The Art of the Summer Sandal: Everything the Tory Burch Rope Aesthetic Taught Us

There's a particular kind of summer sandal that signals something beyond footwear. It says: I know exactly where I'm going — whether that's a ferry dock in the Aegean, a cobblestone market in Mykonos, or a rooftop dinner that runs until midnight. Tory Burch understood this completely. The rope sandal, the Miller flat, the McGraw wedge, the striped espadrille — each one a masterclass in the philosophy that ease and elegance are not mutually exclusive.

The Tory Burch rope sandal in particular became something of a cultural shorthand in the 2010s: a signal of a certain kind of effortless American preppy-meets-bohemian dressing. The braided and woven silhouettes, the jute soles, the hint of nautical texture — it all pointed toward a wardrobe fluency that felt both accessible and aspirational. And while the brand continues to evolve, the appetite for that kind of sandal has never wavered.

This season, the spirit lives on — in richer materials, more considered construction, and with some new names worth knowing. Here's how to think about building your summer sandal wardrobe from the ground up.

The Braided Flat: A Perennial That Refuses to Date

If the Tory Burch Miller flat taught us anything, it's that the thong sandal — when done with intention — is as versatile as a white shirt. TKEES has quietly become the connoisseur's answer to the question of the perfect flat sandal. Their braided suede constructions echo that same rope-and-leather craftsmanship, but in a palette that speaks to modern wardrobing.

The TKEES Lily Braid series offers the same braided-thong DNA as the Tory Burch rope sandal silhouette, but in supple suede with a barely-there footbed that molds to your foot over time. The sunkissed and camel tones are the season's most wearable — grounding floral prints, linen co-ords, and everything in between.

Explore the full TKEES Flat Sandals collection →

The Espadrille Wedge: Mediterranean Spirit, Elevated

Few silhouettes carry the weight of summer mythology quite like the espadrille wedge. The Tory Burch McGraw wedge and pink and blue espadrille iterations — with their jute-wrapped platforms and striped canvas uppers — positioned the style firmly in the American leisure consciousness. The DNA of the designer espadrille, however, stretches back to the Basque coast, and no one channels that provenance quite like Castaner.

Founded in Spain in 1927, Castaner has been hand-crafting espadrilles for nearly a century — they are, in every meaningful sense, the originals. The Blaudi wedge in gold metallic is this season's most versatile statement: the kind of sandal that transitions seamlessly from poolside to evening without a single apology. If you gravitated toward Tory Burch striped espadrilles or blue espadrilles in the past, the Castaner colour range — spanning everything from neutrals to jewel tones — deserves your attention.

Explore the full Women's Designer Sandals collection →

The Woven Wedge: When Craft Meets Occasion

Beyond the flat and the espadrille lies the woven wedge — a category that Loeffler Randall has made entirely its own. The New York-based label has built a devoted following on the strength of its impeccable construction and quietly directional aesthetic, and its raffia and jute-wrapped wedges sit at the precise intersection of the handcrafted and the considered.

The Gavi in natural raffia is particularly noteworthy — its ankle-strap silhouette and tactile woven platform recall the sculptural quality of the best espadrille traditions, while the bow-tied Angelina and the knot-detailed Pamela offer that romantic, occasion-ready finish. These are sandals for women who want their footwear to do some of the storytelling.

Explore the full Loeffler Randall Heeled Sandals collection →

The Embellished Slide: When Summer Goes Luxe

Not every summer calls for restraint. For those moments — the yacht birthday, the garden wedding, the evening that begins at aperitivo and has no scheduled end — there is the embellished flat slide. Dolce & Gabbana and René Caovilla each approach this category with their own distinct vocabulary of maximalism.

The Dolce & Gabbana raffia slide channels the artisanal textures of the classic rope sandal tradition — but through a Sicilian lens, all logo hardware and Mediterranean warmth. The D&G floral embroidered version is practically a wearable painting. And René Caovilla's crystal-encrusted flat? That's summer dressing at its most unapologetically glamorous.

Explore the full Dolce & Gabbana Flat Sandals collection →

The Edit: Our Summer Sandal Philosophy

The lesson of the Tory Burch rope sandal — and of every great summer shoe — is that the best sandals become part of the story of a summer. They accumulate tan lines and salt water and memories. When you're building your sandal wardrobe, consider three tiers: a pristine everyday flat (TKEES' braided suede does this beautifully), a wedge or espadrille for elevated casual moments, and one genuinely special embellished sandal that makes even a simple dress feel like an event.

At Lola Dré, we've curated across all three — because a well-considered sandal wardrobe isn't excess. It's just excellent planning.

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