Nueva Epoca Cecilia lasted only 3 months

Posted in Catastrophes, REVIEW, Shoe Info, Shoe News, SHOE STORIES with tags on April 20, 2012 by Christiane

On the inner sides the shoes showed damages to the cavering fabric very soon.

I bought a pair of Nueva Epocas ‘Cecilia’. They were very pretty, but only for some weeks, then the covering fabric was falling apart and peeling off, on the front and the heel, very ugly. I wrote to them and sent them pictures and did not even get a reply. So I can only warn: whoever designed these shoes, does not have a clue how a Tango shoe is used and that it needs to be made of a robust material.
Pity! They looked so beautiful, when they were new . I have 2 other pairs of Nueva Epoca and find them very soft and comfortable. The heel tips wear off very fast too.
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The patent leather inner sole fell apart too after some weeks and needed to be glued back on. Not really impressive quality!

So this modell is NOT recommendable unless you do not mind throwing 160.- to 180.- € in the bin after some months. The other models that I bought seem to last better, one is orange and not sold anymore, the other one elctric blue and called ‘Mercedes’. They are a good choice for Shoe Divas who like soft soles, they do not have the hard robust frame of argentinian shoes.  I have narrow feet, so for me they are a bit wide, but surprisingly my foot does not slide down to the front, but is held in place and thus it is quite nice to have a bit of space for my feet to ‘grow’ when they get hot after some hours of dancing.

For Europeans it is probably cheapest to order them online in UK. Although they are a German brand  (Werner Kern) and I live in Germany I have found that they are much more expensive here than in Great Britain. I order with strictly4 dancers in Uk and have good experiences with them saving about 40 € (they cost about 110 pounds now incl. postage).

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Turquoise, Revisited

Posted in Comme Il Faut on April 5, 2012 by prinsesstarta

I’ve purchased two pairs of Turquoise over the past year-plus [see initial thoughts here: http://www.tangoshoedivas.com/shoedivas/?p=472], worn them to countless local milongas & practicas, as well as numerous festivals. I find myself avoiding the gorgeous Comme Il Fauts in favor of the (also gorgeous) Turquoise.

The ever gracious Hasan plied me with the new models at ValenTango 2012, all with a padded toe (which he reported will be standard in new models henceforth). If he’d possessed a 9.5 I’d have a new charge on my credit card and those shiny, fire engine reds. That’s pretty talk, but the reality is that I brought six pairs of shoes to the festival, 2 of them Turquoise, the rest CiF. I wore one of the Comme Il Fauts for an hour of a milonga (or less), and changed into the Turquoise, which I wore for the entirety of the festival. I enjoyed some solid foot massage and a cold water soak at the close of the festival, but I can report that my feet emerged triumphant. Painless (ok, 4:50am at the all-nighter they hurt, but I’d been dancing nonstop since 11), and can’t help wondering what it is about Turquoise that keeps me dancing into the wee hours without (much) ice and ibuprofen.

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Leather Vs Suede

Posted in REVIEW on January 10, 2012 by Niki

I haven’t really been looking at shoes these past few years, but when i read the previous post I started getting itchy feet :) . Nueva Epoca? Who is this new kid on the block? I Tracked down their website, and it was love at first sight (well, love is a strong word, how about ‘lust’ then?). the designs look soooo elegant I could easily have ordered 5 pairs if it weren’t for the fact that they are a bit on the pricey side (178 euro). further ogling revealed that all the shoes have suede soles.
Now I have worn shoes with suede soles before – 8-9 years ago, when i first started dancing, and all i could find in melbourne was ballroom shoes. Am not sure how I’d feel about suede now. So my question to you is : Leather or Suede, and why? also, any direct experiences with Neva Epocas would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a link to their website, just in case any one else is in the mood for some shoe pr0n:

http://www.nuevaepoca.de/ladies-nuevaepoca.html

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Flabella and Nueva Epoca

Posted in REVIEW, Shoe Info, Shoe pr0n, SHOE STORIES on October 7, 2011 by bastet

A friend recently went to BsAs and brought me back a sweet little pair of Flabellas. While a little on the plain and simple side (that was all they had in a low heel, and I’m fairly outspoken about that problem with low heels) they are quite comfortable in deep red and black leather. Sturdy is my best description for them. They should last for some time even if they aren’t the sparkliest kid on the block.

They did just fit my hard to fit foot (thanks to my friend for checking the length and width for me!) and  so I got excited and tried on another pair for sale at a dance studio, in the same size, different model, and they definitely did not fit….The size was at least 1/2 size off, if not more. So, I’d say if you can try them on somewhere to be sure they fit, they’re a nice shoe to have around in your shoe stash, otherwise a bit risky unless they come from somewhere returns are possible.

Then there was my present….a new pair of Nueva Epoca. This is the very comfortable Stella in snake print leather which I got from the incredibly helpful Susan at thetangoboutique.com . I highly recommend Nueva Epoca shoes. This is my third pair now. The 2 main vendors here in the US seem to be Carmen and Susan, both of whom are very helpful. Exchanges and returns are very easy and so you don’t need to feel like you can’t at least try them on. They have suede soles, which I find much more forgiving though there is a leather soled model called Isabela. Note- they measure their heels slightly differently than CiF, and I find NE’s 8cm height to be the same as the low CiF, while their 7cm height is just blissfully under 3″ (though I’m still gonna have to have these cut down a little).

Unfortunately, this model is discontinued now, but there is a similar (if slightly higher heeled model called Penelope) and Marisol would also have a similar cut.

There’s a black pair listed on eBay right now going for a steal if you’ve got the right foot size:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nueva-Epoca-Werner-Kern-tango-dance-shoes-5-UK-8US-38-Eur-black-suede-peep-toe-/250914420210?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6baa35f2

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Turquoise Shoes and Comme Il Fauts on eBay

Posted in REVIEW on September 11, 2011 by prinsesstarta

I recently broke my habit of buying only Comme Il Fauts, but at the Labor Day festival I bought a pair of Turquoise. Less expensive than CiFs ($165). I even broke my vow never to buy more shoes with “fluffy” accoutrements or details (ribbon ties, etc), but this pair has black velveteen scrolling on the silver leather toe band. Wore them to three milongas and am thus far very happy, but I heard from two other dancers they’d avoided Turquoise because they’d found them to be of lower quality, particularly in the buckles. I’ve not experienced this (yet), but I’m wondering if others can comment on their Turquoise shoes. I love mine, thus far, and lovely Hassan assured me he’d replace them if I have any problems with them.

Finally, I’m selling a couple of pairs of CiF on eBay, size 39. I read the post on selling shoes after I listed them, and I’m too busy to adopt some of the more useful suggestions, but here are the links. I’m happy to snap more photos & answer questions.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130574906699#ht_720wt_1184

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130574903722#ht_720wt_1184

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Selling Your Shoes- A Helpful Guide

Posted in Ebay, Shoe Info with tags on August 22, 2011 by bastet

In nearly 7 years of tango, I’ve been through rather a lot of shoes. I’m sitting here yet again, going through the shoes I haven’t worn and getting them ready to sell. It takes a bit of prep, but I think it is worthwhile and so I wanted to share my tips here in case you should ever want to sell some shoes but aren’t sure what steps you might take…so here’s a few suggestions from the way I handle selling a previously worn tango shoe.

Describe- I’ve bought cameras online, and shoes and other used items, and one of the best things you can do is describe. Really tell people to the best of your ability what you’ve got. As it applies to tango shoes I’ll describe why I’m selling, what the fit feels like for me and of course, the condition of the shoes as I see them.

Clean your shoes- You’d think this would be a given but I see so many shoes selling online used that could have looked so much nicer (and probably gotten a better price) just by spending a few minutes cleaning out those insoles, brushing the suede and giving things a quick polish where needed.

Photos- I usually try to shoot for a pic of the soles and top when I can, especially on an expensive brand.

Measure- unless you are dealing with a big name brand like CiF where most people may be familiar with the sizing, and even if you are, I’d use a soft measure tape to get a measurement of the insole length by following the curve of the insole and the heel height. Be sure to mention where you are measuring from on the heel…up the back, from the side…etc. It could help some people and save you a question later on.

Have fun and I hope it is helpful information!

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The Tango Shoe Family

Posted in REVIEW, Shoe Info, Shoe News, Shoe pr0n, SHOE STORIES with tags , , , , on July 21, 2011 by bastet

I am notorious for having problem feet as I have gotten older and difficult ones to fit at best. It took a long time to find shoes I was actually happy with and suited my poor arthritic toes. Comme Il Faut runs too narrow and appears to have decided that chunky 3.5cm heel is the way to go in a low heel. Neotango can’t seem to make anything nice looking in a low heel, special ordering is on my no fly list…but I finally did it and maybe one day I’ll understand what the Argentine aversion is to shoes with heels in the 5-6cm range….

Most of my current shoes have ended up coming from Greta Flora. The lush deep purple pair via Diva-Boutique, the special order orange-haired step child Nina model direct from GF, the black and red and silver/taupe pairs also from Diva-Boutique. I hope more people give them a try and vendors carry more of them, especially in the lower heels. They make one of the nicest low heeled shoes around. The kitten heel is placed just right for balance in a low heel; they are beautiful and not something clunky that looks like something grandma would wear.

My other surpising find has been Nueva Epoca, which are purple and crinkle sharkskin in bronze (pictured above), and the now hard to find red/black Illaria model, which turned in to one of my most comfortable shoes.

My other best find in low heels was a pair of Tango Brujo shoes (which is apparently not open anymore) and that’s sad, as this pair of shoes in black suede with silver trim is really fabu.

It’s safe to say if anybody out there is a size 36-37 in Tango Brujo and has low heel open toe shoes they want to get rid of, I’m all ears…

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Diva Boutique

Posted in REVIEW with tags , on July 19, 2011 by potranca

Hello Milongueras. I sell Comme Il Faut, Neo Tango, Diva Boutique designs, Tara, Greta Flora, Madreselva, Very Fine, and dance sneakers. I have been selling for Diva Boutique for over 5 years and am located in San Diego for the summer. If you have any questions about ANY shoes or would like to place an order, please contact me as soon as possible. Arrangements can be made. Elizabeth (847) 804-7506

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The Coveted Purple Shoe

Posted in Comme Il Faut on May 26, 2011 by Lisa Diane

I am on the hunt for this Comme il Faut shoe in size 37, lower heel. Anyone have it? I’ve already tried 38, too big. Higher heel won’t work either. Still hoping…

Desired Shoe

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Question from a new user

Posted in beginners, Recommendations on August 30, 2010 by america

Question from new user Isocephaly:

I’m not quite sure where to ‘file’ this question, so I’m posting it here. Budget: A Question for the Shoe Divas.

I’ve long been a silent reader & fan; I find your forum so useful, that I’ve linked to it from our tango club website. However, I feel there’s a big hole in discussion and that is a review of budget footwear. I’m part of a university group, and many of our members are raw beginners, living off a very fixed income. They can’t afford Comme il Fauts, and maybe aren’t even sure yet whether they’ll stick with tango long enough to make the shoe-investment worth while. I’m struggling to offer advice on where to buy budget shoes.

I first suggested Guaranteed Fit because they have a good selection of the low-cost “Very Fine” dance shoes for c. $50; but now am locked in a standoff with them over my own order, which I placed two weeks ago for a pair that I’d planned to wear to outside events. They were supposedly in stock for shipment within two days. Now, having taken my money, they aren’t responding to my e-mails or calls about when I might expect them. In looking around online for other budget alternatives, I’m realizing that many of these vendors seem to have such problems. There was even a news report about the company ballroomdancingshoe.com ripping people off.

I’m wondering if other tanguere have had experiences (good, bad, or ugly) with buying budget shoes, and which vendors might be reputable enough to recommend to our fledgling dancers. Thank you!

I don’t even want to tell you the horrific shoes I started dancing in, so I do not have the best of advice. I have some friends who have bought some chunkier low heeled ballroom or character shoes for <$100 (sometimes significantly less) but most are UGLY. I bought a nice pair of leather bottom heels from Nordstrom’s once for ~$90, but I know how to feel for balance and flexibility, it is way harder for a beginner to do these things.

So does anyone have any good sources?

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