Ladies - favorite Latin shoe?

[ballroomboilergirl]

Half the girls on my team own the Freed Tina shoe and absolutely love it...they say it fits well, feels good (compared to other latin shoes...I think its safe to say that no Latin shoe is the most comfortable shoe you'll ever wear!), and looks good. I've been told its the preferred shoe by several top latin and american rhythm competitors. Does anyone own them? If so, let me know what you think...I'm considering buying a pair if everyone is recommending them. If you don't own them, what is your favorite brand and style? Any sizing tips? This goes for smooth shoes too!!!

 

[pygmalion]

I don't know about Tina, although they are really pretty shoes. I like the stoning on the T-bar. I have Karina, made by International Dance Shoes. Very comfy, and a nice strap that wraps around your foot to keep the shoe snug. My dance shoe dealer also highly recommends Nadia, made by International, as well. I didn't get them only because she didn't have the color I wanted. Those babies really support your foot. They have two ankle straps, and it feels impossible for your foot to slip around.

Incidentally my shoe dealer recommended NOT getting the Supafit line by Supadance. They have a very flexible sole which aids in pointing the foot, but they give a lot less support to your feet, particularly if you're dancing long hours.

Hope this helps.

Oh yeah, and I know quite a few people who like the Elegance Sultana Chic shoe -- the one Julia Gorchakova wears. And those come in the 3 inch heel you like. If you get them, try backbaydancewear.com. Cheapest price on the web. I checked. 8) :lol:

 

[Vince A]

Almost all the ladies that I know wear Ladies Practice shoes (from Showtime Dance Shoes) 90% of the time for Latin and Swing dancing, especially if they are wearing slacks. These are the perforated ones that are supposed to let air get to the feet. I wish they made them for men - they must feel good if so many of the women wear 'em.

The women switch to the more dressier versions for competitions and to heels if they are wearing a dress.

 

[pygmalion]

I wish they made them for men - they must feel good if so many of the women wear 'em.

Yup, Vince, those ladies' practice shoes look cool with pants. BTW, there are quite a few models of perforated men's shoes out there. Showtime has style #6000 -- a ballroom oxford in perforated leather. backbaydancewear.com has many styles from different shoe manfacturers -- mixed in with the men's ballroom shoes -- in perforated leather.

Another suggestion for ladies' Latin is Dance Naturals' style # 4X. Nice support of the foot. And they come in leopard print, so they're something different than everybody else has.

 

[DancingMommy]

As a shoe lover extraordinaire, I think I've tried almost every pair of shoes every devised (ok that's an exaggerration) :lol:

My top picks are:

Latin:

LTB by International - good fit and classic look.

Classic by Freed - groovy in the multi glitter and super comfy for everyday-wear

Standard:

1008 by Supadance - it's the round toe elasticated one.

ICS by International - gold lurex is my special fave since it goes with most everything

Practice:

The perforated one by Supa has been the most comfortable so far.

I used to be a strictly International girl, but now I go for what feels good on my feet (at the time).

I must have owned and worn out at least 50 pairs of shoes in the last 6 years. I hardly get a chance to re-sole my shoes because I wear the bodies out so quickly.

I'm looking at the Cara (Standard/Smooth) by Freed (I think) for my next pair since they have a lower heel and are tan leather to go with everything. For comp though I'll stick with the 1008.

I've tried DanceNaturals, Freed, Supa, Coast, International, Tic Tac Toes, for the record. ;-)

 

[Vince A]

Yup, Vince, those ladies' practice shoes look cool with pants. BTW, there are quite a few models of perforated men's shoes out there. Showtime has style #6000 -- a ballroom oxford in perforated leather. backbaydancewear.com has many styles from different shoe manfacturers -- mixed in with the men's ballroom shoes -- in perforated leather.

I don't think any of those men's shoes are Latin???

Another suggestion for ladies' Latin is Dance Naturals' style # 4X. Nice support of the foot. And they come in leopard print, so they're something different than everybody else has.

I use Dance Naturals for Swing, Hustle, NC2S competitions, and although they took forever to "breakin" for feet . . . they are great shoes.

If it's just a Jack and Jill . . . you can't beat dance sneakers even with baggy dress swing slacks!

 

[pygmalion]

No, Vince, the only perforated leather men's shoes I've found standard issue have been smooth/standard ballroom. Although Elegance, Coast and Celebrity do allow you to custom order any shoe in any fabric or heel height. So, technically speaking, you could get anything you want in that perforated leather. And Elegance are nice, nice shoes. A little pricey, but nice.

 

[pygmalion]

ICS by International - gold lurex is my special fave since it goes with most everything

Practice:
The perforated one by Supa has been the most comfortable so far.

I have the ICS in gold as well! Great shoe. And I have the Roma by Supadance, I think. Edit: I remembered wrong. Freed of London. And I think the Supadance ones have a slightly lower, thicker heel than the Roma's, but the Roma's are a little cuter, IMHO. :lol: If you haven't tried it, Roma is a great shoe! Way comfy, and now available in black, black/white, or tan. You can't beat it for a comfy practice shoe.

 

[DancingMommy]

I'm on probation right now since I'm preg. I'm not allowed to buy shoes. :?

However, I rarely buy my shoes stateside anymore. I find that ordering from dancesport.uk (I think) is the way to go. The smae shoe that costs $120 here costs me a little over $70 including international shipping when I order online. Not to mention that as a pro, I only got a 10% discount off the retail price which barely covered the sales tax. No tax on international orders!!!!! I'm all about saving money.

I just don't order right before I need them, lol. I make sure to order plenty in advance!

 

[pygmalion]

What! :shock: I'm going to check it out. I've seen those ads, but always thought it was a come-on for a poor selection of shoes. Like maybe yesterday I saw an ad for dance naturals for $69 a pair. ( :doh: Duh! Must've been Wednesday. I had no computer yesterday!) Hmm. It's kinda late for my Christmas list, but still, I'm thinking a mile a minute here. And oh, btw, did you see the listing in the ads forum for Carmen's Dance Shoes? They're having a sale. Even if you're not buying shoes for yourself, they do have quite a few pairs of men's shoes you might want to check out for your husband.

 

[pygmalion]

Oh boy! I'm dangerous now! You're right, DancingMommy. I just checked the dancesport.uk website and the dancescape.com website, and I found some really good buys on shoes. Much less expensive than the same shoes here in the States, and a better selection of colors, too. Here I go again! (Edit -- except Supadance. Those prices are comparable to the ones I've seen here. I guess Supadance is just a good shoe, or they have the market cornered, so they don't have to lower prices. *shrug*) And, BTW, dancevision is clearing out its stock of Ray Rose shoes -- $49 for all men's and women's styles. Most of the men's stuff is sold out, but quite a few sizes and colors are stil available in the women's styles.

 

[DancingMommy]

I told you so! 8)

It get's even better though... If you want those babies FedExed, they still cost less!!!

I'm thinking of trying the PortDance shoes since they are under $60/pair and are getting rave reviews. I'm all about value and I'm willing to try some lesser known brand if it looks good.

I love internet shopping! Especially since most of my shoes have had to be "special ordered" since I moved here. When I lived in Atlanta, I'd just pop into Showtime whenever I needed something - ah the good ole days..... But now, half the time, the size I want or style, etc isn't "in stock" and I end up having to wait for it anyways. GRRRRRR

So, I figure if I have to wait, why pay full price????? Once upon a time I thought about being a dealer, but it was just tooooooooo much trouble.

 

[pygmalion]

Yes. The ladies at the local shoe dealer are very nice, though, and I highly recommend them for newbies who have never had dance shoes fitted before. Those ladies know what they're doing. 8) But with their entire stock stored in the garage/side of a residential home, there's only so much they can stock. Their shipments come in on Wednesday, and I think you need to order by Monday to get them Wednesday, btw. So if you go on Tuesday, you wait more than a week to get your shoes. :shock:

Now, about discount shoes ... :wink: I've also seen ads for shoes made in and shipped from Asia, but I've been wary of trying those. The prices just seem too low to be true, and the brands are totally unknown to me. Plus, returns to Asia must be tricky. Has anybody had experience with those?

 

[tasche]

Ebay can be a good place to look for if you know your size. I jut received a pair of 1008's brandnew ofcourse and I only paid $60 plus $10 shipping. This particular seller seemed to have alot of supadance shoes

 

[DancingMommy]

Their shipments come in on Wednesday, and I think you need to order by Monday to get them Wednesday, btw. So if you go on Tuesday, you wait more than a week to get your shoes. :shock:

If the shoes you ordered actually got ordered in the right size/colour to begin with.

Now, about discount shoes ... :wink: I've also seen ads for shoes made in and shipped from Asia, but I've been wary of trying those. The prices just seem too low to be true, and the brands are totally unknown to me. Plus, returns to Asia must be tricky. Has anybody had experience with those?

Asians are notorious for reverse engineering/flat out copying the brands. I have some Versace and Bulgari jeans that you'd NEVER know were fake as well as some Prada and Gucci Handbags. My MIL sends them to me. I can't wait to go back over there to get more. My Versace fakes are so good, they come with a genuine cert of authenticity. :twisted:

The quality of clothes/shoes I've bought in Asia are very very good - and they are style mavens over there also (by way of HK). I'd have no problem trying any ballroom shoes made there. But myabe I'm biased....