The wedge espadrille is the shoe of spring/summer 2025. Long dismissed as a "grandma shoe," this compensated espadrille with its straw sole and ankle ribbons is back in full force, spotted on Katie Holmes and embraced by street style everywhere. The rehabilitation is complete.
Ballet flats had a good run. But this spring, another silhouette is taking over sidewalks, terraces, and beach promenades alike. The wedge espadrille, that braided-sole classic once associated with seaside holidays and a certain generation's wardrobe, has officially shed its dusty reputation. After a few quiet years in the back of the closet, it's back, and this time with serious fashion credentials.
The timing is no accident. 2025 is shaping up as the season of elegant, effortless footwear, where comfort and style no longer have to negotiate. And the wedge espadrille sits right at that intersection.
The wedge espadrille has centuries of history behind it
From Catalonia to the Côte d'Azur
The espadrille's roots run deep. Worn for centuries along the coasts of Spain, particularly in Catalonia and the Basque Country, the traditional flat espadrille was a working shoe, practical and unpretentious. Fishermen, farmers, and coastal communities wore it at the water's edge long before it ever appeared on a runway. The King of Aragon is even cited among its earliest documented admirers, which gives the shoe a lineage few footwear styles can claim.
The leap to fashion came later. In the 1950s, the espadrille found its glamour moment. Marilyn Monroe wore it. Jacqueline Kennedy wore it. Brigitte Bardot wore it on the French Riviera, cementing its association with effortless summer elegance. That decade gave the shoe its first golden age, and the wedge version, with its elevated braided heel, added height and drama to an already beloved silhouette.
Yves Saint Laurent and the wedge's fashion consecration
The definitive fashion stamp came from Yves Saint Laurent, who elevated the wedge espadrille into a luxury object. His iconic version featured a straw heel and silk ribbons that tied around the ankle, a design that remains one of the most referenced in footwear history. That single model transformed the espadrille from casual beachwear into a genuine style statement, and its DNA is visible in virtually every elevated version produced today.
Coco Chanel famously observed that fashion is what goes out of style, while style remains. The wedge espadrille, with its centuries-old craft and its recurring appearances on the world's most stylish women, fits that definition precisely.
Katie Holmes makes the case for the accessible version
Celebrity endorsement matters, but it matters more when it comes without a luxury price tag attached. Katie Holmes was recently spotted wearing Franco Sarto wedge espadrilles, a pair priced at less than 60 euros. That detail is significant. Holmes has built a reputation for mixing high and low with genuine ease, and her choice here signals something important: the wedge espadrille trend is not reserved for those who can afford the Saint Laurent version.
price of Katie Holmes’ Franco Sarto wedge espadrilles
The Franco Sarto pair is exactly the kind of find that makes a trend feel democratic. It delivers the essential silhouette, the compensated sole, the braided texture, the ankle detail, without requiring a significant investment. And when a style icon chooses the affordable version over the prestige one, it sends a clear message to everyone watching: this shoe is for wearing, not just admiring.
This accessibility factor is also driving the trend's momentum across the broader market. Major retailers and high-street brands are now producing their own interpretations, making the wedge espadrille available at virtually every price point. If you're already thinking about swapping out your retro sneakers this spring, the wedge espadrille deserves serious consideration as the season's defining footwear choice.
The "grandma shoe" label is officially retired
Street style reclaims the compensated sole
Every generation inherits a set of fashion prejudices, and "that's what my grandmother wore" is one of the most persistent. The wedge espadrille carried that label for years, unfairly lumped in with orthopedic-adjacent footwear and vacation-only wardrobes. But street style has a way of rehabilitating exactly these kinds of pieces, and the spring 2025 season has been particularly aggressive about it.
The compensated espadrille is now appearing in outfit combinations that would have seemed unlikely a few years ago: with tailored trousers, with linen midi skirts, with wide-leg denim. It works at the beach, obviously, but it also works in the city, which is precisely the versatility that elevates a seasonal shoe into an it shoe. This mirrors a broader shift in spring fashion, where elegant, retro-inflected pieces are consistently outperforming trend-driven novelties.
The key to wearing it right
Not every espadrille qualifies here. The flat version, charming as it is, doesn't carry the same fashion impact this season. The wedge is the operative word. The compensated sole, whether modest or dramatic, is what gives the shoe its contemporary relevance. It adds height without the discomfort of a stiletto, creates a long leg line, and grounds any outfit with a touch of artisanal texture.
The wedge height matters: opt for a mid-height braided sole (around 5–8 cm) for the most versatile and wearable version of the trend, suitable for both beach and city outings.
For those looking to invest in a reference version, Castañer and Escadrille are among the most cited brands for quality wedge espadrilles, alongside the Saint Laurent archetype. But as Katie Holmes demonstrated, the Franco Sarto option proves that the right silhouette at the right price is entirely achievable. And before you head out in your new pair, a proper pedicure is the obvious companion move for open-toe season.
The wedge espadrille's return isn't nostalgia for its own sake. It's a recognition that certain shapes, rooted in genuine craft and worn by genuinely stylish women across decades, don't expire. They just wait. Spring 2025 is their moment again, and this time, the "grandma shoe" label has been left behind for good. The women who wore it first, Monroe, Kennedy, Bardot, knew something that fashion is only now catching up to.
