Jacquemus shoes that hold up

Jacquemus has spent the better part of a decade building a visual language so fluent that you can spot a Le Chiquito from across a café. What the house has not always been known for is shoes that last past a second season. The sculptural heels photograph well. They also, in early iterations, fell apart with enthusiasm.

That has changed. The past three years have seen a shift in construction—more substantial footbeds, better-grade leathers, sole units that don't delaminate after six wears. It is not a transformation born of quiet craft tradition. Jacquemus is still a young house, still operating at speed. But there is now a manufacturing partnership in place with factories in northern Italy that know how to make a shoe survive contact with pavement.

What follows are three models I have either worn extensively or watched others wear into the ground. None of them are statement pieces in the way a Le Bambino bag is a statement piece. They are, instead, shoes that work—and keep working—when the initial thrill of newness fades. They share a few qualities: clean lines, a slightly wider last than you expect from a French label, and an absence of fussy detail that might snag or detach. If you are after sculptural drama, look elsewhere. If you want a pair of Jacquemus shoes that will still close properly next spring, start here.

Les Mules Carino

The Carino is a backless loafer in calf leather with a low stacked heel and a square toe that stops just short of aggressive. It launched in 2021 and has been reissued each season since with minor tweaks to the leather finish. The shape is simple enough that it photographs as almost boring, which is precisely why it works.

The construction is Blake-stitched, which means the upper is sewn directly to the insole without a separate welt. This keeps the profile slim and makes the shoe flexible from the first wear. It also means you cannot resole it as many times as a Goodyear-welted shoe, but that is a trade-off most people accept at this price point. The heel counter is firm enough to hold shape but not so rigid that it digs into the Achilles. I have worn a pair three days a week since last April. The insole has compressed slightly, which is normal, but the leather has not creased badly and the topline has not warped.

The Carino works because it does not try to be interesting. It is a mule. It slips on. It stays on. The square toe reads as current without being so exaggerated that it will look dated in eighteen months. Jacquemus offers it in black, tan, and occasionally a cream that I would not recommend unless you enjoy stress. The tan ages the best—it darkens at the vamp and toe cap in a way that looks intentional rather than tired.

Sizing runs true. If you are between sizes, go down. The leather will give.

Les Sandales Rond Carré

This is a flat sandal with a rounded toe and a single wide strap across the vamp. The name translates to 'round square', which makes no sense until you see the shoe and realise the strap has a soft rectangular buckle that sits off-centre. It is the kind of detail that makes you wonder if anyone at Jacquemus has ever worked in hardware design, and then you stop wondering because the buckle has held up for two summers without tarnishing.

The sole is leather with a thin rubber toplift at the heel. This is not a sandal for long walks. It is a sandal for getting from the car to lunch and back, or for wearing around a house with stone floors. I know someone who wore hers across Paris for a week and developed a blister on the ball of her foot that required a plaster and a day off. The footbed has no arch support. If you need that, add an insole or choose something else.

What the Rond Carré does well is stay minimal without looking unfinished. A lot of flat sandals in this category—Toteme, The Row, Khaite—end up so pared back that they read as expensive only if you already know they are expensive. The Jacquemus buckle gives you just enough design to justify the price, and the strap is wide enough that it does not cut into the top of the foot after an hour.

The leather is vegetable-tanned, which means it will darken and develop a patina. This is good if you like that sort of thing and annoying if you prefer your sandals to stay the colour you bought them. I have seen pairs that have been worn for two seasons and now look like they belong to a different collection entirely. That is not a flaw. It is what happens when you wear leather outside.

Les Bottes Carro

The Carro is a knee-high boot in smooth calf with a low block heel and a fitted shaft that does not require a zip. You pull it on. This is harder than it sounds, and for the first three wears you will wonder if you bought the wrong size. You did not. The leather stretches.

The boot launched in autumn 2022 and became one of the house's quieter successes. It does not have the sculptural oddness of some of Jacquemus's other footwear. It is simply a good black boot that happens to have a very slightly flared shaft at the top, which keeps it from looking too equestrian. The block heel is 4cm, which is low enough that you can walk on cobbles without listing to one side.

The shaft is lined in leather rather than synthetic, which matters more than you think. Synthetic linings trap moisture and start to smell by midwinter. Leather linings breathe. They also cost more to produce, which is why a lot of boots in this price range skip them. Jacquemus has not.

The fit is narrow through the ankle and calf. If you have athletic calves, size up or try them on before buying. The boot is designed to sit close to the leg without cutting in, and that balance is easy to misjudge. I wear a 40 in most shoes and needed a 41 in the Carro. The extra room in the foot is negligible once the leather moulds.

The sole is rubber with a leather stacked heel. This makes the boot practical for wet pavement, though I would not wear it in snow. The heel has worn down slightly after a winter of use, but not enough to require a cobbler yet. The leather has creased at the vamp, which is unavoidable in any boot, and the shaft has softened enough that it no longer stands completely upright when you take it off. This is normal. It is also, arguably, an improvement.

A Note on Longevity

Jacquemus shoes are not indestructible. They are, however, better made now than they were five years ago, and if you treat them with basic care they will last. Store them with shoe trees or stuffed with tissue to hold the shape. Wipe them down after wearing in wet conditions. Have a cobbler add a rubber toplift to the heel before you wear them outside—this costs twelve pounds and will double the life of the sole.

Do not expect them to age like Church's or Alden. They are fashion shoes made in Italy, not benchmade Northampton brogues. But they are also not disposable. If you buy a pair that fits properly and suits the way you actually move through the world, they will still be wearable three years from now. That is enough.