7 Pieces of Tango Fashion Advice You Can Safely Ignore (and 3 You Can’t)

Tango is full of confident advice. Some of it is gold. Some of it was never true.

Here’s our myth-buster, with sources, so you can decide for yourself.

Ignore these (or at least question them)

1. “Real tangueras dance in high heels.” Not true. Siempre Tango Ottawa tells students that you don’t have to wear 9 cm heels to be a tango dancer, and that women in flats are welcome at classes, practicas and milongas (Siempre Tango Ottawa on where to get tango shoes). See dancing tango in flats.

2. “Expensive designer heels will be comfortable.” Comme il Faut co-founder Alicia Muñiz told HuffPost that many of the highest-quality fashion shoes are “made for appearance, not for comfort”, which is why she designed tango shoes “for comfort first and then for appearance” (HuffPost feature on Comme il Faut). A tango shoe is a tool. Read the Comme il Faut story.

“For comfort first and then for appearance.”

Alicia Muñiz of Comme il Faut on how she designs tango shoes, HuffPost

3. “Buy your usual size.” Brands, countries and materials differ. Measure in centimetres and try before you trust a chart. See how a tango shoe should fit.

4. “Heel heights are the same everywhere.” They aren’t measured the same way. One follower on r/tango discussion on Argentine tango shoes points out that Italian and Argentine shoemakers measure heels differently: an Italian 8.5 cm is about the same as an Argentine 7.5 cm.

5. “Sneakers are for amateurs.” The right dance sneakers, with smooth soles and a pivot point, are a smart choice for practicas, long marathons and sore feet. Gym trainers are the problem, not sneakers as such.

6. “The tango look is a red dress and fishnets.” Moon Emissary’s follower style guide builds great milonga outfits “with nary a fishnet stocking or red dress in sight”. Wear what moves well and feels like you.

7. “If it feels natural, it’s right.” Not always. A new heel height or a properly fitted shoe can feel strange at first because your body is used to something else. Alejandra Mantiñan, quoted by Dimitris Bronowski, put it beautifully: “If you have conditioned yourself for years, what feels natural might simply not be” (Do what feels natural. Yes, BUT…). Give good changes a few weeks.

Half-right advice

“Insoles and arch supports solve foot pain.” They can help, and many dancers use them. But in the discussion collected in Dimitris’s bunions article, one dancer warns that supports can make feet and muscles lazy, so strengthening exercises are needed too. Use both.

Don’t ignore these three

1. Never wear tango shoes outside. It ruins soles and dirties floors. See shoe care habits.

2. No grippy rubber soles for dancing. Pivots need some slide, or your knees pay. See why rubber soles hurt.

3. Hygiene is part of the embrace. Shower, use antiperspirant, go light on scent and bring a change of top. See the sweat survival plan.