Espadrilles are so classic! They are the perfect summer sandal and remind me of beach holidays and sunshine and casual vintage glamour. While espadrilles are perennially popular they really were a staple fashion item for men and women from 1940’s onward. They can be seen on screen in many movies: Lauren Bacall in Key Largo, Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, Grace Kelly in To Catch A Thief, Sean Connery’s James Bond to name just a few! Yves Saint Laurent created the wedge version of these ancient shoes (existing back a far as 1322!) in the 1970’s, keeping them in the fashion spotlight. I’ve owned loads of espadrilles over the years, including some vintage 70’s red wedges, given to me by former model who wore them on the catwalk. She had an amazing wardrobe and shared out her special pieces once she learned that her cancer was terminal. I wore those shoes constantly until they became fragile and I had to store them for preservation. I know she would be pleased that I got such joy out of them!
Espadrilles are just so effortless and have always held a charming vintage vibe for me. Their simple design and canvas construction makes them the perfect shoe for embellishing. I’m clearly not he only person who thinks so! I found so many embellished espadrilles to show you what is possible. Iron on patches, hand embroidery, changing out the ankle ties, hand painting, dyeing, adding ribbon or trim or pom poms – endless opportunities!
My inspiration for these shoes actually comes from a pair of shoes I bought while I was on holiday! I found these amazing slides with bunches of sparkly pastel chilli peppers all across the toes! They were ridiculous and I loved them until their eventual demise. I knew I would never find something like them again. I vowed to DIY something similar, so you can imagine my excitement when I came across tiny glass chilli beads on Etsy. I bought a whole bunch and waited for them to arrive! I wanted to use a pair of espadrilles I already had. Sadly, they weren’t canvas but a thin faux suede with a lining, it wouldn’t be quite as easy to sew but I was up to it. The whole DIY is actually super easy!
I decided to string the beads on some round elastic. That way I could really pack in the beads without too much risk of the glass breaking under tension and it would also flex with my foot. I used some silver elastic left over from my DIY sneakers because I am really trying to shop my stash. I thought it might look funny but you don’t really see it and the silver background makes the green glass shine beautifully!
I tied a good double knot at on end of the elastic and started threading on beads. Because these are handmade glass beads, each one is different, which means I couldn’t fit my elastic through all of them. I kept adding beads until the beaded length matched the edge of my espadrille and tied it off with a double knot. I made sure the knots were super secure and trimmed off the excess. Of course, you’ll need to try and keep interested furry parties out of the way.
Since my espadrilles were faux suede, I poked small holes close to sole but if yours are canvas, you shouldn’t need too. I hand stitched one end of the beaded strand to the edge of the espadrille, being sure to go through the knot a few times to make it secure. I repeated this on the other side of the shoe too. I also hand stitched the elastic down in the middle, pushing the beads aside as I worked.As a final touch, I hand stitched three beads to the end of each tie. Since these are more free flowing and could flick into chair legs etc, I chose beads with thicker glass around the green loop. I think it was a perfect little detail to make the whole look pop!
I think these shoes are pretty versatile, I mean they are red and black espadrilles but I wanted the chillis to be the star of this outfit. I styled it with a fully DIY outfit, my sweetheart tank and half circle skirt and 3D printed chilli earrings made by Mr Ask. I knew I was making these shoes and Mr Ask was looking for a small 3D printing project that used two colours of filament, so I jumped at the chance to score some chilli earrings! I just love the maker synergy we have, I really am ever so lucky to have these resources. Speaking of resources, I have other shoe DIY’s that you might be interested in – styled up sneakers& two ballet flat shoes & whipped cream and cherry on top shoes (guest post).
I am absolutely thrilled with these chilli pepper espadrilles and think they are fitting homage to my fallen holiday slides! I love that such a simple DIY can totally transform a basic espadrille. Even though we are at the beginning of Autumn it’s still so warm here and I know these will get plenty of wear before the cool weather hits. It’s a perfect time to pick up a few pairs of espadrilles on clearance and create your own custom sandals. If you DIY the espadrille of your dreams, I’d love to see them, so be sure to tag me xxxx
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