When it comes to summer footwear, you can’t beat espadrilles. Here are three of our favourites.

As we all know, espadrilles originated in the Catalonian Pyrenees in the 14th century. Principally worn by peasants, they were made using esparto, which is the Catalan word for a Mediterranean grass. Seven hundred years later, we make them using jute rope (a vegetable fibre), which, ironically, sounds slightly more primitive than Mediterranean grass.

Thanks to an espadrille revival in the 1980s (we probably have Miami Vice to thank for that), designers have increasingly sought to embrace this humble shoe, meaning more of them are cropping up in summer collections. Which means more choice for us. And, since they’re the perfect summer shoe and, well, summer is on its way, this is good news all round. Here are three of our favourites.

Mr Tom Ford’s riff on the espadrille, as one might expect from the louche designer, looks more like a decadent slipper than a primitive shoe. We see it as a summer espadrille with added coverage. Having dispensed with the canvas and gone for soft suede, you could wear Mr Ford’s pair to dinner after a day in the sun. Or you could saunter around your house pretending you were Mr Tom Ford. Either way, match accordingly with a luxurious cardigan and sophisticated chinos.

Moving in a slightly different direction, Saint Laurent’s Surf Sound collection takes the espadrille down the full-on vest, sunburn and sundowner cocktail route with a brightly coloured, sun-tinged palm tree motif. These are for the beach or the pool only, we’d imagine, so accessorise appropriately with some Cutler and Gross shades and a woven panama hat by Junya Watanabe.

If Mr Kanye West were to make espadrilles, they might look something like this. These are truly contemporary. They are so cool they are made out of leather, not canvas. We think it would be an affront to wear them with shorts on the beach or by the pool, so slip them on and dress them up with a classic navy blazer.