As I’m writing this, these Amaya espadrilles by Castañer are sitting beside me on the desk in their pale yellow Castañer box. Their most beautiful feature is their color – cobalt blue of the upper and a deeper, almost navy blue of the wedge.
Their most unusual feature is that the upper is made of boiled wool with a navy blue leather trim (the same leather the wide ankle strap is made from). Espadrilles are such a summer staple and suddenly boiled wool – it might seem like an odd combination, but it’s perfectly natural in a Spanish shoe. It does get cold in Spain, especially in the mountainous areas, so there is definitely a need to protect the skin from the elements. Why leave the heel exposed? First of all, because it is perched up on a wedge that is 12 cm tall, with a platform of 4.5 cm, and second, because the Spanish like having their skin exposed, the hate bundling up, if they can avoid it. The heel is much more rugged than the skin on the front of the feet, so it can take the cold. So you see, it’s all very practical. If anything, the Spanish are very practical people. They like being comfortable and they like making things from materials at hand. Rope made from natural fibers for the wedge, wool from the sheep and scraps of leather for the rest.
Finally, there is also the peep-toe. Well, the peep-toe is there for fashion. And so is Castañer.
To buy the shoe, click on the image.
