Queen Letizia revives espadrilles in fresh summer style cue

Queen Letizia made espadrilles look every bit as polished as they are practical when she opened the 85th edition of the Madrid Book Fair in El Retiro Park, Madrid, on Friday, May 29. Her royal-blue halter midi dress met lavender wedge espadrilles in a combination that felt sharper than souvenir-shop sweet, and it showed exactly why the Spanish shoe keeps resurfacing every summer: it brings ease, but it can still read elevated.

The dress came from Spanish designer Adolfo Domínguez and was built for clean summer lines, with a pleated midi skirt, a halter neckline and a waist tie that pulled the silhouette into shape. Letizia first wore it in the summer of 2020, a detail that matters as much as the styling itself. Rewears like this have become one of her clearest wardrobe signatures, and this one landed with extra precision at a literary event that is one of Spain’s major cultural gatherings, with 300 booths and a central theme of humor running through June 14.

The shoes did the rest of the work. Letizia chose Sarah World’s Mayte espadrille wedges, a closed-toe pair with suede uppers and ankle-wrap ties. That combination is the key to making espadrilles look city-ready rather than touristy: the closed toe sharpens the line, the wedge gives height without the wobble of a stiletto, and the ankle tie makes the shoe feel intentionally styled. On a dress like Letizia’s, that kind of heel preserves the leg line while keeping the look relaxed enough for daylight.

Color also mattered. Lavender against royal blue gave the outfit a modern, slightly unexpected contrast, the sort that keeps summer dressing from sliding into cliché. The formula feels useful for 2026: choose espadrilles in a restrained wedge height, pair them with midi lengths instead of sweeping hemlines, and anchor them to dresses with some structure, whether that comes from pleating, a defined waist or a halter cut. The effect is polished, not beach-bound.

The outing also came just hours after Letizia appeared in a public video speaking against tobacco and vaping, which added a serious note to an otherwise breezy style moment. At the Book Fair’s opening, with Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun and Mónica Bonnel greeting her on arrival, Letizia managed to do what she does best: make a familiar shoe feel newly relevant, and make summer dressing look deliberately composed.