Style & Fashion

Cool Your Heels

A new espadrille collection debuts just in time for Memorial Day

Photo: Alex Nataf

If there is a way to beat the heat, Southerners know all about it. Which is probably why espadrilles, the breezy rope-soled kicks with French and Spanish roots fit right in here all summer long. This week, two Southern designers, Mark D. Sikes of MDS Stripes, who we profiled in our Los Angeles City Portrait, and Sarah Pierson, a Florida native and one half of the footwear company Margaux, which she started with her college roommate Alexa Buckley, are rolling out their first collaboration in espadrille form. “We feel a real affinity with Southern style,” Pierson says. “It’s colorful and exuberant, yet thoughtful and refined. I grew up in central Florida with strong Southern roots so it’s natural to draw inspiration from that Southern sensibility. Mark was born in Texas and raised in Nashville, and similarly reflects the South’s grace and style in the beautiful interiors and clothes he creates.” The capsule collection includes two espadrille styles—one in lightweight black linen and the other in a classic oxford stripe, made in southern Spain near the small town of Alicante, which has a long history in the espadrille industry.

Each pair features interchangeable grosgrain ties, retails for $225, and are available for a limited time at margauxny.com and mdsstripes.com.