SHOES!!!

Okay, you probably thought that this is Maria who is writing. Wrong. This is Pasi and his adventures in the wonderful world of SHOES! I have to admit I am somewhat more conservative and not quite as enthusiastic about it, but definitely I have a crush... And yes, I DO like Maria's shoes. And so do you. Still I am not sure if she dares to share this passion in it's true, enormous scale, but let's hope she shares some of it. Even I have not seen all the shoes she has bought...

Anyway, let's start from the modern ones.

The first pair is actually not tango shoes, but perfect november shoes from Satori bought from Palermo outlet area (here). Very comfortable and slippery, perfect shoes for instant surprise dancing, too. Tonite I had them seriously tested in El Motivo dance floor. They got crazy...

The next pair you probably recognise if you danced tango at all. They are the famous 2x4 al pie, with interchangable soles. The most expensive tango shoes. Well, actually they are not shoes but sneakers or sneaker-shoes, something between. They are soft and very comfortable with soft and well designed heel and good general balance. Unfortunately, the don't last in my use at all. The first pair was destroyed in four months, and this pair is already showing signs of tiredness after a couple of weeks. Maybe it's just me, some say their durability is good and they use them for years. For my use the weak point is the heels and leather over the heels. Soft heels just don't last in my use...
2x4 have their shop close to Salon Canning in Scalabrini Ortiz 1753, 3rd, and they are open Mon-Fri 2p.m.-7p.m. and Sat 3p.m.-7p.m.

Here is a very nice pair from 4corazones. They have a nice shop in Callao 257, 3.A with cool pants and shirts for the guys, too! These are also sneaker-shoes with very thick and well made leather. It is made by sr Fabio himself from the original Fabio shoes. The heel is a wide and gives better support than those of 2x4, but for my taste they are just a little bit too back. Also the ball of the foot gets better support than in 2x4 because of wider design. The cromo is great for many slippery floors here in Bsas. But. They have soft heels and they are already a little bit injured. 

One great advantage: they are by far the cheapest shoes, and definitely worth getting!

And now to conservative, real shoes.

This brown suede-shoe pair is from Susana Artesanal, from Abasto barrio (Jean Jaures 465). Beautiful, classic design with wide design with just a little pointed toes, hard and well positioned heel, and good support in the ball of the foot. Torsion resistent, protects the foot and rather slippery leather sole makes dancing very balanced and easy. This pair might turn out to be just a little bit too big for me after I have used them a couple of times, so if you are interested they might end up in your shoe collection... Very good shoes with affordable price.
They hold open Mon-Fri 10a.m.-8p.m. and Sat 10a.m.-6p.m.

Here is the first pair from AR-SIL, or Snra Leo. They have been in business for 30 years and produced shoes already in the '90's tango shows. It is sort of obvious from the ladies' shoes since they tend to be little old fashioned, but the men's shoes are just incredible. Custom made shoes of highest quality. You can choose from a couple of hundred different materials and maybe 20 different models. Heels are wooden and you can choose from three different. They last forever. I made four pairs six years ago and I still use them. I even have one pair that it 11 years old and use them constantly. None of them are broken or destroyed in any ways. Perfect fit, although you might have to send them back a couple of times for fixing, but it is worth it. Also, if the fit is really tight, you might have to use them for 10-20 hours before they have softened and melted in your foot. Now my old shoes are like gloves, and I can use them for a whole weekend without problems. 

A few years ago they opened a little shop in San Telmo, av. Juan de Garay 908, esq Tacuari. They don't have net pages.

This pair of brown wings and white middle part has a middle high heel with excellent fit and balance. Leather is really thick and stiff now that they are new. Laces have distance so that when the shoe stretches just a little bit there is still space to find a good fit. The sole is very stable and torsion resistent. They support your foot everywhere and really help you dance better. 

Price is very reasonable especially when you take account their durability.

The second pair from AR-SIL is a little wilder: a shade thinner leather with reddish python in the whole shoe except the lace and ankle area is very red. The heel is the same as before. As the leather is little thinner, the fit is already better and they have a little bit softer feeling. 

And last but not least: leopard heel, ankle and lace area and a horribly green toes! When wearing the pants, you can hardly see the leopard, the same effect as in the red-python shoes. It only surprises you sometimes. When the lady have something green on, the shocking effect of the green toes is considerably milder and instead it is just freakin' cool. And you know what: almost every woman have SOMETHING green quite often...