Jute With Canvas

When complicated laces and straps squeeze your ankles, when plastic soles make your feet sweaty and slippery, when impossible heels scrunch your toes forward, when buckles leave an undesirable jail cell tattoo, when your toes can’t hold the flip flop action any longer, Lord help us all.  It's time to switch to something simple, yet flattering (is this not the most important part of dressing? If not, what is the meaning of it all?)

Introducing the wonderful and rudimentary alpargatas-simple jute-soled canvas sandals, or espadrilles, to borrow from the French.  Now most of them have vulcanized rubber soles for added durability, but I still remember the old ones. One step in a puddle and they looked like a ruffled scarecrow and smelled like a wet dog. From that experience one learned not to wash - ever - the espadrilles, but to rather attempt to clean the canvas with a wet cloth or a brush.

Nowadays the traditional Spanish espadrilles makers have modernized with contemporary designs, while keeping the fundamental materials intact. Castañer (outrageously expensive, by the way), Toni Pons, the new-comer Kameleonik, Mas que lunares, the luxury Spanish brand Loewe, the not-so Mustang, Iata (their "Copete" model are great for men), Mint & Rose, Seven2four, even Zara, of course…

Castañer

Castañer

Castañer

Toni Pons

Loewe

Mustang

Iata, "Copete"

Mint & Rose

Seven2four

Seven2four

Zara

Zara

Every little country store will have the omnipresent regional espadrilles–always the cheapest option- the one solid color or the navy stripped canvas. The plain ones are easy to cover, if you don’t like the color or want something a little more varied, with your favorite fabric. Or you can always paint them or even customize them further by adding bottons, laces, charms or pailletes, or ironing on a fun sticky-patch. It's pretty easy, even for a novice shoe-hacker.

I have a few pairs of alpargatas, but my favorite by far are two simple lace-up pairs by Toni Pons –one black, one tan- that have a very particular shape of wedge. For some reason I am attracted to slightly curved wedges and discard all of the rest. Straight is just too straight for me. Just yesterday on the other side of the border –that is the French- Spanish one-I bought my next big thing, a pair of fantastic, monstrous wedge pumps. Nine centimeters of natural jute, my perfect height. And guess what?  They're “made in Spain”.

On top of my summer reading,
 after the two bricks on Cromwell, the third one
"A Place of Greater Safety" by Hilary Mantel