The espadrilles is, perhaps, the quintessential summer shoe. It’s sleek, simple, and stylish. But it is also quite comfortable, breathable, and super easy to wear. It is just as fitting with a swimsuit and a tee as it is with the right suit — and of course everything in between. They also should be inexpensive, and thus easy to buy a bunch of in different colors, or to simply replace as they inevitably get worn to bits.
Yet, there are actually far fewer brands ticking all those boxes than one might think. Most espadrilles I see either look bad, are super cheap, or aren’t a “true espadrilles” (think: Tom’s); or they are over-engineered and much too expensive (there is a place for these, but I don’t want a suede espadrille for the beach). Which is why I am such a fan of Diego’s. They’re inexpensive at just around $35. They are handmade in Spain by experts. They look and feel great. They last quite a while. And eventually they fall apart and get replaced with a new one, because they are that inexpensive.
They have many different colors and patterns to choose from, and they run sales quite often as well. I will say they run rather small, so refer to their sizing charts (which I found to be accurate), and size up one, or even two, from what you usually get. Fit is a bit inconsistent but, again, they’re $35. Which is to say, you can’t really go wrong here.