It was love at first sight. I spied these espadrilles at Galeries Lafayette in Paris and had to have them. Of course, like most of the shoes I love, they were out of my size. I did manage to snag a pale yellow Maje long-sleeved top of the lightest cotton with some amazing embroidery before leaving the most beautiful department store that I’ve ever been in. Thanks Callipyge for the referral. Next, DK and I were off to the Castañer store (Castañer is a well-known Spanish brand) on the very posh Rue St. Honoré to find my dream espadrilles.

I had passed the store before but hadn’t gone in because I didn’t want to tempt myself into buying something that I couldn’t afford. Surprisingly, the ‘espadrille only’ store was reasonable. The shoes were priced at what I’d expect to pay for well made ones in a perfect world. But yet again, they didn’t have my size. I did pick up a more practical pair of similar espadrilles that I love and wear all the time. I still like my dream espadrilles but don’t feel the same urge to buy them now that I have the other ones. They are a great buy because ballerina-esque shoes are in fashion now and they could even be worn in colder weather over tights.