T&C Tried & True: The Fisherman Sandals That Will Never Go Out of Style

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Here at T&C, we pride ourselves on our discerning eye for quality. With Tried & True, our editors will give you an inside look at the pieces they simply cannot live without.

Not for nothing, but there are few shoes that have stuck in my mind quite like Emme Parsons' Ernest fisherman shoe. As a style editor, I'm exposed to so much of the market and I can say for certain that it's not often a pair stays on my wishlist season after season. But ever since I first came across the brand, around 6 years go, the Ernest was seared into my mind.

Dare I say it, the elegant and structured style was really my first gateway into the footwear genre since the '90s, and even when fisherman sandals really started to make a comeback in 2022, the Ernest remained my holy grail. Now a few years later, I have taken a couple of fisherman sandals for a spin, and while chunky lug sole pairs or funky renditions are great, there's really nothing quite like Emme Parsons version.

There are a number of factors that set the Ernest apart from the pack, first and foremost the caging, which is thicker than many sandals on the markets, lending a more seasonless effect than your traditional sandal. The caged calfskin leather is also crafted in such a way that the shoe swings neither too beachy, nor too occasion-specific. You can wear it in the city, you can wear it in the country, you can wear it with socks when it gets cold out. That's true versatility, if you ask me.

Some other subtleties about the design, like the slight elongation at the toe, makes for the perfectly subtle feminine touch on a more masculine style. They just look so elegant on the foot, no matter if I pair them with a linen dress, jeans, or more polished apparel for the office.

One thing to note is that the design of the shoe requires a bit of breaking in—and let me tell you, it's worth taking that time to do so, because they do mold to the feet. All of which is to say, the leather really does make the difference. You can just tell that these shoes are well made, not just beautiful. I love that I can rest assured that the Ernest will look just as good in 2024 as they did five years ago. A shoe that transcends the trend cycle? That's a no brainer for me.

Photography by Eli Schmidt.

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