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Best wedge sandals to buy this summer
Including some fire designer lookalikes 🙌
There’s no better shoe to wear in summer than a wedge sandal. When you want the sass of a high heel, but all the carefree comfort of a sturdy flat, wedges are a gift from above.
If you don’t believe us, just take a look at the front row of Chloé's autumn winter 2024 Paris Fashion Week show where the biggest names in fashion (hello, Sienna Miller) were all spotted wearing the brand's Maxime wedges. Easily this season's It shoe, featuring an engraved wood-effect platform structure with thick criss-cross leather straps in either black (the fash pack's chosen colourway) or brown. Retailing at £925, the shoes are admittedly well out of our price range but there are plenty of incred lookalikes available to shop courtesy of our favourite high street stores.
Or, for something with equal celebrity approval but a slightly more affordable £100 price tag, can we introduce you to the Spanish espadrille brand Castañer? Loved by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Emily Ratajkowski, Anne Hathaway *and* Kate Middleton, an espadrille wedge is the perfect accompaniment to wedding guest dresses and summer dresses alike. We can vouch for this particular purchase: it’ll last!
Yep, these A-listers have seriously got the right idea. Why spend hours on your feet in the hot sun wearing nude patent courts, when you can be comfy AF in wedges? Exactly. And the best part – you really don't have to spend a fortune to get in on this trend though, with seriously chic options starting at just £7! (Thank you H&M).
So, without further ado, keep scrolling for our round-up of the best wedge sandals out there rn. There are a few bangers nestled among our edit of practical but pretty wedges, from platforms to minimalist mules. You’re most welcome.
Popping these here in case you've been saving up for these bad boys since spying them on the feet of everyone sitting on the front row of Chloé's autumn winter 2024 Paris Fashion Week show – including Sienna Miller, btw! The triple-figure price tag is admittedly more than we'd normally spend on a pair of sandals, but you'll live in these for the rest of the summer and beyond. They're worth freezing your toes off, IMO.
If you don’t fancy paying £85 for the direct match to the celeb-approved Castañer espadrilles, this pair from Amazon is pretty darn close. The slightly darker jute wedge is the only difference (aside from the incredible price tag, obvs).
If you can afford it, though, we *seriously* recommend buying the real deal. Cosmo’s fashion team has been wearing ‘em since summer 2019 and those OG pairs are still going strong.
These babies from H&M are giving us Groovy Chick vibes. The cool curvy sole and statement floral appliqué on these platform wedge sandals will make you feel like a Noughties style icon.
These Reiss wedges are the comfy version of fashion’s fave naked sandals. So, if you love a minimal strap but need a bit more stability in your life, this brown leather style is just the ticket. We’re picturing these babies with flowy slip skirts and cute cropped tops this summer.
With better weather finally here, you can swap out your painful party heels for a pair of wedges. Mango’s silver sandals are just the ticket: the lower heel provides stability (so no Bambi on ice moments).
We know Anthropologie’s wedge sandals are a lil’ bit pricey but the quality makes them totally worth it. We think this all-black iteration is perf for evening lewks.
You can ditch the fiddly buckle straps with River Island’s slip-on mules. They can be paired with all your summer holiday essentials, saving you some valuable luggage weight. Thank us later.
Simply Be Orla Low Espadrille Wedge Sandals Extra Wide EEE Fit
Prefer a lower heel height? These platform wedge espadrilles will quickly become your summer staple, keeping you comfy from day to night. And in a goes-with-everything monochrome pattern? We love.
Boden’s Cassie sandals are a classic summer staple, complete with a lightweight braided wedge and minimal straps. Wear them with floaty wide-leg trousers to make it look like your legs go on for dayysssss.
Trust Gucci to put a modern twist on the classic espadrille. These wedge sandals may look pretty traditional at first glance, but the baby-blue denim upper features the brand's signature statement Double G motif in a distressed font. Too cool.
These towering wedges are not for the faint-hearted (or weak-ankled). Ticking off two trends in one, Reiss has combined barely there straps with a chunky wedge heel – time to get that pedi! 💅
Castañer just dropped an all-black iteration of its signature espadrille wedges. Consider these the edgy version of the OG, fit-for-a-Princess Carina style the brand is best known for.
We had to include another pair of wedge sandals from H&M because the high street favourite is seriously killing the summer shoe game. These statement faux-snakeskin heels feature an on-trend square toe and delicate tie ankle straps. We can’t wait to wear them with a cute LBD.
Trust Charles & Keith to provide a modern twist on a classic. The puffy straps and knotted design add a playful tactility to the look that catches the eye, whether you wear them to pool parties or to sunset dinner dates. You can't go wrong with this black hue, but they also come in cream and orange.
Handcrafted in Portugal, we love the asymmetric buckle detailing on these minimal canvas wedges. They're made for European summer getaways.
These wedge sandals from & Other Stories are a real ‘70s dream with their statement espadrille platform and chunky leather straps. Further the retro vibes by wearing yours with a crochet dress this summer.
Rosie Davenport is a former Ecommerce Writer at Cosmopolitan UK and Red Online, covering fashion, beauty and travel reviews, as well as major sales events such as Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Rosie has reviewed everything from Reformation dresses to the latest massage guns and knows the new brands to bookmark as well as the latest trends to follow. Before this role, Rosie was a Fashion Ecommerce Writer on publications including ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar and Good Housekeeping for nearly two years, and gained a MA from Central Saint Martins in Fashion Journalism in 2021, focussing on the rise (and rise) of fashion podcasting. Rosie has also worked at The Times, been a sub editor at The Mail on Sunday’s weekly YOU magazine and produced in-depth retail reports for the trend forecasting agency WGSN. Her career highlight? Previewing Prada’s AW21 menswear show in the depths of lockdown and interviewing Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons from her bedroom. Outside of work, Rosie can be found rummaging through vintage shops or getting lost in one of London’s iconic department stores. You can follow Rosie on Instagram @rosie.davenport
Alexandria Dale is the Digital Fashion Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. Covering everything from the celebrity style moments worth knowing about to the latest fashion news, there’s nothing she loves more than finding a high street dupe of a must-have designer item. As well as discovering new brands, she’s passionate about sustainable fashion and establishing the trends that are actually worth investing in. Having worked in fashion journalism for six years, she has experience at both digital and print publications including Glamour and Ok!
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