Jellybeans Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I have never needed an appointment for a ditting with any of the London stores that we have bought pointe shoes ( Bloch, Freed, Capezio) although sometimes you have to wait a while. I think that Dancia may require an appointment, but I have never bought from them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 You could always give the Freed London shop a call and see what they say. I know that you don't need an appointment in Dancia or Bloch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Bloch has been a bit hit and miss since Tiffany left, and I always find Dancia hit and miss depending on who you get. On Saturday, Michele Attfield was fitting in Freed in Sophie's absence; she did a very thorough fitting. Dd now has some Freed Classic Pro hard backs which she is very happy with. We didn't have to wait at all. :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Circe Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 No appointment needed at Capezio- phoned today as trying to get a fitting for Suffolk pointes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurora Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I should think if the appointment was for a Saturday you might struggle but a Thursday should be ok as most children are still at school. Good luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomuchtallent Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 When the bottom part of a pointe shoe,around the toe part starts to get wide and looks out of shape what does this mean if anything? Lots girls at my dds school have pointes that look like this and i think it looks ugly.Is it because they are old or could it be the training? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 When the bottom part of a pointe shoe,around the toe part starts to get wide and looks out of shape what does this mean if anything? Lots girls at my dds school have pointes that look like this and i think it looks ugly.Is it because they are old or could it be the training? From the description, it sounds to me as if the pointe shoes have had it and are not supporting the girls' feet! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 From the description, it sounds to me as if the pointe shoes have had it and are not supporting the girls' feet! Sounds like that to me too. I'm no expert, but it sounds like the box has gone too soft and if that's the case the shoes will not be providing the correct support and should be changed. As I understand it, pointe shoes really do need to fit like a glove so that a lot of the dancer's weight is taken by the shoe, and she's not actually got all her weight going through her toes. If the shoes are baggy then that won't happen and it can put uneccessary stresses on the bones of the feet. (I'm sure someone will be able to explain that better though!) To be honest, I'd be a bit worried if lots of girls at my DD's school had shoes that didn't seem to fit well - her teacher is quick to comment if she doesn't think shoes are right and I'd assume that this was normal practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomuchtallent Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Thanks for that,i thought that it might be the case.Unfortunatly Where i live their are no dance shops and all the girls buy through friends or online.Luckily not my dd,she is still to young,but when the time comes we should be living back in the UK. Terrible though! imagine nearly all the girls have never has a pointe shoe fitting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Terrible though! imagine nearly all the girls have never has a pointe shoe fitting! Yes, that is frightening! We live in a rural area and I do buy a lot of my daughter's dancewear on line but I can't imagine buying pointe shoes online. We drive around 3 hours/150 miles for pointe shoes, which is a nuisance, but I think it is worth it. I used to think that once her feet had stopped growing I would buy online but then I read what Anjuli wrote about every pair of shoes being different, even if the same brand and size, and about the shape of the foot possibly changing as more pointework is done, so we have stuck with getting each pair fitted. I guess that in Turkey the distances may be further and maybe roads are not as good as in the UK? That is a difficult situation. I wonder if it would be worth your teacher asking a reputable fitter from another city to visit the school every so often, or are there no shops anywhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomuchtallent Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 The roads in Turkey are not a problem,where i am they are better than the UK! The problem is there are no dance shops at all in the city i live!but loads of ballet students!I think that maybe in Istanbul they might have a fitter but im not sure.A long 12 hour drive if the girls want to go!But a very good idea about asking if they could visit,i will look into it for all the poor girls!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Or open a shop - sounds like you could make your fortune! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All4dancers Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Thanks for everyone's advice. The fitter at Freed was apparently fantastic and spent a long time with my dd. Her older sister who took her said that she almost gave her a pointe lesson! She said she had developed a few bad habits, mostly through her first pointe shoes not really being suitable for her. She then gave her a number of exercises to do daily and said she definitely wanted to see her again. So I think that's where we will go in future. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Oh super! Who did you see, do you know? :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jellybeans Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Is it normal for pointe shoe fitters to give "lessons" and exercises? I have never heard of this before!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All4dancers Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Spanner, the lady's name was Kay, Jellybeans, I'm not sure if this is normal or not as it was only dd's second pair, she apparently said dd had beautiful feet, but wasn't using them properly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Is it normal for pointe shoe fitters to give "lessons" and exercises? I have never heard of this before!! Absolutely not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All4dancers Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Well normal or not, we were very happy with the advice and will act upon it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Well I am not surprised, as I understand it Freeds are very hot on training their staff to fit shoes correctly. And if by any chance the fitter had danced herself then she would know what she was talking about. Sounds like excellent service. I have known Freeds to refuse to sell shoes if none were suitable. Actually this was common practice years ago when I was a Clarks shoe fitter and were instructed to write on customers receipts if we had expressedly advised against shoes that the customer insisted on buying for their children!! But that was years ago... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emsloves2dance Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Is it normal for pointe shoe fitters to give "lessons" and exercises? I have never heard of this before!! Hi Jellybeans I think it may well be normal particularly if the fitter themselves has been a dancer.....where i take DD for her shoes the lady runs the shop through the day and teaches after school she was a dancer herself and from the very beginning has given DD exercises to work on and also checks previous pointe shoes, just by looking at DDs she could tell dd was not up on the box fully on one foot in comparison to the other it was only slight but had it not been pointed out dd may never have known, she has an excellent teacher however she herself had not noticed this although it was very very slight but it was there to see !!!! now that dd is aware of this she makes a concious effort to ensure she is fully over.......so i think it is very useful to have somebody spend the time....each fitting has taken approx 1 hour and it reassures me knowing that she is spending the time getting to know dd's feet but also that she offers advice and strengthening exercises although i realise that not all fitters will have been dancers so we are very lucky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 That was exactly what the wonderful Tiffany at Bloch used to do; she recognised that dd's left ankle was slightly weaker than the right, and suggested some exercises for it. She's a dancer too. Michelle at Freed had a long hard look at dd's feet. She seemed happy with them so we didn't get any exercises ;-) but my goodness she knew her stock, and which shoe makers would suit dd's feet. I can see why some people may have found her a little intimidating in the past, but she was nice to dd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletla Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Michelle has been fitting pointe shoes for many many years - she fitted Darcey and I think she even did Margot Fonteyn. She can be a little abrupt sometimes but she is hugely experienced and knows her stuff. All the Freeds fitters are very good but the less experienced ones will usually ask for a second opinion from Michelle or Sophie anyway. If you have been struggling with pointe shoes, don't be afraid to ask directly for Michelle and explain the issues you have and always take your old pointe shoes with you as they can tell so much from them.DD has often been asked to show how she does a couple of exercises and had these related back to issues with her shoes. The sad fact is that a lot of local dance school teachers are not that great at teaching or picking up problems with pointe. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Yes, she said to dd "straighten those knees even more or I shall smack them"!! :-) Assuming dd gets on ok with her Freeds (which I am sure she will), we will definitely go back now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecarte Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 My daughter seems to favour Freeds pointe shoes and I had been considering going direct to Freeds shop rather than to the local dancewear shop. Following the report of the fitting for Alll4dancers DD I will definitely be going direct to their shop for them. She has to have extra strong shanks and these are special order at the local shop anyway, so it might cut out the couple of weeks wait for them to arrive. It's very useful to know they are so thorough. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin64 Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Can I just double check..did you say you don't need an appointment at that Freed shop please? We have a couple of days in London in August and I was hoping to sort out some new pointe shoes for DD (terrible feet, difficult but not impossible for pointe work so I need help from someone good). I know where Dancia and Capezio shops are, is the Freed shop near there too? oh and do they have lots of different makes at the Freed shop such as Grishkos? Thanks in advance all. Once had a fitting at Capezio store a few years ago which was ok but not amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Hi robin64, Let's take your questions in order: No, you don't need an appointment at Freed, but if you want a particular fitter, it's best to phone to find out when they are working. Freed is not on the same street as Dancia, Sansha and Bloch (all on Drury Lane), or Capezio (Endell Street which runs parallel to Drury Lane). Freed is on St. Martin's Lane, on the other side of the road from the London Coliseum. Leicester Square is the nearest tube station to Freed. It's walkable from Drury Lane for fit people. :-) Freed only sells Freed pointe shoes (oh and Chacott ballet shoes). Dancia is the only shop I know who sells Grishko, Gaynor Minden and Bloch. Amazing range but the fitting can be hit or miss. Hope that helps! :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurora Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Wow I didn't know you could still get chacott! I used to wear them but not seen them anywhere for years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Mmm, my dd's most recent split soles are chacott from the freed shop. They're very nice - and the elastics are completely pre-sewn! Bonus! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I can see you have all had quite a different range of experience with fitters than I have here. The clerks in the few local dance/shoe shops tend to be part time teen youngsters who may have had a ballet class as children or perhaps are now taking a ballet class at the local college as their PE requirement. We have had an occasional more experienced fitter who tended to be off in the back room somewhere and was usually grumpy when asked to actually fit someone with shoes. Thus, when my students needed pointe shoes - especially for the first time - I tried to meet them at the shop. We have always had a bevy of wonderful teachers here - but rarely so in the shoe shop. When I went into a local shop and asked for a pair of Nicolini and was told "We only carry Capezio" - I knew any new student buying pointe shoes was in trouble. And then, there was the time at a large dance/shoe shop the clerk didn't know why some tights were called "Baryshnikov" - she had no idea it was the name of a dancer! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Well I've not got a huge amount of experience but DD has been fitted for pointe shoes in a few different shops and the fitters have always wanted to see the shoes she's currently wearing at the start of the fitting. I wasn't surprised by this as when I was (a lot!) younger, fitter and thinner I ran a bit, just as a hobby, and the shop assistants in good running shops would be able to tell quite a lot about gait etc from the wear patterns on the shoes I was replacing. They advised on the best type of shoe according to what they could see and sometimes advised on things I might try to correct my faults. It didn't surprise me at all when pointe shoe fitters behaved in a similar way. I suppose it depends on the type of shop though. if you go to a good specialist running shop, most of the staff tend to have a real interest in running.You wouldn't get that kind if service from a "Saturday boy/girl" in a a branch of one of the big general sports store chains. I'm sure the standard must vary similarly in dance shops too 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 We've had good and not-so-good experiences of fitters wanting to see shoes: Good - Tiffany in Bloch wanting to see the shoes that had been causing issues, to show us precisely which parts were wrong for dd's feet. Bad - an assistant in Dancia who wanted to see which model of shoe dd was wearing so she could give dd the next size up in that same model - without trying any other shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frangapani Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 My DD has always worn Freeds but is getting through them (even the pro's) at an alarming rate. She is currently in Grishko Proflex but I don't suspect they will last any longer!!! F xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Frangapani my dd also got through Freeds very quickly, likewise Bob Martins, Bloch balance european all of which she still likes but doesn't really buy because of the speed they wear out. Grishkos last longer but she hates the noise! At the moment she is very impressed with Bloch's b morph which seem to have an unbelieveable life. Don't really understand the details but they are like the TMTs (which incidentially she didn't like) and use the new plastic sole technology like gaynors but an awful lot cheaper! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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