Latin sandals for narrow feet

[chica latina]

I was just told that the shoes I've wearing (Tina by Freed) all these years are not right for my feet. I imagine that one of the reasons it's because I have narrow feet. I went to one of the shoe sellers at a comp and tried a few pairs and they recommend me to wear Narrow shoes. The only sandal they mentioned comes in Narrow is Melissa (which they didnt have a pair to try on) or to buy one with adjustable strap. Any recommendations?

[mamboqueen]

I wear XXN Melissa's. So far, it's the only shoe that has worked for me. And within 3-4 months, I have to order another pair because they've stretched too much in the front. I go with what works. It's too costly for me to try something else (special order) and having it not work. The great thing is that Showtime stocks these Melissa's, so there's no extra wait. I did try Elegance shoes, but find their shank kind of thick and stiff...plus to get N width, you wait a good 10 weeks.

Good luck!

[chica latina]

Now I'm not sure if to try Narrow or XNarrow. Will you say that the Narrow is narrower than most of the other Regular styles? I just found a website from England that ask for L54= $96, which means $115 with S&H. Will you say this is a good deal?

[fascination]

I have a narrow foot and I wear the melissas as well

[fascination]

Now I'm not sure if to try Narrow or XNarrow. Will you say that the Narrow is narrower than most of the other Regular styles? I just found a website from England that ask for L54= $96, which means $115 with S&H. Will you say this is a good deal?good deal is a stretch...but not a bad deal...that's for sure

[mamboqueen]

Now I'm not sure if to try Narrow or XNarrow. Will you say that the Narrow is narrower than most of the other Regular styles? I just found a website from England that ask for L54= $96, which means $115 with S&H. Will you say this is a good deal?


$115 for Melissa's delivered? I suppose that'll save you money; if you get them from Showtime, I think they're $119 + $6 shipping. For the $10 savings, I'd just as soon as get them someplace where they're fairly easy to return.

As far as the difference between the N and XN, it's probably not huge. I *think* the guy from Showtime said that the N isn't that much narrower than the regular-width, so I went with the XN. When I get them, they're a tiny bit tight around my outer toes, but they stretch quickly enough...and then I have the "escapee pinky toe" issue....which I've given up on re-inserting at this point. If it wants to get attention that badly....go for it!

[redhead]

Showtime will deliver for free if you order at a comp when they don't have your size

[chica latina]

Thanks for all the input. I'll see how much the showtime representative in my area will charge me for them. It'll be nice to be able to return it easily, in case they don't fit.

[alemana]

i wear the melissa t-bar too, fwiw, although my coach is lobbying for a switch to ray rose. i'm like, dude, when it's you wearing the shoes, you can say what brand, k?

[Twilight_Elena]

I'm yet another fan of the Melissas, in Narrow. I've had a blast with them, but I think I need a new pair because they feel a bit wonky lately. I've been wearing them for 6 months now.
Good thing is, my best friend (also my dance buddy) is studying in the UK right now and she goes to collegiate comps and such, where they sell shoes at bargain prices considering what I'd pay for shipping plus special order. So next time she goes to a comp she's definitely getting me a pair. :D ;)

Twilight Elena

[dancesportgirl21]

I have small and narrow feet and for latin I've been wearing Ray Rose. Still, I'm looking for something for a bit more support in the heel cup and am thinking of getting Supadance for my next pair.

[alemana]

funny how that works. the Ray Rose "line" is the support in the heel!

[dancesportgirl21]

Its not so much a lack of support- rather the heel cup is smaller (shorter and more flexible- at least on the model I have). I don't think the other models are the same, but the vendors around here don't have a wide range of Ray Roses. Just looking to try something different ;)

[fluffy]

I have a similar problem: I've tried Supadance XXN: what they do is put the front of the shoe 1/2 a size smaller for N and so on, this was OK, but you have to special order these which can take a while. I do love their court shoes though which I don't even need to wear in.

With Ray Rose, I went down a whole shoe size, but ended up with my toes over the edge, I'm not good enough to like this! Availabilty may be a problem though, one supplier I know is not going to stock them in the future as they rarely get deliveries!

My current option is Dancesport-International (DSI) I bought model no: 335RFSF250 it has 3 adjustable cross straps at the front. The only downside being they only come with a 2.5" heel. Availability may be in issue in the US though. I like the shoe and it's really comfortable but I don't think it's as well made as Supadance or Ray Rose, but it's also considerably cheaper.

[chica latina]

Fluffy,

that sounded like an attractive solution, but I need 3" heel. I just notice that the International shoes are $30 more expensive than what I use to wear.

[Twilight_Elena]

Fluffy,

that sounded like an attractive solution, but I need 3" heel. I just notice that the International shoes are $30 more expensive than what I use to wear.

Have you tried comp vendors? I hear their prices are much better.

Twilight Elena

[chica latina]

I'm debating if I should get them before my next comp or wait, use the ones (new Freed) i have and check the vendors in that comp. I always though online prices were better. I'm going to do a massive search and see if I can find a good deal...

[redhead]

how important is it to have a 3'' heel anyway? I've tried it before and didn't like it, but then i think it's just the model itself I tried that wasn't good for me... why/when did you gals switch to 3''?

[chica latina]

I wear 8.5 American size shoe and have very long legs. 2 1/2" heels look too short for me. I was told I should use 3" by my coach since I was in Bronze level. It took me a while to get use to the new heels and feel as balanced, it also forces you to arch more your feet. Now I'll never go back, (even though 2 1/2 will feel more comfortable and easier). At the end, we do anything to look good.

[fluffy]

The 3" heel just looks nicer, and makes your legs look longer. I use 2.5 for now because most importantly it fits, if there was a 3" version I would have got that insetad. Top competitors often wear 3.5"

[dancesportgirl21]

I was wondering about heel height too. Which brands and models are best in 3 inches? Because of the heel cup, I don't think I would get my model of Ray Roses in 3 inches. Right now I wear a 2.5 inch heel (with heel protectors) and my foot is a 4.5 in British sizes. Even though my feet are smaller than my female dancing friends, I am taller than them- 5'6. Does any of this matter? Do certain brands have more of a cushion on the ball of the foot to minimize the greater feeling of pressure? Has anyone here tried Aida? I've heard that a lot of the top dancers wear them.

[Dancebug]

Does switching back and forth between 2.5 inch and 3 inch heels affect your dance at all? I wear 3 inch heels, which limits my choice of Latin shoes. I am afraid of trying 2.5 inch heels because I am afraid that I may not be able to wear 3 inch heels again.

[Medira]

Does switching back and forth between 2.5 inch and 3 inch heels affect your dance at all? I wear 3 inch heels, which limits my choice of Latin shoes. I am afraid of trying 2.5 inch heels because I am afraid that I may not be able to wear 3 inch heels again.
I switch back and forth fairly regularly and I haven't had a problem yet. I've made it a habit though, even in shoes that I wear from day to day, to try and vary my heel height on a regular basis.

[chica latina]

Does switching back and forth between 2.5 inch and 3 inch heels affect your dance at all? I wear 3 inch heels, which limits my choice of Latin shoes. I am afraid of trying 2.5 inch heels because I am afraid that I may not be able to wear 3 inch heels again.

I would say that if you change regularly (like Medira) you may not notice the difference, but I know of many people that do when they initially use the 3" heel. I would recommend to decide what you want to do and stick with it. I would like to try the 3.5" but I'm not sure if they may be too much or I will feel unbalanced.

[skwiggy]

I've heard that switching heel height often is one way to keep your feet from getting too damaged. I heard this from a dance instructor who was on her feet all day, so she would change her shoes like 3 times/day between flats and different heel heights. So if you wear 2.5" heels one day and 3" heels the next and then back to 2.5" the next, you may have to adjust your balance, but your feet will supposedly be happier in the long run.

[Medira]

I've heard that switching heel height often is one way to keep your feet from getting too damaged. I heard this from a dance instructor who was on her feet all day, so she would change her shoes like 3 times/day between flats and different heel heights. So if you wear 2.5" heels one day and 3" heels the next and then back to 2.5" the next, you may have to adjust your balance, but your feet will supposedly be happier in the long run.
Yup. ...and before long, you won't even really notice the difference. I started doing this when I was switching between pointe shoes, tap shoes (character shoes), jazz flats and jazz sneakers, so it seemed only natural to keep up the practice with ballroom.

[mamboqueen]

*bump* (waiting for the shower water to return to hot....some extra time for bumping here).

CL --> I don't know if you saw my post in another thread, but last weekend I purchased a pair of Eckse (regular width) Olivia's and they are perfect for me as far as snugness around the ball of the foot AND the ankle. Even my XXN Melissa's had a little gap in the ankle cup. Rather than can those, however, I added little ball-of-the-foot pads in the front and ankle pads to the back inner part of the shoe. It helps, but I think the Eckse's are going to be better because they also have the flex sole.

The only thing I did was go down a complete size in the shoe for "toe overhang" purposes. I have no idea if this is going to affect my dancing adverseley with this particular shoe (I did it with the Melissa's), but the shoe fits properly everywhere that it should.

Anyway, you may want to give these shoes a try-on. I think I paid $108 (discounted by the store).

[Some Day]

I don't know if you saw my post in another thread, but last weekend I purchased a pair of Eckse (regular width) Olivia's and they are perfect for me as far as snugness around the ball of the foot AND the ankle. [...] The only thing I did was go down a complete size in the shoe for "toe overhang" purposes. I have no idea if this is going to affect my dancing adverseley with this particular shoe (I did it with the Melissa's), but the shoe fits properly everywhere that it should.


Mamboqueen,

Sorry to resurrect this old thread. I'm considering the Eckse Olivia's. How have they held up? Would you recommend the regular width for someone whose foot tends to be on the narrower side of regular?

[mamboqueen]

No apology needed. They didn't end up working for me. I wore them about 3 times but the downsizing caused me to be off balance. Maybe if I had just continued to wear them, my foot would have adapted, but I decided to stay in the safety zone of my Melissa's. I do have a very narrow foot, and I think these would have been a bit too wide had I gone with my normal size. What size do you wear? I'd be happy to send them on to a good home.

[samina]

all of you with your dainty feet... god bless

no melissas for me, i'm afraid. i could press grapes with these babies...
<g>

[mamboqueen]

Mine aren't dainty. They're frickin' paddles!

[samina]

Mine aren't dainty. They're frickin' paddles!

well that's comforting to hear. me with my peasant feet...you with your paddles. as long as they support us, it's all good...

[mamboqueen]

yes, reminder to pamper feet for the holidays ;)

[samina]

have that on my calendar for tonight.

i can't find my diamond file, tho... :( not good. not good at all.

[mamboqueen]

:raisebro: diamond? haven't switched to swarovski crystal ab yet??

[samina]

wha..? you serious... there's something even better than a diamond file for feet? :shock:

gotta fill me in on this one, sistah... or explain the joke that just went over my head.
lol

[mamboqueen]

my bad joke...stick with the diamonds. ;)

[samina]

lol

it is possible, however, that once i get into stoning my dresses, i will go stoning-crazy & cover my diamond file with ABs... in which case you will have been the inspiration. :)

[Some Day]

What size do you wear? I'd be happy to send them on to a good home.

Thanks for the offer, Mamboqueen. I wear a size 9 US. Yikes!

[Some Day]

if I had just continued to wear them, my foot would have adapted, but I decided to stay in the safety zone of my Melissa's.

I'll check out the Melissa's. Do you order narrow or regular?

[mamboqueen]

I generally wear either an 8.5 or 9 regular shoe; a 5.5 XXN in the Melissa. Showtime is very good; if you order and try them on, they'll take them back if they're not to your liking as long as you don't show wear on them. But, I'd try around a size 6 or so if I were you.

[Kitty]

I've heard that switching heel height often is one way to keep your feet from getting too damaged. I heard this from a dance instructor who was on her feet all day, so she would change her shoes like 3 times/day between flats and different heel heights. So if you wear 2.5" heels one day and 3" heels the next and then back to 2.5" the next, you may have to adjust your balance, but your feet will supposedly be happier in the long run.

interesting! I noticed this for myself (I switch between 2" and 2.5")

right after I switch heels (every couple weeks) I have a short adjustment time (an hour, to restore the balance and everythign completely) and afterwards my feet feel very good. I suppose that is because impact and weight are distributed differently...

it is funny.. but I can't wear more than 2.5. funny because I am a small girl and need to be as tall as possible. However, because my foot is short, 2.5 feels to me is like 3.5 for someone with a longer foot.

I now will switch heel heights deliberately. thanks skwiggy!

[fireinflight]

I'm reviving this thread to post about a new experience in my quest for narrow shoes that I haven't seen discussed here before... the open-backed International Nadias. (http://www.showtimedanceshoes.com/product_info.php/manufacturers_id/13/products_id/36)

My shoe career so far has involved trying on pretty much every single pair of competitive style latin shoes in my size (UK 2) that I could get my hands on, and having the "you could drive a car through the gaps between the shoe an my foot" problem with every single one of them. (With the result that I've been dancing Latin in lace-up cuban heel practice shoes for all 1 1/2 years I've been dancing, due to having no other options.) But a new shoe store opened up recently nearby, so I went with a friend, although I didn't get my hopes up.

The lady there said that when someone comes in with feet as narrow as mine, she usually recommends the open-backed shoes. So I'm thinking, "open backed shoes? But I thought those were even *less* stable than regular shoes - exactly the problem I'm trying to avoid!" But she said that, as long as the heel cup isn't touching my foot anyway, I might as well dispense with it altogether and use something that will actually support my foot.

So here I am, sitting at home wearing my brand new pair of International Nadias, and so far they seem great! I mean, I'm sure if they made a pair of shoes with a heel cup that was actually the size of my heel, that would be even better, but these are actually quite amazingly stable, considering the construction. The only problem is that I have to keep all the straps really tight in order to increase stability - when I point my toes hard, that ankle strap *hurts*! I'm sure some of you must have dealt with this issue before - what do you do? (The XXN Int'l Melissas have this style strap, right?) Will the area on the back of my ankle develop a callus eventually, to stop it from hurting? I mean, I could loosen the strap, but if I do then what's the point of it being there in the first place?

[chica latina]

I ended up buying 5.5 XXN Intenational Shoes... and even those after a while start stretching and feeling looser than I would like, but they are the best I've had.
I would not dare to try the open back... even though they made an interesting point. I assume that shoe has so many straps to compensate for not having a heel cup... but that looks like something my feet will not appreciate and restricts my ankles/nice points.
Good luck with your search... Hopefully someday they will make a real narrow shoe :)

[fireinflight]

I ended up buying 5.5 XXN Intenational Shoes... and even those after a while start stretching and feeling looser than I would like, but they are the best I've had.

Those were too wide for me :(

Good luck with your search... Hopefully someday they will make a real narrow shoe :)

Thanks! If they don't stop hurting, I figure I can at least manage it for competitions (probably the adrenaline will override the pain!) and a few practices before, and most of the time practice in practice shoes.

[Yana]

Can anyone recommend a latin shoe for narrow feet? I went to a local vender that carries International, Supadance, DanceClub, Dansport and Freed and the only ones that fit are the Supadance 1618 model because it has adjustable straps across the toes. My foot slides right through everything else . The problem is that I really don't like the way the shoe looks on my foot. I've read that the Ray Rose Queen B are great shoes for narrow feet, but is there anything else?

Thanks in advance!

[latingal]

I've heard that quite a few of the RR shoes will accommodate narrow feet. I can't speak to the specific models because I've got the opposite problem. Hopefully somebody with narrow feet will be along shortly to comment!

[canismajor41]

Yana - I have very narrow feet and the only latin shoes that have found to fit without having to add padding is the Paoul 198 but I have to special order it in narrow. I also have them put the 170 strap on the heel cup so that I can wrap the strap under the foot for extra snug fitting. Customizing the shoe like this really jacks up the price so that's the downside. I order Paoul shoes through Worldtone out of New York.

I have tried on all the Ray Rose shoes, and the only ones that semi-fit me are the Blizzards....but even then I have to padding in the bottom of the shoe and I also wear fishnets to help fill the shoe out. Ray Rose won't custom make a shoe in narrow. There are two other things I like in the Paoul shoes over the RR Blizzards - 1) the sole has a bit more cushion but not too thick that you can't "feel" the floor and 2) I think the heel placement is better in the Paoul - at least for me...the heels on the RR feel like they are placed a little too far to the outside edge of my foot. Even if I'm standing still, the heels feels unstable. A lot of people comment though on they like the heel placement in the Ray Rose brand, so this might just be me.

Best of luck to you!

[Yana]

Thank you for the reply, canismajor41! I'll take a look at the Paoul 198. I've never liked the idea of ordering shoes online without trying them on, because the chances of them not fitting right is very high for me. I'm assuming that if I special order something, it can't be returned :( I actually have a pair of Freed in a narrow and I love that shoe, but the local vender doesn't carry a narrow in them. Just my luck!

[Lyra]

Yana, I don't know how much help this will be because I have the opposite problem as well, but have you tried the Supadance 1057? It has adjustable straps and I have a friend with narrow feet who really likes it. I like the look of it better than the 1618, ut that's just personal taste of course.

[Yana]

Lyra, I just looked at those and I like the look better than the 1618 as well, but I really like the support around the foot (1618) vs the ankle (1057) better. I just ordered the Ray Rose Queen B 888 this morning so hopefully, they fit! Otherwise I have to continue searching........

[Yana]

Oh, and welcome to DF!!! :)

[AMeader]

Lyra, I just looked at those and I like the look better than the 1618 as well, but I really like the support around the foot (1618) vs the ankle (1057) better. I just ordered the Ray Rose Queen B 888 this morning so hopefully, they fit! Otherwise I have to continue searching........

Yana, I have quite narrow feet, and have found that the RR Queen B and Blizzard are their two most narrow models. Good luck!

[CapeMaui]

Hi,

I'm new to DF and would love to revive this thread as I'm now trying to find a pair of nicer (non-practice) shoes for my narrow feet/heel! I have tried Ray Rose Monsoon and Blizzards, both heels are weird fit on my and the ball of the feet too wide....

I have tried the International melissa in the narrow from my friend and it seemed to fit fine. But it doesn't come in black (need a pair for an Arg Tango routine I'm doing for a showcase). So I wanted to see if anyone has tried the Eckse narrow width shoes. How do they fit?

Thanks!
Annie

[DanceLightly]

Some manufacturers let you order shoes in narrow - Dance Naturals, for example. I've also special ordered shoes through Ray Rose. Maybe call the manufacturer (or email if overseas) to see if it is an option for you and the shoes that you want.

[squeak]

I have narrow feet as well and usually wear dancelife. Most of their shoes are made for narrower feet. My problem with most shoes that are "narrow" is the fact that the heel is too wide so I wobble in them. I don't have that problem with dancelife.

[canismajor41]

For those who have super narrow feet check out Capezio's Tatiana shoe from their professional line. I tried them on this weekend. They are even more narrow than the Ray Rose bizzard. Fir those with hard-to-fit narrow feet they may be worth checking out. If anyone here can speak to the quality of Capezio's prof. shoe line that would be great.

[CapeMaui]

So weird but I never did get notices that I got replies here! Thank you all for your replies!

Squeak, I have the same problems with the narrow shoes, it's always the heels. They don't always fit. I found that Eckse actually has great heel support. But I'm really interested in the dancelife. How are you liking them? Which model do you wear?

Thanks!
Annie