Capezio Women's 700 T-Strap Character Shoe

I sing/dance in several amateur theater productions a year. After going through several pairs of lower quality character shoes in the last few years, I decided to spend the money and buy Capezios. Once I began rehearsing in them, I was immediately glad I spent the money. They're worth it!The leather is stiff enough to support but still flexible enough to conform to my foot, & the strap is securely attached and doesn't fray at the end. The elastic attaching the buckle is well attached to the shoe, not something that will soon fray and break. Nothing inside the shoe or on the uppers has an edge to rub on the foot, so they've been comfortable from the first wearing.I would suggest buying a 1/2 size larger than your street shoe size. I don't normally wear a wide shoe, but the fit is perfect, so unless you normally wear a narrow shoe, I'd order the wide. I've also found they give me a more adult look than the mary jane-style character shoes. I went from 1 1/2" to 2" heels with no problem. The only problem I had is that the sole was a bit too smooth, even after a few wearings, and I had to scuff them quite a bit to keep from slipping & falling!

I love this style of shoe. I don't know if I'd dance in them though. I don't think they are particularly comfortable. Definitely order a size wider than you normally would! I followed the advice of others, and I got the 8.5 Wide and it fits like a normal 8.5 (which I normally wear). Also, my husband doesn't think these are real leather...

Admittedly, I haven't worn them for long periods of time yet, but I'm pleased so far. I usually wear a women's 9, but went up to a 9.5W because others say this company's shoes run small. They're great! I've also tried on a 10W in a different style from Capezio, and they were a little too big, so I think this is perfect for me.The sole is leather, and I wanted to wear them for things other than dancing and found that it was too slippery. Right now I'm trying them with a layer of Shoe Goo on the leather, to see if that adds enough traction and stays on by itself. If that doesn't work, I'll get some rubber replacement soles (e.g. from Topy or something).The part of the T-strap that runs down the top of my foot is just a little too long, and bulges out slightly. It's not terribly noticeable, though.

These shoes are fantastic! I know they're for stage however I needed comfortable heels to wear for a job and I wanted them to have a classic look as well. These fit the bill. I can't tell you how many compliments I've gotten since I got them a year ago. The only thing I have regrets about is that the leather soles do get damaged really easily if you wear them outdoors. Gravel from parking lots can tear them up so you have to be careful, but otherwise they are a fantastic shoe. I could be on my feet for the entire day without any issue and they're super easy to walk in.

So I have to start out by saying I love these! I am a Vocal Performance major so I am in these shoes almost every day for hours. After the first month from much use, the front bottom part of the show started to peel which I'll either glue or get fixed. But I was using them A LOT! It's an easy fix though. When I first got them, they felt tight, too tight. But I really didn't want to return them because I needed them for staging! However after the first week, they broke in! And now I love them! I highly recommend

First character shoe I've ever bought. Quality seems good, but it's WAY narrow. I normally wear an 8.5 WW, ordered this in a 9W and it is a full half inch narrower than I could make work, and 3/4" narrower than my standard width chart says a 9W should be-- completely unwearable. The point of a character shoe is to be able to dance comfortably so pain doesn't get in the way of what you're doing, and these are not offered in sizing that accommodates non-skinny feet. I don't want to get a huge size just so that the pointy toe will leave room for my substantial foot, so these got returned and I'm looking for round-toe styles-- which seems to rule out actual character shoes.

As a professional musician and performer, I will let you in on an industry secret- the T-Strap style is the most flattering, it elongates the leg more significantly than other character shoe styles. The Capezio T-Strap Character shoe is an affordable, well made option- I had my last pair over a decade of heavy use and multiple re-sole-ings before they finally began to disintegrate. I typically wear a 7.5 WW in street shoes, but the 8W works perfectly for me here. In terms of wide widths for performers, options are limited, and other than $250+ custom shoes, this is the most comfortable style I have found. The sides of this shoe are high enough to provide the extra support needed. I stretch them for about a week, and then wear them around the house with heavy crew socks for another week before working in them. The heel is a great compromise- high enough to look great, but still very comfortable for hours of standing, dancing, prancing, etc. So in terms of sizing- consider ordering up a half size, especially if you have a wide foot, but keep in mind that stretching and breaking in is an important part of the equation, so you want them to start out being snug so they conform to your foot.

These shoes are very comfortable, and look fantastic. I went with some of the recommendation on the other reviews and ordered a half size higher, but I did not need to do so… they are a half size too big, so I should’ve just stuck with my normal 8 1/2.

Super tolle Tanzschule. Passen zu jedem Kleid. Sitzen gut am Fuß, durch das T-Riemchen. Bin froh diese Schuhe in meinem Schrank zu haben und jedem besonderen Anlass gelassen entgegen schauen kann, weil man diese Sorge schon einmal nicht hat. Bei Unsicherheiten wegen der Größe, habe ich den Verkäufer angeschrieben.

The shoes are lovely, but quite tight. The t-strap is long and doesn't sit flat on the top of the foot.