Anna C Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 I like Sansha's clothes but would never take my dd there for a pointe fitting as the staff - while perfectly friendly - never seem interested in actually helping a customer. If you can fit yourself it's probably fine. Lemongirl, Bloch do at least two models for less flexible feet - particularly "Hannah" or "Jetstream". Similarly, Freed's Classic Light or Studio Opera are also lovely so you could always go to both shops and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemongirl Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Let us know how you get on. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 My advice is to try and avoid Saturdays as that is the busiest time of the week. Be ruthless, try lots of shops and lots of shoes. Remember you are on a mission to find the perfect fitted shoe. Tiffany is brilliant at Bloch for fitting shoes and she was also a professional ballerina in an company as was her colleague. They were both discussing their ballet careers whilst fitting my daughter, giving her sound advice on how to look after herself. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemongirl Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Dd finishes school tomorrow (!) so we'll go mid-week, hopefullly it will be nice and quiet! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemongirl Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Sorry just one more question - should she take with her old pair for them to see? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Yes, good idea. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballemum Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Hi, I have been to all shops in London and my daughter prefers grishko we were in Dancia on Saturday they are lovely in there , she has never had a problem with poor fitting. I would reccommend them and they have a selection but you should go round all the shops and find what is right for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemongirl Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 We had a lovely day in Covent Garden today We started off at Freed. It was nice and quiet and I asked for either Beth or Sophie as recommended! Neither were in so we were served by another lady whose name I didn't get. Dd tried on about 3 pairs and the fitter recommended a particular pair. Dd seemed happy but the fitter suggested we shop around and come back if need be. I said to dd we may as well look in Bloch now we're in town. So off to Bloch we went and asked for Tiffany. She doesn't work there any more! However it was definitely worth going as the fitter we had (Yasmin I think?) was very thorough. Dd must have tried about 10 pairs of shoes! Each time she was asked to pile in first and tendu to the side and then rise onto pointe with feet parallel. They had a barre and tv screen so her feet could be seen from the side. We brought with dd's old pair (which are also Bloch but bought locally) and the fitter said they weren't really right for her feet which she said often happens with local shops as their have a poor selection. Anyway after spending ages trying all the different shoes, the fitter recommended the best pair for dd so we bought those! However I have a question for all you knowledgeable people: we bought ribbon with the elastic bit built in. I thought the elastic would be at the end of the ribbon but it's in the middle. Is this the best option? Dd's only had ribbons before but the fitter recommended elastics as well as ribbons for these shoes. Would separate ribbons and elastics be better? Also, I've seen a You Tube film made by Grishko where they keep the ribbon in one piece and sew it around the back of the shoe so your heel sits on top of the ribbon. Apparently this keeps the foot in the shoe better. What do you think of this method? I obviously wouldn't be able to use that method with the elastic ribbons as they are already cut into four. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 DD has always had the Bloch Elastorib ribbon and has had no problems. It is a little odd at first as the ribbons have to be sewn so that the elastic section is over the Achilles tendon, but not difficult. For the second and subsequent pairs of shoes we used the stitching holes on the old ribbons as a guide as to where to sew the new ribbons to the new shoes. Although I haven't seen the YouTube video you describe, for her current pair of shoes we experimented with re-positioning the Elastorib ribbons so that the ends are actually sewn beneath her heels. She was very concerned that the heels of the shoes would pop off during her exam, despite elastic being sewn on in a loop around her ankle as usual, hence the experimentation in that regard! I can therefore confirm that it is possible, should you wish, to find the correct position for the Elastorib ribbons so that the elastic is correctly across the Achilles tendon, then to sew the ends of the ribbons together, as though it was just one piece of ribbon and for this to be sewn so that it is underneath the heel. (Very fiddly, at least to do this for the first time, but certainly possible!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemongirl Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Thank you. I know this a stupid question, but where exactly IS the Achilles' tendon?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Thank you. I know this a stupid question, but where exactly IS the Achilles' tendon?? It's the big tendon that runs from the back of the heel upwards to the calf muscle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Glad you had a good experience, Lemongirl. :-) That's a shame about Tiffany, she does come and go as she's a dancer. She was gone for a while as she had a contract, so hopefully (for her) she's got another one. If you can get a good fitter in Bloch the barre cctv is such a great feature. Dd has always used elastorib as it means that the ribbon has some give over the achilles. It is excellent stuff but does initially involve pinning, trying on, then re-pinning the ribbons to get the elastic section right over the achilles tendon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porthesia Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 (edited) Lemongirl, I have used the method as demonstrated on youtube. I was recommended this method by the fitter we go to. I have found that it works perfectly for my dd and I always get the ribbons in right first time. No more pinning, trying on, sewing the ribbon, then it's wrong and then unpicking again since we moved to this method. DD sitting right next to me and says that this method does help keep the shoes on her feet. As your ribbons are already cut this won't be possible but perhaps worth a try with your next shoes. DD now uses this method herself and takes the old ribbon out and puts in her new shoes - have to save a bit of money somewhere. Made one set of ribbons last 5 pairs of pointe shoes!! edited to say dd says it was a bit of a fluke that the ribbons lasted for 5 pairs Edited July 10, 2013 by porthesia 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemongirl Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thank you. Yes it does seem a simpler method so will definitely try next time. But this time I'll stick to the elastic ribbons which is my job for tomorrow. NOT looking forward to doing it especially making sure that the elastic bit is round the back on her achilles tendon before cutting and sewing them! Can someone remind me, I know the ribbons are angled on the shoe but I can't remember if the higher bit is at the front or the back...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porthesia Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Hi Lemongirl, would it help if you followed the first part of the video and drew the pencil lines as that gives an angle to follow - the top of ribbon is positioned just under the pencil line. I have only ever used this method on Grischko shoes but presume it should work for all pointe shoes - it also works on demi-pointe or soft blocks. So glad that dd does her own now although she has brought her split soles back for me to sew. Yes Just Ballet those lovely split canvas shoes that you sent up to her still hasn't got the elastics sewn in properly!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 That's why I love dd's Bloch Zeniths - pre-sewn elastics! :-D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porthesia Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Hi Spanner, the elastics are sewn at the back, only have to be sewn at the front but dd has been a bit busy (and lazy!!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemongirl Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 OMG, I have finally finished! I hope these ribbons will be worth it as I had a bit of a nightmare (and, I'm afraid to say, a bit of rage from me along the way!). What with making sure the elastic bit was on the achilles tendon AND getting the ribbons the right angle AND how far forward....TOO MANY VARIABLES!! Must have re-pinned them a million times, dd gingerly putting her feet in avoiding the pins etc! I think it might have been easier with separate ribbons and elastics even if that involves more sewing. I have learnt today that my sewing (and my patience) are not as good as I thought... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 All I will say is that I sympathise - and that it does get MUCH easier with practice! I can finally get the position and length right first time now - bonus! :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
florence Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I don't know the names but there is a fitter with long wavey red hair who has always been very helpful for my daughter at Freed! I think we had the same lady, the receipt said her name was Lucy. She was very helpful and spent a long time with us trying on numerous different shoes. We arrived at 10am on a Saturday when they opened so got served straight away and had the benefit of a second fitter's opinion as well as we were the only customers in the shop at that time. Very pleased with our experience there. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Of interest here, perhaps, a gallery of photos from the Repetto factory: http://dawn.com/news/1029727/stitch-and-return-making-ballet-shoes-with-repetto 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 This is interesting - interviews with some of the Freed Makers: http://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/07/16/the-pointe-shoe-makers-of-hackney/ This part made me chuckle - "They live in a world of chiaroscuro, where prima ballerinas, surrounded by bodyguards, turn up in limousines to applaud them whilst they stand at their benches six days a week producing nearly forty shoes a day, a quarter of a million shoes a year." Prima Ballerinas surrounded by bodyguards, arriving in Limos? Which company are they with, and how much are they being paid!? Sounds more like a visit from Madonna! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 It's such a lovely article, I thought! How did you get it on here? I wanted to and didn't know how! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I just selected the URL, copied it, and pasted it into my reply. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I am a half wit...I am so used using a tablet that I have forgotten about doing that! You can't c+p with them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulabelle Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Well we are off to Freed next Tuesday full of hope that we can find some pointe shoes to DD's liking and that last more than 4 weeks! Never been to Freed before, she's always had Bloch and recently Grishkos so looking forward to a new experience. We'll also go to Capezio as not tried them before either but really hoping amongst the loads of different shoes by different makers in Freed that we'll find some to suit???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I am a half wit...I am so used using a tablet that I have forgotten about doing that! You can't c+p with them I'm using an ipad - you just hold the stylus on the word/url you want to copy, then it selects it and gives you the option to copy, paste etc. :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Its her Life Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Thought I'd let everyone know, my dd & I went to Bloch today to get a pair of Pointe shoes (my dd has always used Freeds or Grishkos in past but wants to give Bloch a try) and we were told Tiffany has left!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Maybe she's got another contract. Great for Tiffany, bad for her customers! :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyG Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 We've been up for shoes today and discovered Sansha has closed down. (Not surprised) For the boys/men it turns out if you ask in Bloch about men's wear they have a small selection which isn't enough to put out but they will bring out for you. DS very pleased as he got jazz pants which are actually to long for him. Totally unheard of for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chinafish Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Huh? What?! Sansha closed down?! I've placed a reservation on a pair of toe pads....!!! Never got them... well never paid for them yet so they don't owe me anything but they're my favourite toe pads...!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munchkin16 Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 Sansha hasn't actually closed for good, says on their Facebook page it is reopening in September so don't panic! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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