Espadrilles for summer breezes

Espadrilles, the casual canvas rope-soled shoe, are great summer-into-fall slip-ons.

Shown here on actress Isabel Lucas, the shoe adds Euro sass to a sundress, linen pants, jeans or any summer casual wear.

Ropey Soles carry both mens' and womens' models, hand made in France, and provide friendly, fast international shipping from Dorset, U.K.

These are authentic, with tough jute soles and substantial canvas bodies, worn either shoe or mule-style (with the heel squashed down)
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They are meant to get beat up and mellow, like old jeans.

I like the womens' open-toed wedge, above, available in seven colours, or the classic flat shoe. I ordered several pairs of the striped mens' model in both navy/white and the jaunty "California" stripe (below) for Le Duc.

Even with shipping and tax, they worked out to about $35 per pair. Espadrilles are useful to keep in the car as a pair of driving shoes, stuck under a seat, as an extra pair tucked in your overnight bag, or as a handy gardening shoe.

The closed-toe model has the additional benefit of disguising a not-quite-perfect pedicure, while lending an Endless Summer air to your outfit.

Though I'd prefer a trip to the Cote d'Azur to capture them in their native habitat, I'm delighted to find a good online source.

Ropey Soles also sell beautiful lined berets, in shades like this ethereal emerald, for £ 14.99 plus very reasonable shipping fees (and no VAT in non-EU countries.)

And they have a SPECIAL OFFER!
Choose 4 or more items from RopeySoles.com in any single order and get 10% off the price of each item.
Mix and match men's and women's styles of espadrilles and berets with no restrictions, you'll still get 10% off.

Comments

mette said…
Yes, espadrilles, I have completely forgotten them. They look so much nicer than the flip-flops, which actually belong to the beach. I might have difficulties with my hb wearing them ; )
Susan B said…
LOVE that striped pair! Every summer I think about picking up a pair of espadrilles, and then always forget to look for them. Great selections here!
Mardel said…
I love espadrilles and must thank you for doing the research on this. These are precisely the kinds of espadrilles that I think of as summer necessities, the kind that seem more and more difficult to find in a sea of trendy espadrille styles.
Frugal Scholar said…
Love espadrilles, but they really are throw aways. At the first bit of rain--au revoir.
Duchesse said…
Frugal: Mine are 3 summers old, if I get into rain I put shoe trees in and they dry. The Asian-made ones are not worth buying though, as glued vs sewn.
Anonymous said…
It's so nice to see you featuring something english too! And thank you for this one particularly - I love berets, and the brats lost my lovely red one some years ago so now I can replace it.
My feet are wide, so I'd have to opt for the men's - fortunately the men's sizes on this site start really small, and I'd probably want to size up a tad to put a more supportive insole in them. I love espadrilles; they are so pretty and look smart on men and women aliake. People in Euskadi (Basque country) wear a typical kind too, on both sides of the Spain/France border. While not England or Holland, the Basque country is no stranger to rain.
Anonymous said…
Duchesse! I'm off to Paris on Thursday night. Any thoughts on shopping in the city... for a size 16 CDN fille? Merci. xo s
Ahh the shoes that say summer! Being mid-winter here and raining it just makes me dream of warmer days!
Duchesse said…
Anonymous/s.: I have a Paris shopping guide- e-mail me: passagedesperles AT gmail DOT com and I will send.

We size 14-16s will buy mostly accessories, but what accessories- especially shoes! Have a wonderful time!
felix fuster said…
you can see the espadrilles online store in www.espadrillesfromspain.com

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