Trade secrets
A few manufacturing secrets... of our high-heeled shoes
Designed and designed in France, our Argentine tango shoes are handmade in Portugal by a small team of craftsmen with tremendous ancestral know-how, capable of carrying out exceptional work .
In this article , Puretrend explains that Portugal has become a key player in the high-end footwear industry in recent years.
Lalatango are originally designed for dance , and in particular Argentine tango . They meet more demanding criteria than the shoes used for “the city”.
Stability but not rigidity
To feel comfortable and avoid fatigue, Argentine tango dancers need stable shoes . Technically, the improvement in stability is achieved by stiffening the sole of the shoes . However, it is unpleasant to dance the tango with rigid shoes : you lose the feeling of contact with the ground! Conversely, too flexible shoes are not stable and it is quickly tiring, even dangerous. A compromise must therefore be found between flexibility and stability.
At Lalatango , the "mounting insole" (which is the insole from which the shoe is mounted) has been reinforced. Only on the part that does not touch the ground, under the arch of the foot: this allows good stability while preserving the flexibility of the sole at the front on the ground!
Redesigned shape and fit
To further improve stability, the shape of the Lalatango shoes has been specially designed to provide a larger surface on the ground, without increasing the volume of the footwear...
Doesn't that speak to you? Concretely, if you compare the width on the ground of your Lalatango shoes with dress shoes (or with tango shoes designed as dress shoes …), you will find that the part of the sole that touches the ground is a little more wide among the Lalatango . Just a little, but enough so that your feet and toes can spread out better on the ground over a larger area. A detail that changes your feelings without seeming to.
And this while maintaining a standard foot volume. So Lalatango shoes aren't just for wide feet.
Arch support
The shape of Lalatango shoes is designed to provide optimum support for your arch. It ensures you exceptional comfort to dance the tango until the end of the night!
Metatarsal relief
The part of the foot that suffers the most during a milonga is usually at the joint between the metatarsus and the phalanges . This is normal, this part supports all the weight of the body when doing a pivot.
And all tango dancers know it: the pain can be intense...
To avoid this major inconvenience, your Lalatango shoes are equipped with several millimeters of an exceptional material, Poron®, an ultra-cushioning pain-relieving foam that CONSIDERABLY reduces the pain caused by hours of practicing Argentine tango with many pivots.
And when we say "ultra shock-absorbing", it's to give you its main characteristic. Because this material is also shape memory, that is to say, it supports the pressure of your feet very well without deform over time (you know, without "printing" in 3D the imprint of your toes as we so often see on our old shoes), which would definitely make it lose its abilities...
You can watch this impressive video proving the extraordinary cushioning of the Poron:I suggest you discover other videos on this page .
Sizes and half sizes
Lalatango offers you its tango shoes in sizes and half sizes.
So, if your feet are a little wide, you just need to choose a half size above your usual size in order to benefit from a greater width without having the feeling of wearing shoes that are too long (which is probably the case when you have no choice but to take a size above yours so as not to feel cramped…).
Likewise, if there is a small difference in size between your two feet, this allows you to choose the size where your stronger foot is more comfortable, without the other being too wide.
Material quality
The upper of the shoes is in leather (exceptionally in textile as for the model with sequins, and in this case, it is clearly specified in the description of the product).
It's not just any leather! It is rigorously selected for its comfort, aesthetics and durability. These are essential qualities when wearing dancers' feet for hours on the floor.
The shoes are always lined; the lining is always in genuine leather, as for the insole (insole).
The outsole is also leather, a leather perfectly suited to the dance floor.
It is a strong and durable sole, the same as found in luxury or high-end dress shoe brands. It is perfectly usable in the city as well as at the dance.
So you can use your shoes on the street as well as on the dance floor! However, it is much better to have a pair (or more!) reserved for dancing, so as not to dirty the parquet floor of the milongas.
Do you have to put a "pad" (or a rubber sole) under your shoes to use them in the city?
It is not essential, and we rather advise against it because your shoes would lose their flexibility which also contributes to comfort. Only do this if you expect heavy use on rough ground.
But if it rains, will the leather sole hold up?
Yes.
The sole leather is thicker and stiffer than that used for the upper of the shoe (= upper). Its production is different. Its tanning is longer (the leather is then immersed in different baths of aqueous solutions... so it macerates for a long time in water!), it is then compressed.
In short, the sole is also water resistant. Even if it is better to avoid making kilometers in the rain. And remember to dry your shoes well when they have been wet.
The leather of the sole is covered with a protective film at the time of purchase to allow you to try on the shoes without damaging the sole. Be careful however to try with great moderation because the film is very thin, and if you decide to return the pair it will only be accepted if there is no visible trace of use. Test on a rug or carpet. Leave the protective film on until you have decided, because if you decide to return the shoes they will not be accepted without this film.