First pointe shoe fitting - any tips?

[Millicent]

DD is nearly 11 and very excited to be allowed to start pointe work in September. We live near London so I was thinking of booking appointments at Freed, Bloch and Dancia and then seeing which suit her best. Is that the done thing? 

 

I have a feeling she will be tricky to fit as she is already a size 5 shoe, has extremely flexible "banana" feet but also very strong. Her teacher seems to think she is going to find pointe a challenge due to her very flexible feet and high arches, and is also likely to destroy shoes quickly!

 

Just wondering if there are any general tips? I did ballet, including pointe work, up to the age of 15 but am certainly not an expert in pointe shoes. Her teacher won't be able to come with us.

[Kerfuffle]

Don’t worry too much about the banana feet, my daughter took to pointe very easily. If her feet are strong it shouldn’t be too much of a problem (other than the cost of replacing them!). The fitter should take into consideration the width  of her foot plus toe length which all have to be assessed to work out the correct first pair. As she’s so young it will probably change a lot over time depending on how much she uses them. My daughter’s first pair was Aspirations Bloch as they had a relatively strong shank. Good luck ! 

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Millicent,

 

I'm sure people will chip in but I've added a couple of tags at the top of the post.  You may find some useful information in the threads that are highlighted if you click on them.

[alison]

Try this thread as well:

 

Or this one:

 

[Colman]

Mine would be that it's a learning process (an expensive one): get the best advice you can, get your teacher to approve the shoes before you sew them, and then see how it goes as your daughter learns about how her feet work on pointe and what she needs to make them work.

 

First pair probably won't last long anyway as the feet change from just doing pointe work and they grow. (Our son took a growth spurt not long after he got his first pair. <sigh>)

[Millicent]

Thanks. One question I have is whether its usual practice to go to more than one shop. For example if she finds a pair she likes at Bloch can I get them to hold that pair for her while she go to another shop? Is that normal practice or will the shop be offended?!

[Neverdancedjustamum]

4 minutes ago, Millicent said:

Thanks. One question I have is whether its usual practice to go to more than one shop. For example if she finds a pair she likes at Bloch can I get them to hold that pair for her while she go to another shop? Is that normal practice or will the shop be offended?!

Not at all. They would be used to it. In my experience, even before I asked, they offer to hold pairs for us while we go around the other shops. 

[Colman]

Absolutely normal practice. I think it'd be unusual not to, unless you'd already settled on a brand.

[Millicent]

Great, thank you! That's reassuring.

[Legseleven]

DD also has banana feet requiring strong shanks. Her first pointe shoes were Bloch Sonata, which worked well - she then tried Freed Classic Pros, but they died very quickly. Grishko Vaganova hard shanks were great (‘cement-like’ apparently) although perhaps a

little too tapered for her. Bloch Serenade strong shanks were great too although she ended up in Gaynor Minden hard shanks - which were great for my purse as they lasted longer! 
 

She would suggest elastics around the ankle from the back of the shoe and also vamp elastic, as that helped her feel more secure. However I’m sure your DD’s teacher will have her own views on what may be necessary for your DD.