The Best Espadrilles and Summer Shoes

Summer footwear is where a great deal of otherwise careful dressing quietly falls apart. A man who would never compromise on the fit of a jacket will happily wear a pair of flimsy espadrilles bought as an afterthought before a beach holiday, not realising that the same principles of construction, proportion and material quality apply just as much below the ankle as above it. Given how much of the Singapore year genuinely calls for warm-weather footwear, it is worth applying the same standards here as everywhere else.

Espadrilles, done properly

The espadrille’s appeal lies in its genuine simplicity — a canvas or suede upper stitched to a jute or rope sole, built originally for Pyrenean farm labour and adopted decades ago by a considerably more leisured crowd. The construction quality varies enormously between a genuinely well-made pair and a mass-produced imitation, and the difference shows quickly: a good jute sole holds its shape and colour for years of wear, while a cheap one flattens and discolours within a single season. Look for a densely woven sole rather than a loosely coiled one, and a canvas or suede upper stitched rather than glued to the base.

Loafers, for a more versatile register

Where espadrilles read distinctly casual, a good suede or canvas loafer occupies a more flexible middle ground — dressy enough for a smart-casual dinner, relaxed enough for a weekend lunch, and considerably more breathable in tropical heat than a leather loafer built for temperate climates. Unlined or partially lined summer loafers, built specifically with warm-weather wear in mind, tend to be considerably more comfortable across a hot Singapore afternoon than a standard year-round pair pressed into unsuitable service. For those who want other options in the same easy register, our round-up of espadrille alternatives for summer considers what else earns a place in the rotation.

Matching the shoe to the occasion

• Espadrilles for genuinely relaxed settings — beach, resort, a casual lunch — but rarely for anything approaching business casual.
• Canvas or suede loafers for the wide middle ground of smart-casual Singapore life, from a client lunch to a weekend dinner.
• A simple leather sandal, chosen carefully, for the most relaxed end of the spectrum, provided the rest of the outfit matches its informality.

Colour and how it changes the read

Navy and stone-coloured canvas do the most versatile work across a summer wardrobe, pairing easily with the kind of linen tailoring covered in the best linen suits for the tropics without competing for attention. Bolder colours — a genuine red or a striped canvas — read as more of a statement and work best against an otherwise very simple outfit, much like the logic that governs the art of the check suit: let one element carry the visual interest and keep everything around it quiet.

“Men will spend real money on a good jacket and then wear the cheapest espadrilles they can find,” one Singapore menswear buyer told us. “It’s the first thing anyone actually notices at a beach lunch.”

Care that actually extends the life of summer shoes

Canvas and suede summer shoes need a different care regime to leather footwear, and most of it comes down to simply resisting the urge to wear the same pair every day. Rotating between two or three pairs allows each to properly dry out and recover its shape between wears, particularly important in Singapore’s humidity, where a single pair worn daily will break down considerably faster than the same shoe given proper rest. A suede protector spray applied before the first wear, rather than after the first stain, makes a genuine difference over a season of regular use.

Cedar shoe trees, more commonly associated with formal leather footwear, are worth using for suede summer shoes too — they help the upper hold its shape between wears and gently draw out moisture absorbed during a humid day, considerably extending the interval between visible wear and eventual retirement.

When to retire a pair

Unlike a good leather shoe, which can often be resoled and refreshed for years, most summer footwear has a genuinely finite lifespan, and there is little shame in that — it is, after all, built for a specific season’s wear rather than decades of service. A jute sole that has visibly flattened, a canvas upper that has lost its shape, or stitching that has begun to separate are all signs that a pair has done its job and earned retirement rather than another summer of use. Buying one genuinely good pair each season, rather than several disposable ones, tends to work out both cheaper and considerably better looking over time.

Sizing, and why it differs from leather footwear

Canvas, jute and rope-soled shoes all behave differently underfoot to a structured leather shoe, and sizing guidance built around leather footwear tends to mislead buyers new to the category. Espadrilles in particular should fit snugly from the first wear rather than loosely with room to “break in,” since the jute sole and canvas upper stretch and mould to the foot considerably more than leather ever will, and a pair bought a half size too large will end up sloppy and worn out within a handful of outings. Trying a pair on in the afternoon, when feet have naturally swollen slightly from the day’s heat, tends to produce a more reliable fit than a cool morning try-on.

Where the good ones are actually made

The espadrille’s Pyrenean origins still matter for anyone serious about construction quality — the workshops in the traditional producing regions of southern France and northern Spain continue to set the standard for jute sole density and stitching quality that mass-market imitations rarely match. This does not mean every good pair needs to come from a heritage atelier, but it is worth checking, when buying from a newer or less established brand, whether the sole is genuinely handwoven jute or a machine-pressed synthetic imitation dressed to look the part. The difference is immediately obvious underfoot within the first few wears, even if it is harder to spot in a product photograph.

Summer footwear deserves the same consideration most men reserve for the rest of the wardrobe — a genuine understanding of construction, proportion and occasion, rather than an afterthought bought the week before a holiday. For more on building a considered warm-weather wardrobe, see our Style & Watches section.