I have the widest feet of anybody I know (and I know because I checked) and will tell you that the search for the perfect tango shoes continues to elude me. The problem is that many Argentineans are genetically Italians and their common shoe shape is modeled after the Italian foot (which is a narrow foot shape). This is why most tango brands are going to be too narrow for me.
If I’m lucky, they’ll have wide designs or the ability to custom order. But even then, you never know if the custom EXTRA wide is built off a true wide foot last. Some of them will cheat it by using the front-half of a bigger shoe size and the back-half of a smaller shoe size! You have to know that the best quality shoemakers make the shoes themselves and don’t have a big production facility. They’ll only have the standard last shape (the narrow one) in every size (and some half-sizes). That’s a dozen lasts for just one foot shape. Most won’t get a dozen other lasts for “WIDE” feet, and even fewer will get a dozen more lasts for “EXTRA WIDE” feet. Too much effort for too little returns, I get it.
I imagine “wide shoes” are no fun to design. They don’t look as aesthetically pleasing as the slimmer, sleeker, narrow foot. So it’s probably only a busy mass-manufacturer that finds the financial sense in catering to the small percentage if wide-foot dancers. Anyway, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been able to find shoes that I loved but they are few and far between. There are a few good options with many bad ones. I’ll list the brands to save you time.
WIDE TANGO SHOE BRANDS (FOR MEN)
Mr Tango Shoes (Colombia) – “perfect fit, easy customization, low price!”
Thank you, thank you, thank you! These guys have saved my life with their custom ordering option. You can choose the exact design, colors, materials, heel height, and most importantly for me…THE WIDTH! They can make shoes up to as wide as EEE. While my foot may very well be a EEE, the best fit for me was simply an E. The reason is because my people with a wide feet simply need a wide/square toe-box, and some brands only widen the width but still leave a narrow/pointed toe-box.
Another trick to get a wider shoe is to go for the weave design, because that texture would allow the shoe to stretch more. If there is any issue I have about this brand, it is that it’s a cheaply made shoe. It holds together long enough and performs well but the entire shoe itself wears out pretty quickly. All materials, upper and sole are relatively thin. Despite from the good fit, I would also say the comfort would be is more on the lower side or feels like low-quality construction. I prefer a more raw/naked shoe that feels like a stiff block whereas others may prefer a molded shoe that feels like a full-foot cushion. The lack of quality however is well justified by their low prices and frequent sales.
Hasan Usta (Turkey) – “high quality, excellent comfort, stylish!”
You notice them right away. Turkish fashion has a very distinct and oh so stylish and unique. I was drawn to the appearance of all his shoes right away. I even insisted on trying ones that weren’t even close to my size. They feel like quality in your hands and then you put them on…and YES! It’s an amazing fit. So comfort, so beautiful. ANNNND if you can buy them from or in Turkey, they are extremely affordable. Unfortunately, if you buy them from a reseller in the USA, the prices goes up to the highest amount, on par with the premium woman’s tango shoe brands!
There are a few other mentions. One is that his shoes have a split sole, kind of like ballet shoes where you feel the front half and back half of your foot are on separate sole pieces. You may like this if you want more foot flexibility for pointing the toes or a more “bare foot” feel with the ground. Think padded socks. But there are others who prefer to have the sole as one solid piece, which feels to like more support to them. The other note was his models are different widths across the board. Some are wide, some are narrow. Which is the norm except many brands never get wide enough for me.
Bandolera tango shoes – “high quality, stylish, expensive”
Beautiful shoes and they do have models for super wide feet! Hooray!
Fabio Shoes (Argentina) – “high quality, excellent support, authentic”
High quality, stylish, authentic dance shoes right from Buenos Aires and worn by many famous tango dancers. as well as regular tango dancers at the milonga. The regular width is actually quite narrow so you have to custom order their shoes and specify that you want EXTRA WIDE. If all goes well and they get all the details right, you will soon receive an amazing high quality, well-fitted shoe that feels perfectly made for your wide foot. Best of all, the shoe is very authentically Argentinean tango has exactly that tango shoe style.
The ONLY problem with Fabio Shoes and dare I say it, a common problem with many Argentinean businesses (or maybe just Portenos), is their poor business attitude. Fabio Shoes was a nightmare to deal with. Like many Argentineans business people (the ones I met in BA), they are really friendly the first time you meet them. They talk to you like you’re family. Asking you what you like and assuring you everything will be perfect for you and that they are the best. (I bought from them online and chatted with them, this wasn’t in person.) Then you get the order, and noticed many details were forgotten, overlooked, or they just didn’t care. They sent me the wrong size, and it was the regular narrow width.
I messaged them online about this mistake and there was no apology given or responsibility taken for the mishap. I shipped the shoes back at a cost of $30 hoping to have clearer communication for the exchange pair, but this was never to be. As I messaged around the expected dates of delivery, they started dismissing my chat messages asking if they had received the package. When a person finally answered the Facebook chat, he asked me in an irritated tone, “did you send us a box?” As if I was has inconvenienced them in shipping back the shoes. He clarified that the shoes had already arrived at the post office long ago but they were “too busy” to pick it up. Long story short, I got fed up asking everyday if they picked it up yet and just demanded that I wouldn’t be happy unless I got my money. Luckily, they did refund me (except for the shipping).
2X4 (Argentina), DNI (Argentina) – potential brands for wide shoes!
I’ve heard that these shoes are good for wide feet and also high quality, but I haven’t yet been able to try them. My roommate who appears to have very wide feet was happy with his 2X4. I would also say that 2X4 appears to be a higher quality and more innovative shoe than DNI. DNI on the other hand, while it isn’t “bad”, feels like an average solid quality shoe. And I say this without having tried on either shoe. 2X4, I’ve felt in my hands. DNI, I never did but heard great reviews from professionals.
Dance dractice sneakers – a common tactic for those that know!
Dance sneakers are usually made of a softer material that’s more giving to different foot shapes. Not only that but practice shoes are often made with synthetic uppers and cheaper (only $25 instead of $150). If your feet won’t fit into regular dressy tango shoes, try the practice models. Axis Tango (USA) had some. You can also use dance shoe brands like Sansha or other brands that do shoes for jazz and such. Some of them are actually well known and often used by professional tango dancers during classes or private lessons to preserve their performance tango shoes or feet (women). The only issue is that practice sneakers may not go with your fancy outfits and evening dance events.
Ballroom shoes – also suitable for tango use!
Many tango dancers have also figured out that ballroom shoes are also very suitable for tango, since both are used on similar surfaces and in a similar manner. I can’t remember which brands I remember one of my instructors using but will ask him and update this guide accordingly. The nice thing about ballroom shoes is that they are very dressy and elegant looking and also cheaper since ballroom is generally more popular and accessible around the world than Argentine tango.
Custom last – not quite as perfect as you think!
This is a route some dancers with serious shoe sizing problems will attempt. How it works is you pay for a custom last that’s based on a mold of your foot, $300-700 depending on where you’re doing it (US vs foreign), and then pay for the shoes made from that last. You can have them keep the last for future orders or give to you so you can take it to any shoemaker. You would think because the last is based on the exact mold of your feet, that the shoe made from it would fit perfectly but this is rarely the case.
My brother’s initial attempts yielded shoes that still weren’t wide enough or the extra material was in the wrong place, like too much on the top instead of the bottom (or vice versa), or too much on one side, etc. It takes a few test versions to really figure out the exact last that makes exact shoe size for your feet. And IMO, you’ll probably find a perfect fit sooner trying different stock-factory models than to go the custom last route…annnd it’s cheaper, too.
MENS TANGO SHOE BRANDS THAT DON’T WORK FOR WIDE FEET
- Monsieur Pivot (Italy) – absolutely not…although they are the #1 Italian brand for tango shoes!
- Regina (Italy) – I’m still holding out to see if my custom pair will fit.
- Odile (Korea) – made for narrow feet, no!
- Most Argentinean brands – like I said already, too narrow.
- Most European brands (especially Italian brands) – there is one exception. Eastern European brands are much wider in general, like Turkey. It’s the Western European brands that are narrow.
- Puma – in case you were following that trend of dancing in street shoes, they do have SOME wide models but not the ones tango dancers usually wear.