at an event in Cambridgeshire.
In summer, the braided shoe is a must-have for elegant women at events such as polo games or races, where the wedge heel prevents them from sinking into the grass. But this year, as the social scene is in full swing for the first time since the pandemic began, they are more common than ever.
‘Espadrilles’, a type of Spanish sandal that have become popular this summer, are worn by celebrities and royalty – but their odd aesthetic has caused some disbelief
The wedge heel prevents the wearer from sinking into the grass while providing support that makes curtseying easy – perfect for royal garden parties
Net-a-Porter says its sales of espadrilles are up more than 50 percent year-on-year
They were made in Spain in the 14th century and worn by soldiers and peasants
Last month Kate Middleton kicked a football while wearing nude espadrilles at an event in Cambridgeshire
Alizee Thevenet (pictured) was spotted at Wimbledon with her husband James Middleton in a white pair of espadrille sandals
Net-a-Porter says its sales of espadrilles are up more than 50 percent year-on-year. You could say it’s ja-padrille season.
The most authentic brand is Castaner, the Spanish line founded in 1927, worn by royals around the world and sold by Net-a-Porter and Selfridges. But other companies are following suit. This summer, Marks & Spencer is selling a pair in pink for £29.50, bought by fashion editors. And British brand Holland Cooper, also worn by the Duchess of Cambridge, has launched an inaugural line with flat and wedge versions.
At a wedding in Home Counties last month, I counted five pairs of Penelope Chilvers espadrilles, pastel colors and tied with vibrant velvet ribbons.
“Everyone who was in any way fashionable wore them to the Henley Regatta this year,” says one gregarious guy. “They are acceptable in tennis and polo.”
“I will die in my castaners,” says another devotee, praising them for being practical and comfortable. “Unless they get wet at a wedding in Cornwall because they get so heavy it’s like wearing diving boots.”
Their elevated status is ironic for a shoe of such humble origins; Similar to jeans, the espadrille was originally functional workwear.
They were made in 14th-century Spain and worn by soldiers and peasants; A cheap and relatively sturdy shoe made from esparto, the Mediterranean grass that makes up its plaited sole, and covered with canvas.
During the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, they became a symbol of the working class, worn by resistance soldiers fighting the fascists.
They were then picked up by slightly fewer working-class types as they became fashionable.
Coco Chanel wore them on the French Riviera, adorned with pearls and a sailor hat. About a decade later, Lauren Bacall wore them alongside Humphrey Bogart in Key Largo, as did Grace Kelly in High Society. If you are traveling to Provence or Puglia this summer, you can find similar pairs in the supermarket for €10 each.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that the wedge version was invented after designer Yves Saint Laurent came across a pair at a Paris fair and asked Lorenzo and Isabel Castaner to design him one with a heel. The style caught on and today Castaner, still family-owned and managed, sells 30,000 pairs a year in more than 50 countries.
Little wonder. Espadrilles are not only super comfortable, but they are also breathable, so you avoid sweaty feet. When you tie the band around your legs, you can feel as graceful as a ballerina.
Lady Violet Diana, a model, wore the trendy shoes at the Cartier Queen’s Cup Polo 2022
Coco Chanel wore them on the French Riviera, adorned with pearls and a sailor hat. About a decade later, Lauren Bacall wore them alongside Humphrey Bogart in Key Largo, as did Grace Kelly (pictured) in High Society
A version of the shoes is available this summer at an affordable £29.50 from Marks & Spencer’s
Men tend not to be fans. “They are much more Aga than Victoria’s Secret. Terribly homely and unsexy,” grumbles one city dweller
“They look like you have bales of hay strapped to your feet,” explains another friend
If I can hide my toes in the summer by wearing these by the pool, I will (if only more people feel the same way).
Zara Tindall wore a black pair at Wimbledon. Lady Violet Manners appeared in a white pair at the Cartier Queen’s Cup Polo Final
Almost every woman in the Spanish royal family has been stepping in these shoes lately, including Queen Letizia and teenage Princesses Leonor and Sofia
“They’re great for tall women,” adds a friend who is over six feet tall, “because you can choose a lower wedge and still feel like a lady.”
For walking around the beach or going to the pool, I also think the flats are a lot chicer than chunky Birkenstocks or skinny flip-flops — and if I can tuck my toes in the summer, I will (if only more people felt the same way) .
However, not everyone is convinced of this. “They look like they’ve had bales of hay strapped to their feet,” says a friend.
And a few weeks ago, before a holiday in Sicily, I needed shoes to wear in the evenings and they seemed like the obvious answer. In my mind, I would float across the Italian island in a pair with a breezy dress in the elegant manner of Penelope Cruz. But after trying on several versions, I decided I could only get away with nude or very light colored espadrilles because tying dark ribbons around my ankles shortened my legs and made them look like tree trunks.
Men tend not to be fans. “They are much more Aga than Victoria’s Secret. Terribly homely and unsexy,” grumbles one city dweller.
Can’t please everyone. But I love my LK Bennett pale pink pair and will wear them all summer long until they stretch and discolor (they usually only last one season in my experience).
And remember, if you’re ever invited to a royal wedding or perhaps a garden party at Buckingham Palace, it really is that much easier to curtsey there.
