• This style is a copy of a mid-century dress shoe. As such, it does not have the usual ultra-flexible Aris Allen dance sole. It was developed in response to the many swing dancers who requested dance shoes with thicker soles. The sole has the same thickness you'll find on ordinary dress shoes which means there will be a break-in period before they feel ultra-comfy.
• The leather heel has a thick rubber layer in the middle for extra shock absorption.

ABOUT THE ARIS ALLEN RAW SOLE:

• The Aris Allen Raw Sole is made from flexible hard leather that gets "faster" over time by repeatedly absorbing the natural humidity in the air (especially at a dance) and drying. The bottom of the sole and heel is made from sanded hard leather and after a few hours of wear they become "raw" on the bottom and perform a lot like Chrome Leather (suede) which allows you to spin and slide, and still control the floor. If you find the sole has picked up dirt from the floor and is slowing down, just shuffle your feet on the sidewalk once or twice to refresh it.
• The raw leather surface is designed for the intermediate / advanced dancer - but they're also great as a second pair for beginners... the "fastness" of the sole forces you to "find your center" immediately.

A note about Aris Allen Men's Tango Shoes, Captoes and Wingtips -
These shoes are absolutely 100% handmade. The cutting of the leather is done by hand - not stamped out, the glue is put on with a brush, not a machine, and the sewing, while done with a sewing machine, is done one at a time. You can even see the occasional pencil mark!

This means that the shoe on your foot is the product of a craftsman who sees the shoe from start to finish. This also explains why you will find the occasional imperfection. They are made just a few at a time.

Because this style has a shoelace closure with Balmoral construction (which means it is sewn across the middle at the bottom of the eyelets) - you can customize the width by loosening or tightening them - it should work with normal and narrow widths.

Most men know which two sizes they fit best (like 10.5 & 11 or 8.5 & 9). To figure out which size you'll fit in these:

• Narrow width = you'll probably wear the smaller of the two sizes you normally wear in dress shoes.
• Normal width = you'll probably wear the larger of the two sizes you normally wear in dress shoes.
• Wide feet = you'll probably fit one half size larger than the two sizes you normally wear in dress shoes.

About "Balmoral" construction:
These are traditional wingtips so they are constructed in the Balmoral style with stitching across the ball of the foot (at the bottom of the laces) and cannot be loosened or tightened at that point the way a shoe constructed in the "Blucher" style can. So these are not a great idea for anyone with very wide or very narrow feet. Our Captoes do not have this construction and so are better suited for a wider variety of foot widths.