ALPARGATAS

By admin / / a la FORMIDABLE / No Comments

Alpargatas also named espardrilles go back several centuries and are associated with Spain and the south of France . In their most basic form, they consist of woven rope soles sewn to a canvas upper.

Cervera del Rio Alhama, in La Rioja is the espadrille cradle in Spain.

Traditional alparagatas in Cervera, La Rioja.

Artisan sewing. Traditional espadrilles have a canvas upper with the toe and vamp cut in one piece and seamed to the rope sole at the sides. Often they have laces at the throat that are wrapped around the ankle to hold the shoes securely in place. Traditional espadrilles are worn by both men and women.

Castañer, a family run company set up by Rafael Castañer in 1776, propelled alpargatas into the world of fashion. Isabel and Lorenzo Castañer met Yves Saint Laurent in the early 1960’s leaving YSL so captivated by these ‘peasant shoes’ that he made his own versions. From the 60’s onwards, alpargatas became synonymous with laid back glamour.

Espadrilles became fashionable in the USA in the 1940s. Lauren Bacall’s character in the 1948 movie Key Largo wore ankle-laced espadrilles. Humphrey Bogart was also often seen wearing alpargatas.

August Vogue 1949, photo by Irving Penn. Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn after her modeling days, she was quite an accomplished artist in sculpture, painting and drawing. She was represented by the Marlborough Gallery in Manhattan.