This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

One of the common complaints I hear about women’s swing dance shoes offerings is that they can’t find something flat and cute to wear with dresses.  For a variety of reasons, heels won’t work for certain dancers and, depending on the day/circumstances/conditions, a pair of cute flats may be the only cure for what ails.  Charlie Stone burst onto the scene a few years ago with their flats catering to dancers, but subsequently changed their business model and the soles of their shoes to rubber to accommodate a larger, less niche market.  Other companies have offered oxfords and boots, but I know that I am not alone in preferring something that pairs traditionally well with dresses and skirts and doesn’t necessitate socks (I’ll deal with the foot funk fallout later!).

We’re starting to get somewhere – in March I reported about Slide and Swing’s Nora Art Deco dancing flats and then in April Remix joined the fray with a flat, leather soled sandal.  Over the summer, Groovy Fox reached out to me about a review of their shoes and when the offering was a dance flat, Chic Foxes, I was excited and greatly anticipating the pair of shoes that would make its way in the mail to me from Bulgaria to North Carolina.

It’s always exciting to receive international packages in the mail and, from start to finish, Groovy Fox has delivered the goods.  I opened my package and discovered a sealed envelope, with a thank you note (very classy, thank YOU), a welcoming solicitation for feedback and the means to do so, and a polite request for tags on social media; another card in the envelope talks about their goal of providing comfort and quality footwear and gives a list of aspects of the shoe they have focused on, such as insole cushioning, flexibility, softness, the strength and slide of the leather soles, and ends with a note that you are encouraged to wear them on and off the dance floor.  The flip side of this card details and diagrams the layer of viscoelastic gel throughout and foam layer at mid-sole in the insole of the shoe.

The next layer of my package included a burgundy shoe bag with the Groovy Fox logo on it, made from a quality material with a grosgrain ribbon tie.  I travel a lot and go through a lot of shoe bags to protect my shoes, so I was very grateful to receive a quality shoe bag that looks like it will wash well.

Finally, the shoes!  On the heels of discussing my Dorothy complex in September’s post on Kitschy Witch, I was delighted to see that the red shoes I was anticipating were actually a delicious, shimmery ruby color.  I may have died a small death of joy in receiving these shoes, the reveal was everything.  The leather is soft, but not so soft that it doesn’t hold its shape.  I can see these molding to my feet in good ways after several wears, and with the placement of the stitching and perforations I also anticipate that they will give in the right places and also hold up in those places.

The soles are smooth leather – I don’t have preferences on suede or smooth leather soles, so I can’t give you much feedback either way, but I did solo jazz, Lindy Hop, and Balboa in these shoes and did not feel compromised with any of these dances.  I found the cushioning to not be overt – I could still feel the floor a great bit, so I feel like this would be a good transition to make from Remix os Saint Savoy shoes if you are needing a flat that is lightly cushioned, but you still want to feel the floor.  If you need additional cushioning, I can see ways that you could easily add ball of foot cushioning with the closed toe box.  If you need a lot of arch support, which I do not, this shoe does not have that arch support feature, although the gel in the insole continues through the length of the sole.  The heel is rubber, but not a sticky rubber, so it did not inhibit my movement in any noticeable way.

I found these shoes to be streamlined and comfortable, a classic t-strap with great proportions and lovely details.  They immediately got a lot of attention at my local weekly dance, both because of the wonderful color, the styling, and the fact that they are flat, leather soled dance shoes.  The price point of $132 is a great value for the quality of dance shoe you receive.   I have also had excellent communication with Groovy Fox’s executive director, Georgi Evgeniev.  10/10 would recommend!

But also, the colors – I’m pretty sure I want all of the Chic Foxes color options in my life, in addition to the radiant red: a pearl Nile green, a deep gold/almost bronze, and a two tone light gold and black pair.  HERE FOR ALL OF THIS CLASSINESS.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions about the shoes and post them in the comments section below!  Happy dancing!