Tango Shoe Divas

I swore after that last pair of Comme Il Faut, I was taking a break from shoes. And then this pair of Tara’s appeared on eBay in the style I had been looking at and in my size, I lost my resolve (but have since regained it). I will say I got  avery good deal. I was tempted by the head shoe divas commentary on platform shoes, but was unwilling to spring full price again after my last fiasco.

 I have only worn these around the house, but they are MUCH more comfortable so far than the black pair of Cubana’s I bought. The vamp is cut wider (YAY!) so my toes aren’t squished and as I said, slingback shoes are very forgiving of size miscalculations. And this is my one bit of weirdness with these. My heel hangs over the back a bit. I would have expected a size 6.5 to be longer in the insole than 23.6cm…but oh well..they *JUST* fit. If my foot were any longer, they would be too short…and I don’t usually buy a 6.5, generally I buy a 6 but these are nearly close toe, so I figured that would be a safe bet….Anyway, these have nice metarsal padding (the kind I WISHED had been in the CUbana’s), and I will trust that the HSD (Head Shoe Diva) really means it when she says the platform will break in…

And here they are right after I got them. A beautiful shoe…Diosa in Bronze, 3.5″ heel with 3/8″ platform.

*********Update***********….PLatform beginning to break in after 3 wearings now.

 Pic on my feet…can you see that my heel is a tad too long for these?

I got these pony print shoes a couple of months ago from Jennifer at Maleva shoes. Luckily, I got to go over and try them on at her place to find out if they’d really fit before I bought them. Yes, indeed, they fit and were comfortable…but…she had JUST gotten new models of Comme Il Faut in when I arrived and there were these fabulous shoes with little lace frou-frou over the peep-toe and tiny little pom-poms on the slingback. They were awesome! But they had a 3.5″ heel, which I can’t wear. So…I got the ones I originally intended..the velvet pony print shoes…but I “had a plan”.

 I would find some nice lacy bits and see what I could do since I had been suddenly overcome with “lace envy”.

 I found what I needed at a local fabric store. In fact, it was even BETTER than what I thought I’d have to deal with. An organze ruffle on both edges of a stretchy velvet ribbon. Perfect!

 I set about sewing my very own special trim on to the peep toe of my pony print shoes. It really gives them that little bit of extra black on the front that I felt they needed…plus the extra little bit of femininity of the organza is what I love.

 A very happy ending…

Before:

And after…over the top??? Well- at least I didn’t try to fnd any pom-poms for them.

It had been a really long time since Tango Wear released any new models, but sometime in the last week they added about 20 new styles (some of them ARE just new colors on old styles, but there are some novel design elements). Some people have had bad experiences with them (wrong sizes, difficult returns etc) but my experience has been essentially positive. They aren’t shoes that I love, but they are good solid shoes. You can read about them here, here, and here.

I bought my Tango Wear shoes when they were on sale and we did a big group order so we really saved on shipping (about $80 per pair after shipping) . I don’t know that I would order from them again unless I was getting a great deal, BUT I really think some of their new models are cute. The big temptation for me is that I can get a platform added, which is really good for long nights of dancing. I’ve been too much about the stilettos recently.

	I think this is my favorite of the new models. I really like the line of the ankle strap and the silver edging. Since it doesn’t have a stiletto heel it is likely that a platform can be added.
	I have a pair much like this in blue and black that is coming from an ebay buy. Really everyone is selling shoes from only a few manufacturers. It is just a matter of who you like dealing with.
	Case in point. This shoe has the same strap detail that I admired in the previous post from Raquel Shoes. (I like the single band toe better though). And what is up with the strange heel angle? I suspect it is a funky picture, because the shoes I have from Tango Wear do NOT have a backwards slanted heel. I hope this is not something new and strange they are doing, or a sign of marginal quality control.
	The strap through the heel style has been very popular on ebay (one of my friends bought two pair recently) so it is no surprise that this model has been added. I didn’t love the look of how the strap cut across my foot (of COURSE I tried hers on – great to have friends who wear the same size) but I like the rest of the design.
	This model is named “Lady Mate” which I think is a charming name for this green shoe. This is the same style as my BLUE H00KER shoes. They now offer them in red, green, black, black suede, and grape (I am not sure if the original Pink and Black version is still available, but you can ask for custom colors if you absolutely MUST have it)
	They are also making a version in pink leather and a thicker purple suede heel. Makes me tempted to try this shoe with a platform (and maybe a different color combo)
	I have been secretly coveting Animal, for quite some time (I have a collection of various “endangered species” shoes), but I like the more dramatic cutouts on this shoe. It’s a nice color of suede too.
	And lastly, the pair that I am most likely to buy, regardless of the comments byMiss Tango to this post. I’ve been really coveting polka dots recently, even if that does make me one of the “crazy people”… It wouldn’t be the first time someone called me that. This shoe with a platform would be a very good addition to my collection…

Hi I’m from France, living in Ireland at the moment.

Thank you for your blog! It’s really good and interesting! I am a shoe nerd too, particularly mad about Neotango shoes (Four pairs and soon Five). However I found another French website which sells really nice open toe tango shoes have a look a it my favourite is AMBRE I bottom of page II
:

Raquel Shoes

you can buy them online, they do half sizes! which Comme il Faut and Neo don’t.

What do you think?

Tara Tango Shoes just released some new models! All appear to have a memory sole lining. She writes the blurb like it is a platform height (“This 3.5″ heel feels like 3″ with it’s memory foam insole and full leather linings.”) but she doesn’t mention a platform. I’ve been really wanting to try a pair that have memory foam linings, but I keep getting seduced by flashy Comme il Faut instead. I did try on a pair of her Clio shoes at a festival (and my housemate bought a pair) and they fit really well. They weren’t instant heaven on my feet, but my platform shoes weren’t either. I would really have to wear a pair for a few weeks to get a good impression of them.

The new model “Alma Nueva” is gorgeous with black suede trimmed in red patent leather, a slightly slimmer heel and a less obvious platform (responding to the market pressure of Comme il Faut perhaps?). I own a pair of the old “Alma” in black and white (now discontinued) and I love them. My only complaint is that the footbed lining on the old Alma style peeled up and bunched under my toes. I glued it down, but I have never been able to get it quite right, which is a little annoying (it irritates my toes and it is the only thing preventing these shoes from being divinely comfortable). Tara and I chatted a little bit about this at a recent festival and I really hope that this problem has been corrected with the new models.

I am not as sure what I think of the Nueva Luna Style. I’ve been wanting a pair of polka dotted shoes, but these are VERY dotty. I think I would definitely have to see these in person (or at least a MUCH better picture) and probably on my foot, to see how I liked the textures, etc. I normally don’t shy away from flashy shoes, but for some reason the dots just don’t do it for me at the moment. I am capricious though. Next week I could feel completely differently. This is the silver color, this model is also available in black with copper dots.

Just a personal note that today I am celebrating 8 years of dancing tango. On this day in 1999 I wandered into a dance class at Pattie Wells and officially became a Tango Addict. It took me another couple of years to become a Tango Shoe Diva, but here I am!

Jennifer Bratt over at Maleva Shoes just posted a bunch of new shoes. I got four pictures sent to me this morning. Go buy them so I won’t!!! Especially these:

I really covet them. Are you sure you don’t want to buy them instead?

ETA:
It looks like Diva Boutique restocked too. She’s got about 5 pair that I would like to own. Must. Put. Down. Credit Card.

Please, SOMEONE buy these shoes. I’ve been thinking that I need to stop buying flashy shoes and buy some more sensible shoes (platforms and flare heels) but these shoes are seriously tempting my resolve…