Aris Allen Men's 1932 Black Captoe Swing Dance Shoes

• All Leather Swing Era dress shoes in the style of men's captoes from the 1932 Chicago Mail Order Catalog. Exactly what you want to wear for vintage dances like Lindy Hop, East Coast or West Coast Swing, etc.
• These are made specifically for dancing on wooden dance floors - do not wear them them outside.
• See sizing recommendations below.
• Item #: 447-BK

SPECS:

Features the Aris Allen Raw Sole: a flexible hard leather sole and heel made especially to provide you with the action you want on the dance floor. Ask any dance instructor: the “fastness” of the sole forces you to “find your center” immediately.

Heel height is approximately 1"

SIZING TIPS - (ALL SHOES ARE USA SIZES):
(Our returns show we are right about 90% of the time)

CHECK THE MEASUREMENTS CHART IN THE PHOTOS IF YOU'RE NOT SURE ABOUT YOUR DRESS SHOE SIZE

These are Wide Shoes and are running pretty true-to-size. So start with your men's dress shoe size - the size you measure on the Brannock Device (the metal thing at the shoe store) - and stick with your normal size or go up to the larger size if you usually find you're in between sizes. Feel free to call us if you need help figuring out your size.

Narrow width: 
Test dancers with narrow feet should be ok with these. If you are in between sizes the smaller of the two might be best for you.

Medium width:
Stick with your usual size or half a size larger. If you are in between two sizes then it's possible you'll want to wear the larger of the two. Add a thin insert if it's the perfect length but a bit too roomy.

Wide width: 
These are roomy but are not made for wide feet. For instance; our 9.5 EEE test dancer could wear a size 10 but prefers our Men's 1932 Wide Black Captoes instead.

ABOUT "BLUCHER" CONSTRUCTION:
This captoe is made in the Blucher style, meaning that unlike most dress shoes they are constructed to open and close across the foot with laces (rather than being stitched down at the base of the laces like Balmoral construction) to allow you to adjust the fit to your liking. This means they often fit a variety of widths, depending on how loosely or tightly you tie them.

ABOUT THE ARIS ALLEN RAW SOLE:

• The Aris Allen Raw Sole is made from flexible hard leather that gets a little “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 performs 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.
• This style was created to give you a shoe that is similar to what was being worn when swing dancing was invented. If you want to look authentic on the dance floor you need to be wearing the same thing that dancers were wearing in the 20s, 30s, and 40s.