Suede or no suede?

[Guest chinafish]

Hi all,

 

I have a situation.

 

I wear Gaynors. I was on size 8 W 4-121-22, with built-in suede patch. I found that:

1. I could not do anything like échappés at our studio, I felt like my feet were stuck to the sticky floor. I found it also difficult to turn en demi-pointe in flat shoes, on that floor.

2. My feet felt like sinking in the shoes and any prolonged bourrées / courus were agony.

 

My friend told me she had a pair of 8 M 4-121-22, with no suede patch but instead with a glued on darned patch. She bought it, used it once, and decided it was not for her. Because of the sinking issue in my 8Ws, I decided to give it a go. Luckily, it fit me. I've been using them for 3 or 4 classes and I felt like there was no sinking, and a lot better support in the metatarsals. Also I do not have trouble doing échappés anymore.

 

My question:

Would the stickiness be down to the difference in tip (suede vs darned patch), or does the width of the shoe also play a part (somehow affecting the articulation of the foot?)

If I have a pair of shoes with suede patch and the floor is too sticky, what could I do to reduce the stickiness while not endangering other dancers (by turning the floor into ice rink...)

 

(I'm needing a new pair soon, and I'm going to give the Luxe satin a go which means a 5-6 week order time. Suede or no suede is an option but obviously I need to make a decision before I order!)

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks,

Fish

Edited February 13, 2014 by chinafish

[VBee]

My first thoughts is that it would be the width of the shoe and not the suede patch, although the studios sticky floor doesn't sound great. If the shoe is too wide I think it wouldn't give you the support that you need. I wonder why they fitted you in the wider width?

I have quite compressible feet and I find it makes fitting pointe shoes quite hard so that they are supportive enough en pointe yet aren't too tight when flat. Do you think this could be an issue?

 

I've recently got some gaynors with the sewn in suede patch but I don't find them too sticky and they're really lovely to echappe in because they are so flexible. I had a pair of pointes that were too wide once and I really struggled to dance in them, I ended up putting on 2 pairs of ouch pouches for a bit, but it wasn't a great idea, I couldn't feel the floor enough with them. Do you use any padding in your gaynors?

 

As for making the sticky ones less sticky, is there some sort of way of making the suede more worn in so that it becomes a little smoother?

[Guest chinafish]

I have very wide and square feet and whenever I go to get shoes fitted I almost inevitably end up with the widest fitting possible. I think the time when I got my 8W the 8M felt a little bit too snug. I think when they say the shoes don't stretch, there really is a tiny tiny tiny bit of stretch (which was so small but ended up making a difference), compared to how conventional shoes stretch.

 

I wear the Sansha silicone padding (the breathable ones with holes in), and a toe spacer on my left foot (funny left big toe shape digs into 2nd toe). Now you mention it I do have to also wear the box liner in the 8W, which is why I thought about giving the 8M a go. It didn't feel right to have to stuff so much in my shoes. I don't have to use a box liner in the 8M. I also tried on the 7.5 and it was definitely too short.

 

I've worn the suede patches in so that the edges are already shiny, and yet they still "stuck". 

Edited February 13, 2014 by chinafish

[Guest chinafish]

I went to class tonight and I think I might just have answered my own question.

 

I'm recovering from a calf injury on my right leg, and tonight half way through pointe class my right foot and calf felt much more tired than left leg. We then moved on to an échappé exercise, and I was able to slide my left foot much more effectively than my right.

 

So it seems to be more use of feet and legs than a suede tip!

 

Fish