Lucky brand "Safia" in blue

[cimorene]

I am always tempted when I look at pictures of espadrilles, until I remember the times I've worn them and immediately get over it.

Comments

[bexless]

I had that EXACT THOUGHT before I scrolled down and saw you had already articulated it.

[cimorene]

This pair was the most tempting one I saw this spring, but I would mostly just like to look at pictures of other people wearing them, probably while lounging by a pool or in a jungle in a rainbow hammock with a fruity cocktail.

[gwyn]

I've been eyeing espadrilles for a while. So I have to ask -- what is it about them you get over? Are they uncomfortable, or is the jute, or...?

BTW, I really enjoy the shoes posts (as well as everything else). I'm sure I seem like some random stranger, but I'm a shoe loving random stranger.

[cimorene]

They are uncomfortable, yes. This is the only way that I could dislike wearing a shoe that I like to look at, and it's the primary reason I ever have for disliking shoes.

An espadrille is essentially a flip-flop, in its pure form. That is to say, the foot rests on a flat foot-shaped cutout. This is traditionally covered in canvas and the upper is traditionally also cotton in a basic pump shape. Shoes like ballet flats that only cover the toe, not the top of the foot, and have no fastenings over the top of the foot, are slightly bad for the feet in general because they rely on being tight around the toes to stay on, or, if they're loose, they result in you unconsciously curling/tightening your toes to grip the sole, which can result in blisters or just uncomfortable squeezing in the former case, and foot cramps in the latter. In espadrilles, they tend to slide around a bit even with ribbon ties around the ankle. A completely flat footbed offers no arch support and is thus also uncomfortable to stand or walk much in in any case, but it's even worse if the shoe wants to slide around a bit as espadrilles tend to do. There's also the wedge-heeled type of espadrille - they might (sometimes) offer more footbed support, but combining a wedge with a shoe that isn't all that securely and firmly attached to your foot is a precarious move.

[pierydys]

Ditto what the others said about feelin' ya on the uncomfortable factor. I've only ever owned one pair and only wore them once at a party where I spent most of the time setting down. They just matched the dress so perfectly that there was no choice in the matter. It occurs to me, at least with this pair, however, that a foot insert might actually work okay. One with an arch and some grippyness to the toebed. Then again, I've also spent most of my life in flip flops so my feet are abused enough that these would seem rather comfortable...

[cimorene]

I don't dislike flip-flops either, though I've never tried to wear them when I wanted to walk or stand all day as opposed to... summer frolicking! But my experience of espadrilles - I wore them somewhat frequently in spring and summer for several years as a kid, including one pair with wedge heels when I was 12-13 or so - is that they don't grip quite as well as flip-flops because 1) the sole itself is less flexible, and 2) it's covered with cloth, which doesn't give the same purchase to your toes as the foam of a flip-flop. And ballet flats tend to slide around less, assuming they fit right.