First Pointe Shoe Fitting as An Adult

[Angela Essex]

Hello dancers! My teacher has asked me to get some pointe shoes, but I don’t know where to start. I’m 45 and started ballet last year on a background of several years of yoga and weight training. Any recommendations of where to get my first fitting done would be very much appreciated, preferably local to Essex. I know there is a lady on Instagram that does fittings based in Essex, but she only works with Grishko - not sure if that matters or not? If anyone has any advice I’d really appreciate it. Thank you x

[Fiz]

Congratulations! 

[Angela Essex]

7 minutes ago, Fiz said:

Congratulations! 

Thank you 😊

[balletbean]

2 minutes ago, Angela Essex said:

Hello dancers! My teacher has asked me to get some pointe shoes, but I don’t know where to start. I’m 45 and started ballet last year on a background of several years of yoga and weight training. Any recommendations of where to get my first fitting done would be very much appreciated, preferably local to Essex. I know there is a lady on Instagram that does fittings based in Essex, but she only works with Grishko - not sure if that matters or not? If anyone has any advice I’d really appreciate it. Thank you x

Hi. I can certainly vouch for Leanne of Straight to the Pointe for Grishko. Certainly a good place to start.  Best shoes and fit my DD has ever had. Leanne will obviously endeavour to source a Grishko pair to fit but rest assured there’s no hard sell either. She’s very open, honest and incredibly knowledgable. The other benefit for someone new to pointe is that she offers the additional service of sewing on the ribbons/elastic and darning them for you. Which can be a bonus in the early days

🩰 ☺️

[Angela Essex]

16 minutes ago, balletbean said:

Hi. I can certainly vouch for Leanne of Straight to the Pointe for Grishko. Certainly a good place to start.  Best shoes and fit my DD has ever had. Leanne will obviously endeavour to source a Grishko pair to fit but rest assured there’s no hard sell either. She’s very open, honest and incredibly knowledgable. The other benefit for someone new to pointe is that she offers the additional service of sewing on the ribbons/elastic and darning them for you. Which can be a bonus in the early days

🩰 ☺️

Thanks Ballet Bean that’s reassuring as I think she’s based in Essex. Having said that Covent Garden is under an hour by train so maybe it’s worth making a trip to the big smoke idk x

[glowlight]

Congratulations @Angela Essex.  How exciting.

 

Have you asked your teacher if there is anyone they would recommend?

[Anna C]

Congratulations Angela, how exciting!  Since Beth left Freed of London (St Martin’s Lane), I don’t know who their best fitter is now, so it could be hit and miss there if you’re not experienced en pointe and know how your shoes should feel.  

 

Having said that, if you’re going to make a day of it, it would definitely be worth making an appointment there, as well as at Bloch and Dancia (both on Drury Lane).  Unless things have changed drastically, for first pointe shoes I would not bother with Capezio (although it’s good for tights, as well as Bunheads accessories like the Stitch Kit).   Unless you have incredibly strong and mobile feet, you won’t want too hard a shank or too rigid a shoe to start with, both of which might stop you getting right onto the platform of the shoe.   Buy ribbons (and elastic, if suggested), but don’t sew them on until your teacher has seen your shoes.

 

I’d suggest trying as many different makes/style as possible, so you can compare - if you like a pair and are getting up onto pointe easily, there’s nothing wrong with saying you have other appointments and asking the fitter to write down the shoe, style, make and size, and going back to get it.  Whichever pair you buy, buy the same padding that you are given to try at the fitting, because the shoes will fit differently with different padding.

 

Good luck, and have fun!

 

 

[Meetmeatthebarre]

Just be aware that there is currently a huge supply chain issue when it comes to pointe shoes, and many brands are suffering. I've had shoes on back-order for close to three months now, and I'm aware of professional dancers in the US who have been waiting even longer... speaking to stores and suppliers, apparently they expect this to clear in the next couple of months, so I would suggest, unless desperate, that if you don't find the right fit for you, you wait. 

 

In Covent Garden, you have Bloch, Capezio, Freed and Dancia within a few minutes' walk from each other. The first three carry only their own lines, whilst Dancia carry Grishkos, Merlets, Gaynors and some models of Bloch. If you have "normal" feet, I'm sure you'll find something between them. If not, read on.

 

I am not the biggest fan of Dancia's fitting. I have quite unusual feet (extremely narrow, slender, compressible, tapered and strong), and it took three tries/purchases in Dancia before finding a size and model that worked for me (Grishkos) which they didn't stock, though is usual enough that most other online suppliers do. And that shoe was a full length longer and full two widths narrower than what I had originally been suggested by them. Other people I know with more typical feet have had good experiences there though, and it's worth a try because you aren't obliged to buy. 

 

Diva at Capezio is my favourite fitter by far, even if their shoes didn't work for me. Incredibly thorough, an eagle-eye for detail, and honest with her advice ("I'm sorry Mr. Capezio, but I think you're better staying with your current shoes" 🤣). She's also just a wonderful person to chat with when it's quiet in store - real fairy godmother vibes!

 

Bloch's fitting was thorough and their shoes are so pretty, but their narrowest size was too wide for me, so I can't comment further. 

 

I have no experience with Freed as I kill shanks, and they are known to be less hard than other brands. 

 

Porselli (www.dancewear.co.uk) don't advertise this, but offer a fitting service in their owner's house in North London. You need to call ahead for a phone consultation so she can select some pairs to bring with her from the Norfolk warehouse. 

 

Not so relevant for a first fitting unless you can get there, but once you have tried a few pairs and refining what you need in a shoe, I've been really impressed by the advice I've received from Amanda at Pointe Pura near Worthing, West Sussex, and @Sheila Beelam at Just Ballet. They are highly, highly knowledgeable about different feet and stock a vaster range of brands and models than the Covent Garden stores. 

[Peony]

What sort of feet do you have? Although all the brands claim to have a shoe for every foot I don’t think it’s the reality!

[Angela Essex]

1 hour ago, glowlight said:

Congratulations @Angela Essex.  How exciting.

 

Have you asked your teacher if there is anyone they would recommend?

Thanks 😊 She just said to go to whatever shop is nearest me. She said any shoes except Gaynor Minden’s. I’m not too far from London so maybe I’ll take a trip idk x

[Angela Essex]

1 hour ago, Anna C said:

Congratulations Angela, how exciting!  Since Beth left Freed of London (St Martin’s Lane), I don’t know who their best fitter is now, so it could be hit and miss there if you’re not experienced en pointe and know how your shoes should feel.  

 

Having said that, if you’re going to make a day of it, it would definitely be worth making an appointment there, as well as at Bloch and Dancia (both on Drury Lane).  Unless things have changed drastically, for first pointe shoes I would not bother with Capezio (although it’s good for tights, as well as Bunheads accessories like the Stitch Kit).   Unless you have incredibly strong and mobile feet, you won’t want too hard a shank or too rigid a shoe to start with, both of which might stop you getting right onto the platform of the shoe.   Buy ribbons (and elastic, if suggested), but don’t sew them on until your teacher has seen your shoes.

 

I’d suggest trying as many different makes/style as possible, so you can compare - if you like a pair and are getting up onto pointe easily, there’s nothing wrong with saying you have other appointments and asking the fitter to write down the shoe, style, make and size, and going back to get it.  Whichever pair you buy, buy the same padding that you are given to try at the fitting, because the shoes will fit differently with different padding.

 

Good luck, and have fun!

 

 

Aww thank you. Looks like I’ll be London bound ASAP then - yayy! Thanks for all the tips 🙏😊

[Angela Essex]

1 hour ago, Meetmeatthebarre said:

Just be aware that there is currently a huge supply chain issue when it comes to pointe shoes, and many brands are suffering. I've had shoes on back-order for close to three months now, and I'm aware of professional dancers in the US who have been waiting even longer... speaking to stores and suppliers, apparently they expect this to clear in the next couple of months, so I would suggest, unless desperate, that if you don't find the right fit for you, you wait. 

 

In Covent Garden, you have Bloch, Capezio, Freed and Dancia within a few minutes' walk from each other. The first three carry only their own lines, whilst Dancia carry Grishkos, Merlets, Gaynors and some models of Bloch. If you have "normal" feet, I'm sure you'll find something between them. If not, read on.

 

I am not the biggest fan of Dancia's fitting. I have quite unusual feet (extremely narrow, slender, compressible, tapered and strong), and it took three tries/purchases in Dancia before finding a size and model that worked for me (Grishkos) which they didn't stock, though is usual enough that most other online suppliers do. And that shoe was a full length longer and full two widths narrower than what I had originally been suggested by them. Other people I know with more typical feet have had good experiences there though, and it's worth a try because you aren't obliged to buy. 

 

Diva at Capezio is my favourite fitter by far, even if their shoes didn't work for me. Incredibly thorough, an eagle-eye for detail, and honest with her advice ("I'm sorry Mr. Capezio, but I think you're better staying with your current shoes" 🤣). She's also just a wonderful person to chat with when it's quiet in store - real fairy godmother vibes!

 

Bloch's fitting was thorough and their shoes are so pretty, but their narrowest size was too wide for me, so I can't comment further. 

 

I have no experience with Freed as I kill shanks, and they are known to be less hard than other brands. 

 

Porselli (www.dancewear.co.uk) don't advertise this, but offer a fitting service in their owner's house in North London. You need to call ahead for a phone consultation so she can select some pairs to bring with her from the Norfolk warehouse. 

 

Not so relevant for a first fitting unless you can get there, but once you have tried a few pairs and refining what you need in a shoe, I've been really impressed by the advice I've received from Amanda at Pointe Pura near Worthing, West Sussex, and @Sheila Beelam at Just Ballet. They are highly, highly knowledgeable about different feet and stock a vaster range of brands and models than the Covent Garden stores. 

Thanks heaps for all the valuable info. I’m not expecting my feet to be normal sadly. They’re wide with high instep and high arches and I’ve been told I’ve got hypermobility too so idk if that will affect things. Standing up each of my toes is shorter than the last with the big toe longest so I’ll basically be standing on my big toe en pointe. Pointed my feet slightly taper. I think I’ll have to make a day of it in London as well as seeing the lady based in Essex. 

[Angela Essex]

1 hour ago, Peony said:

What sort of feet do you have? Although all the brands claim to have a shoe for every foot I don’t think it’s the reality!

Wide with high arches, high instep and tapered toes with big toe longest. Also I have hypermobility. When flat my feet look like little blocks - square shaped, when pointed the forefoot is more tapered. They’re quite flexible I think as I seem to be able to get in high semi point without too much bother. Hope that makes sense 😂

[Meetmeatthebarre]

5 minutes ago, Angela Essex said:

Thanks heaps for all the valuable info. I’m not expecting my feet to be normal sadly. They’re wide with high instep and high arches and I’ve been told I’ve got hypermobility too so idk if that will affect things. Standing up each of my toes is shorter than the last with the big toe longest so I’ll basically be standing on my big toe en pointe. Pointed my feet slightly taper. I think I’ll have to make a day of it in London as well as seeing the lady based in Essex. 

This is definitely on the more normal end of ballet feet! Good luck!

[alison]

That's impressive - congratulations, Angela!  Try the tags I've added to the top of the thread and see whether they help.

[Angela Essex]

Just now, alison said:

That's impressive - congratulations, Angela!  Try the tags I've added to the top of the thread and see whether they help.

Thank you 🙏😊

[Angela Essex]

3 minutes ago, Meetmeatthebarre said:

This is definitely on the more normal end of ballet feet! Good luck!

Phew! thank heavens for that! Thank you 😊🙏🩰🎉

[Peony]

You’ll probably kill freeds quickly until you get stronger, grishko could be good. Bloch have lots of styles for wider, squarer feet too. I’d try Leanne, the pictures from her fittings always look good, which can’t be said for some of the others!

[Angela Essex]

I’ve messaged Leanne so fingers crossed I’ll get to see her soon. Thank you all for your help. Love this forum 💗

[BattementBatty]

15 hours ago, balletbean said:

Hi. I can certainly vouch for Leanne of Straight to the Pointe for Grishko. Certainly a good place to start.  Best shoes and fit my DD has ever had. Leanne will obviously endeavour to source a Grishko pair to fit but rest assured there’s no hard sell either. She’s very open, honest and incredibly knowledgable. The other benefit for someone new to pointe is that she offers the additional service of sewing on the ribbons/elastic and darning them for you. Which can be a bonus in the early days

🩰 ☺️

Would also recommend Lianne. We’ve done the London shops and another local shop but the time Lianne spent definitely  meant a a better fitting pair. She is incredibly knowledgeable and there and so many different shoes I don’t think it matters that she only sells Grishko. 
 

Definitely worth a visit. 

[Angela Essex]

5 hours ago, BattementBatty said:

Would also recommend Lianne. We’ve done the London shops and another local shop but the time Lianne spent definitely  meant a a better fitting pair. She is incredibly knowledgeable and there and so many different shoes I don’t think it matters that she only sells Grishko. 
 

Definitely worth a visit. 

Thank you - Leanne is going to e mail me her availability - happily she lives very local to me 🎉

[balletbean]

On 29/01/2022 at 18:55, Angela Essex said:

Thanks Ballet Bean that’s reassuring as I think she’s based in Essex. Having said that Covent Garden is under an hour by train so maybe it’s worth making a trip to the big smoke idk x

You are welcome. Please don’t be too concerned on your geographical location. We don’t live on the mainland and still received the most amazing service. ☺️

[NeverTooOld]

Congratulations Angela - I've replied on the other post you commented on as I saw that one first!