Espadrille season has arrived - here's how to wear them now
According to Google Analytics, searches for Chanel’s classic leather and jute espadrilles hit up to 100,000 per month at this time of the year; now being the peak moment for fans to invest in a fresh pair for the summer ahead.
For many, that first glimpse of sunshine (which we fleetingly saw mid-April, remember?) and the trio of bank holidays, is considered the starting gun for sandals season and, on sand or in the city, espadrilles are now deemed a fashion staple that can be pulled out from the wardrobe year after year, passing the winter boots on their way back in.
Espadrilles started life as a cheap footwear solution for fishermen in need of hard wearing soles in the 14th century, but came to epitomise the glamour of Riviera dressing, thanks to their associations with Forties and Fifties actresses - Grace Kelly in 1955’s To Catch A Thief, or Lauren Bacall in 1948’s Key Largo, for example.
Coco Chanel launched her house’s obsession with adopting nautical styles back in the 1930s, and Chanel espadrilles have been a consistent winner for the brand since they were reintroduced to collections in 2013 - the new-age version being embossed with their status symbol, the interlocking C logo, making them naturally ready for Instagram.
Chanel’s are perhaps the most-desired, but elsewhere, you can now get espadrilles in a rainbow of canvas colours, flat or high wedged, ribboned or plain, and at prices from £5 to £500. The only defining factor these days is that the soles must still be made from esparto rope or, at least, a version of it.
While I’d love to suggest that a pair of espadrilles should be a forever investment (both because of their original design purpose and the fact that they will never go out of style) it would be foolish to not consider that all shoes do get battered over time. Common wounds on old espadrilles include sand scuffing, lace fraying and sole unwinding- all of which are temporarily fixable with minimum effort. If you’re trying to revive a pair at home, treat the canvas as canvas and paint a new coloured coating on. Ropes come unravelled? A decent glue gun should stick them back into formation.
Tracking the trend
1934: Showing the ropes
Coco Chanel made espadrilles a key component of her Riviera chic look in the 1930s, as she showed how women could adopt elements of fisherman’s style in their wardrobes. Vogue put the shoes at the centre of their summer 1934 cover, launching the look for the masses.
1970s: On a high
Yves Saint Laurent designed espadrilles with wedges in the early 1970s, allowing them to perfectly complement the decade’s new favourite flare trousers. Diane Keaton made the look her own in 1972’s Play It Again Sam.
2018: The sign of summer
Chanel’s espadrilles are now a summer dressing mainstay and are a suitcase essential regardless of your destination. From Pippa Middleton on her honeymoon, to Kendall Jenner in Cannes, espadrilles of all brands, heights and colours have now gained a celebrity following.
The best espadrilles to buy now
Brocade espadrilles, £420, Prada at matchesfashion.com
Lambskin espadrilles, £495, chanel.com
Embroidered espadrilles, £68, solillas.com
Candice espadrilles, £70, boden.co.uk
Flat linen beribboned espadrille, £260, Castañer by Manolo Blahnik at castaner.com
Wedge heel espadrilles, £39, topshop.com
