An espadrille is a light warm-weather shoe. The top is cloth, often canvas, and the sole is rope — traditionally a twisted plant fibre, now often jute. It is usually flat, sometimes with a wedge, and it feels casual: beach days, summer streets, holidays. People often wear them without socks. They are not for rough walking; the rope sole is for dry, easy ground. English borrowed the name from French. Shops may say “rope-sole shoes,” but espadrille is the usual name for this exact kind.