Shoe Review- 2009 The Year of Switching Back to Open Toes
Shoe Diva Contributor: bastet
This past year was the year I decided to go back to wearing open toe shoes. I don’t know why I ever stopped, except that needing lower heels, I never had many choices about the shape of the front of the shoe before and didn’t really think that much about it until late 2008.
I am seriously hoping that 2010 will see some changes and hopefully more tango shoe manufacturer’s broaden their somewhat narrow outlook of this aspect: “low heel shoes means closed/peep toe”.
I am glad Greta Flora broke this mold- and good on them. I know a couple of other brands like Tango Brujo, Nueva Epoca and Darcos also make pretty, open toe, lower heeled shoes so good for them too!
In 2009, I was determined to decrease my foot pain so I ruthlessly sold most of my higher heels and switched to lower ones. Unfortunately, this didn’t really help much and I was convinced it was just about time to give up dancing before I crippled myself, but got a chance to pre-order some low heeled open toe Greta Flora shoes from Kathleen at Diva-Boutique. (She’s great by the way.) The shoes were great; my feet mostly forgave me and now I can continue dancing.
So I scrimped and saved, taught private lessons on my days off, did special orders when I didn’t really want to and sold ALL but one pair of the shoes I had previously bought (9 pairs), including my 2 pairs of Comme Il Faut, I’m sad to say, and have been slowly replacing them when I get a chance and find something that will work.
Here’s what I have now:
There are 2 pairs of Greta Flora, soon to be 3- a special order (oh no) directly from them that hasn’t gone well (what a surprise). There is one pair of Nueva Epoca, a pair of Darcos and a new pair of Jorge Nel’s. The raspberry pair (middle of the second pic) I bought in 2008, sort of a harbinger of things to come. 
Now a quick review.
Greta Flora- Overall, I love Greta Flora. The neutral pair required about 1 hr break in. Theya re very soft, shape to my toes and I can dance for hours in them. The black/red pair has potential but is a bit stiffer and tighter, I’ll probably need to have them stretched a little. The 3rd pair (more later as it will need it’s own story) is on its way from Argentina.
Nueva Epoca-The model I got is “Palma”. Carmen at Carmen’s Dance shoes has them on sale right now. Apparently the price is going up so I don’t know that I’ll buy them again with the new pricing, but if you can catch a sale, Nueva Epoca is good. Carmen is easy to deal with and returns are simple. They are flexible, comfortable, quality materials that aren’t stiff and are nicely made. I had 1/4″ taken off the Palma model to bring them closer to 2.5″ .They are actually 3″ up the back and not the 2 3/4″ listed. (The higher models have the height up the back posted so I am not sure why the lower heel ones don’t do the same.)
The Palma model I got is actually metallic purple (not the posted patent) with a iridescent pleated satin front- quite pretty! Lined in pale gold. I wore them for New Years and didn’t even bung up the metallics.
Jorge Nel- I got the raspberry pair in 2008 and added some trim (can’t help myself on that). They are comfortable, with a 3″ heel (up the back). They’re also rock solid stable.
So I special ordered the purple pair (yes, purple is my “black”) with the silver and black star back…yes…note to self…stop doing that in 2010…The purple pair turned out nice on the surface. The suede is nice and the lining is soft, but he made them about 1/2 size too long for my foot (and he measured my feet himself!) and I just can’t get used to his heel placements (too far towards my heel). Overall- I’d only continue to get Jorge Nel shoes at a festival, where you can get a bit better price and try them out first.
Once bitten on special order shoes, twice shy, but 3 times I’m just dumb! So my resolution for 2010 is to NOT special order shoes from ANYONE and only buy from people whom I can return an item that doesn’t fit properly.
I love the pinkish pairs! I ordered the 2.5″ heel from Jorge Nel and was surprised how high they felt (not that much shorter than a 3″ CIF).. but that may have been because I asked for double padding which I found threw the balance out somewhat – my foot came further forward, but maybe it is just the heel placement, as you say – have yours got double padding?
And why do you think the Gretaflora black pair are tighter than the neutral – they look to be the same model? I am waiting for some 2.5″ heels with an open back to come in! 2010 is my year for open toed and open backs!
Oh and with you on the ‘off the shelf’ thing – so much less hassle!
Comment by
Light Sleeper — January 3, 2010 @ 1:58 pm
PS Just out of interest, do you think Gretaflora’s are more hardwearing than CIF or about the same?
Comment by
Light Sleeper — January 3, 2010 @ 2:14 pm
GretaFlora tends to use mostly leather and suede, while CiF also combines satins and brocades in their shoes, and laces…which don’t tend to last as long. Just a factual observation.
Joge Nel measures the heel height up the front (and CiF up the middle or back) so a 2.5″ heel from him measures almost 3″ up the back and a 2″ heel measures about 2.5″. A good cobbler can cut them down a little (about 1/4″ works pretty good). My feet also feel pushed forward in his shoes, which I believe is probably a function of his heel placement or maybe the heel shape.
Greta Flora measures their heels up the middle, s a 5.5cm (2 1/4″) heel is 2.5″ up the back.
Comment by
bastet — January 3, 2010 @ 2:46 pm
Oops- forgot the stiffness question.
Since i bought identical models in the Greta FLora (Clementina), I figured they’s fit pretty much the same. but just like CiF, the suedes tend to fit better, faster for me and the leathers tend to feel tighter and need more “break in”.
I guess you just have to remember that these are all handmade, and so even though my Greta’s are the same model, the toe band on the black pair was cut a little smaller and I needed to stretch them more. I finally got that worked through yesterday with a few extra wearing around the house and now they feel great!
Comment by
bastet — January 3, 2010 @ 2:51 pm
thanks for that
I was certain my very old Jorge Nels were measured up the back, they were very low – only 2″. Anyhoo – I think you’re right, it’s more about WHERE the heel is placed that affects how it feels, hence CIF 3″ measured up the side feels more well balanced than JN 2.5″ up the side. Sigh.
I just can’t be bothered with trying bespoke shoes any more!
Tempted by the Simona Gretaflora in lizard print taupe suede
Glad your 2nd pair of GFs broke in quickly – that would’ve been an immense bummer!
Comment by
Light Sleeper — January 4, 2010 @ 4:12 pm
“I just can’t be bothered with trying bespoke shoes any more!”
Amen to that. I am done with it, unless someone will offer me a money back guarantee up front!
Comment by
bastet — January 6, 2010 @ 8:10 am
After reading your comment about Nueva Epoca, I’m tempted to give them a try. I wonder what their sizing is like. What European size did you order? I wear size 36 for CIF peep toe. How’s their sizing and fit compare with CIF? Do they have good padding? I’m not from the US and since Nueva Epoca do not have a distributor in my country, I have no choice but to order them on-line. I’m also a great fan of Greta Flora because they have beautiful low heels. I’m anxious to hear your story about your direct order from them as I will be making one soon.
Comment by
Momo Cat — January 6, 2010 @ 9:03 pm
Thanks for the great post
Comment by
Jenny — January 10, 2010 @ 2:02 pm
I have found that CIF shoes have better orthopedic support in the heel (it’s flatter, not inclined) and accommodate higher arches than the George Nel or Neo Tango shoes. CIF also has a tighter sandle band, which holds the foot steady, intact, and keep the foot from sliding forward.
Perhaps your foot slides forward because it has less arch support and a wider sandle band. (BTW, Tango Wear shoes are very similar in construction to Neo Tango shoes. Sadly, I bought 4 lovely pairs in a size 37 and they didn’t work out!)
Comment by
tish — January 17, 2010 @ 12:59 pm
Glad I came across this post – it gives me a new insight into attractive low-heeled tango shoes. I’ve just placed my first special order and hope to have my new shoes in about two weeks’ time. I tend to prefer closed-toe shoes, as I’m worried I won’t have enough support in open ones. Still, I might pluck up the courage to try some sandals some time soon. Love your collection!
Comment by
tangopassionista — January 21, 2010 @ 9:22 am
@tish- I agree completely that CiF has good support through the heel and arch shape and what you say could very well be contributing to the “foot forward” feeling I get, but until they do some proper open toes in a 2.5″ heel, I’ll sadly be saying no to them. Altough the pink shoes I have from JN don’t do this at all. They have a different heel type (more under the foot) than my other pair. The band fits fine on the purple ones. It’s fairly tight, but they are a little too long and even though they are low, the heel shape seems to make my feet feel pushed forward.
Good luck tangopassionista on your order. I hope you’ll come share your results here on the shoe diva site as well. The mor einfo out there, the better off we will all be!
Comment by
bastet — January 21, 2010 @ 1:03 pm
Still thinking about the foot forward issue…The Nueva Epoca pair doesn’t have nearly as much arch shaping as a pair of CiF, but they have a great (IMO) heel placement and fit in the toe area. My feet don’t feel pushed forward in them at all.
I suspect it’s a little of all the things combined which may give a result like that.
hmmm…
Comment by
bastet — January 21, 2010 @ 1:05 pm
When you talked about going back to open-toed shoes, I just wondered…do any of you other ladies experience pedicure damage when wearing open-toed shoes?
I’m not sure if I’m banging up my own toes, or whether it’s the leaders, but my pedicure (especially on the big toe) almost never manages to survive a night of dancing. It isn’t usually that someone actually steps on my toes (I’ve been very lucky in that regard), but there are very noticeable chips and dings.
Any tips for preserving one’s pedicure?
Comment by
Lana — January 27, 2010 @ 11:47 am
Not really- though I have noticed that even wearing my socks and shoes causes rubbing of the toenail polish on that toe…so I wouldn’t be surprised if other things might cause it to rub off too soon also…If I put a nail tattoo on it and coat it with clear polish afterward, nothing much rubs the polish off except when I am ready to.
Comment by
bastet — January 27, 2010 @ 12:51 pm
@momo cat- sorry I didn’t see your post til now- how strange!
I did post my Greta Flora story. I like GF, but I won’t special order again.
Based on what you say about your CIF sizing, you’d probably be a US 6 (size 3-3.5). The best bet is to measure your feet while standing on them with weight.
A size 3.5 Nueva Epoca is about 9.25 inches on the insole (about 23.5cm) so measure yoru favorite shoes and see how that compares.
I remember asking about their sizing increments at one point, because I wasn’t sure of my size, and I think I was told they go up by 3/16 inch per size or half size, can’t remember at this time.
Good luck- my suggestions is order from somewhere you can return to! They aren’t cheap shoes by any means so you want someone to work with you.
Comment by
bastet — January 31, 2010 @ 8:20 pm
I said I’d report back on my bespoke order from http://www.raquel-shoes.com. Delivery took several weeks longer than promised, but the delay was explained and the wait was more than worth it. I ordered ‘Arrabal’ with a 5 cm heel and extra padding. The shoes are beautifully made and the fit is absolutely perfect. I put them on and felt immediately at home in them. Dancing in them was and is a dream. They’re the best shoes I’ve had so far. I’ll certainly order again.
Comment by
tangopassionista — April 5, 2010 @ 5:15 am
good to hear! Hope you’ll post some pics!
Comment by
bastet — April 5, 2010 @ 6:55 am