This info page is made to provide more details & clarification on the detailed specifications that can be found on product pages. With a focus on the fields which may not be obvious or self-explanatory.

Table of Contents - click to jump to section

Toe Opening

Beyond just indicating whether the shoe is an open toe or a closed toe shoe, Worldtone uses this field to describe how large the opening is (if there is one). Though not a perfect correlation, our designations are meant to approximately reflect how many toes would show/fit through the opening. In order from most open to least open, our designations go:

  • Open Toe (4 or 5 toes)
  • Semi-Open Toe (~3 toes)
  • Peep Toe (~2 toes)
  • Tiny Peep Toe (~1 toe)
  • Closed Toe (0 toes, fully closed)

Below are example photos from our catalog to give you an idea what each of these toe openings look like, in the same order as listed above. Though different styles with the same designation are not necessarily identical, you can at least expect them to be reasonably close to these examples.

Toe Shape

This field describes shape of the toe of the shoe. Worldtone identifies seven broad categories of toe shapes:

  • Extreme Point Toe
  • Pointed Toe
  • Almond Toe
  • Round Toe
  • Angled Square Toe
  • Tapered Square Toe
  • Full Square Toe

PLEASE NOTE: These categories/designations reflect ONLY the contour of the toe bed when viewed from overhead. They are NOT indicative of the shallowness/depth or the width of the toe box. This being the case, two different styles with the same toe shape are NOT guaranteed to fit the same.

Additionally, two different styles identified as being the same category of toe shape are NOT necessarily identical and may have slight differences in their toe shape. HOWEVER, on select styles and brands, we add a more specific designation, such as "Almond Toe - Suave". Two styles with the same more specific toe shape ARE either exactly identical, or the difference is so subtle that they are essentially indistinguishable.

Below are example photos from our catalog to give you an idea what each of these toe shapes look like, in the same order as listed above.

Structure

Describes the structure of the shoe, specifically in terms of the heel cup and toe box. The term "counter" you will see frequently in this field refers to a piece of material in between the upper and lining of the shoe that makes the shoe stiffer in those areas.

Types of HEEL structures

  • Standard heel counter - The most common kind of heel counter. Stiff and resistant to flexibility.
  • Soft heel counter  - Still provides some structure, but is softer and more flexible than a standard heel counter.
  • Split heel counter  - A standard heel counter, but split into two pieces, one on each side of the vertical mid-line of the heel cup. These mostly appear on shoes that have zippers along the back of the heel cup.
  • Channel back  - A standard heel counter where the entire top of the heel cup has a tunnel/opening for a strap to run through.
  • Strap loop  - A standard heel counter with a small loop ONLY at the back of the heel for a strap to run through. 
  • Slingback - A slingback shoe has no heel cup, and its only structure in the heel is one or two straps which reach around the back of the heel to still keep the dancer's foot in place. Other than those straps, the dancer's heel is completely exposed to the open air.
  • No counter - The shoe still has a heel cup, but with no counter at all, leaving it very soft and flexible, but with no hard structure.

Types of TOE structures

  • Hard toe counter - Stiff and resistant to flexibility. Its main purpose is to help the toe box keep a firm shape without your toes visibly pushing up against the material. But another helpful side effect is absorbing the impact of accidentally being stepped on while dancing. NOTE that different styles' toe counters may vary in terms of how much of the toe box area they cover.
  • Soft toe counter - Still provides some structure, but is softer and more flexible than a hard toe counter. You will still get some of the benefits mentioned above, but to a lesser degree.
  • No counter - The toe box has no counter at all. This is trivially true on open toe shoes because there is no upper material where the counter would normally be. But some closed toe shoes are also intentionally made with no toe counter to feel softer on your toes.

It's hard to show in a photo the difference in hardness/softness of heel and toe counters, but we've included photo examples of channel backs, strap loops, and slingbacks below:

Flexibility

Describes how flexible the shoe is in terms of being able to bend your toes upward and/or point your toes downward. Worldtone identifies five broad categories of flexibility:

  • Non-flex - Not flexible downwards OR upwards to any significant degree. In general, very rare for dance shoes. Tends to only happen on styles with very thick and/or stiff soles.
  • Bend Flex - Flexible upwards, allowing the toes to bend easily while stepping or rising onto the ball of your foot. But NOT flexible downward to any significant degree.
  • Semi-Point Flex - Flexible upwards, and PARTIALLY flexible downwards. Our approximate guideline for this designation is that a style marked as Semi-Point Flex can get about half-way from its resting shape to a full toe point. Trying to force it to point any further may risk damaging the shoe.
  • Point Flex - Flexible upwards, and FULLY flexible downwards. Shoes marked as Point Flex can reach a full toe point without straining the structure of the shoe.
  • Toe Flex - A special case of Point Flex. Point Flex shoes typically have the flexible pivot point of the sole somewhere along the arch of the shoe, but the toe beds themselves remain flat while pointing. Toe Flex shoes can point downward, but ALSO have soft toe beds that are flexible throughout, allowing the toes themselves to curl downward as well.

Two styles with the same flexibility designation may not be exactly identical in how easily or how far they can bend and/or point, but are at least broadly similar. HOWEVER, some brands and styles are marked with a more specific designation, such as "Point Flex - Flex 42". Different styles with the same more specific designation CAN be assumed to be identical, or at least indistinguishable.

Below are example photos from our catalog of the different degrees of flexibility, in the same order as listed above (with the exception of Non-flex which would just be resting position).

Sole Type

Describes the structure of the sole of the shoe, which may not always be obvious from photos. The structure of the sole is most important when considering repairs for a shoe, though it is also somewhat related to the flexibility of the shoe. Shoes with less structured soles are usually more flexible, BUT note that this is a rule of thumb, not a perfect correlation.

  • Full Sole - The sole of the shoe is full width through the entire length of the sole. Shoes with full soles are most often Bend Flex or Semi-Point Flex, but are occasionally still very flexible (usually on competitive style shoes).
  • Bridge Sole - The sole of the shoe thins out to a small strip in the middle of the sole near the arch. Shoes with bridge soles are frequently (but not always) Point Flex.
  • Split Sole - The sole of the shoe has two completely separate pieces with a full gap in the middle of the sole near the arch. Shoes with split soles are almost always Point Flex

Below are example photos from our catalog showing examples of the different types of sole structures: 

Cushioning

Worldtone rates the insole cushioning of shoes on a scale from Level 0 to Level 3. These ratings are mostly comparative since cushioning/comfort is difficult to strictly measure. While we do take into account cushioning on the entire insole, the largest emphasis is put on the cushioning at the ball of the foot, which has the biggest impact on comfort.

The only more specific designation given on some shoes is Double Sole, which refers to a sole/insole made specifically with extra thickness at the toe bed compared to the rest of the sole. This is most commonly seen on the brand Kelaci/Elegance.