Espadrilles

One item on my ‘must have’ list while in Spain is a handmade pair of espadrilles. Popular in the Mediterranean region for centuries, these brightly colored, rope-soled shoes have become synonymous with La Rioja, the beautiful wine region in the north of Spain, where the shoes were first manufactured by hand over 300 years ago. The artisans that hand-stitch them, mostly women, sit in their homes and porches with thread and needle continuing with a tradition that they have passed from generation to generation.

Espadrilles became the 'play shoes' for European style-makers like Coco Chanel in Biarritz and Deauville, Picasso and Dali in the Costa Brava, Grace Kelly and Brigitte Bardot in the Costa Azul, Princess Caroline in Provence, and Princess Diana in Mallorca.

In Madrid Carolina Herrera stocks up on the traditional handmade shoes at Calzados Lobo, a store that has stood near Plaza Mayor for more than a century. Once I find out the best places to buy espadrilles in Barcelona and Mallorca I will report back with an update.

If you want a pair of handmade espadrilles without travelling to the Mediterranean visit Lolas Lolos Lolitos or Sorprentas online.