Custom Pointe Shoes

[Treefrog]

My younger DD was preparing ribbons to sew on her new pointe shoes. She asked how to do it -- she's at that stage where months pass before new shoes are needed -- and I reminded her to cut them in half and burn all the cut edges.

 

My husband, ever the quipster, didn't miss a beat: "So, it's only candles you can't burn at both ends?"

[mmded]

I would love to go back to the days when my daughter wore them long enough to have to burn the ends of her ribbons!! This month's visa bill had $500.00 worth of pointe shoe charges (for slightly more than one month)

[balletbooster]

Even in Canadian dollars, that monthly pointe shoe cost got my attention, MMDED!

[dancemaven]

Dear mmded,

 

YOW!!! We feel your pain. Been there, done that. Highly recommend working with a pointe shoe fitter to create custom pointe shoes for your DD. We did it using a capezio glisse as a base, added crucial measurements from her favored Freed Wing-block, made a few needed adjustments for shank-strength, box longevity, and voila!! We had cut my pointe shoe bill unbelievably and DD loves her shoes. Cost-wise, a little bit more per pair (dollars, not tens of dollars), but I've only bought 15 pairs of shoes in 11 months rather that 40 pairs in 7 months, so major cost savings.

[pointe2perfection]

Dancemaven, Who do you go to to have the special shoe made, if you don't mind me asking? Is it through an individual? or is it through a store that carries Capezio's?

[dancemaven]

Dear pointe2perfection,

 

I don't mind you asking at all. We went through our local dance store. It was the suggestion of the store owner and the store manager. The store manager was an excellent pointe shoe fitter and she was the one that handled the specifics. She was a professional dancer previously and now teaches at our studio. Our studio has a very good working relationship with the dance store and owner.

 

I believe it can also be done directly with Capezio, but I don't know how to you to go about that. I'm sure Ms. DeVore would be helpful. I think other board members have done customs with other companies.

 

Our local dance store has a website, so perhaps you could work with them if you aren't able to do so with your own.

[Marga]

Even in Canadian dollars, that monthly pointe shoe cost got my attention, MMDED!   

While the Canadian dollar is quite low compared to the U.S. dollar, our pointe shoe costs are truly astronomical. For several years now, and no matter from which company, a pair of pointe shoes costs close to or over 100 dollars, depending on the store. Add to that the required GST and PST taxes -- 15 cents on the dollar -- and a typical pair can cost around $115. Only Principal brand shoes, Canadian in origin, cost less.

 

In the States, pointe shoes start at around $60 retail. That's less than $75 Canadian (not the $100 we have to pay), so somebody's making money on us Canucks! Our income ranges are comparable to those in the States, so it's not that we have more disposable income! Pointe shoes are a serious expense.

 

I always ordered my daughter's online at the discount sites and had them sent to my mom's house to await pickup on our next trip to New York. If we were desperate between pointe-shoe runs, we had to shell out the big bucks here. Some kids went through pointe shoes at the rate of a pair or two a week. Fortunately, my daughter wore hers longer -- a matter of different kinds of feet. Now, as a professional, she gets them for free. What a boon for our family's economics!

 

I believe it can also be done directly with Capezio, but I don't know how to you to go about that. I'm sure Ms. DeVore would be helpful. I think other board members have done customs with other companies.

If you live in or near New York City, or are going to be visiting, you can go to the Capezio store on Broadway at 57th Street for a personal fitting. They will make your DK's shoe and you'll be on file with them, so anytime you need more shoes, specially made to your specifications, you just give them a call.

[pointe2perfection]

Thanks for the info! We will be in NYC for 6 weeks this summer, so will definitely be checking out the Capezio store. DD wears Suffolk Solos right now and is happy, but that could change next week.

[mini cooper]

There are actually several Capezio stores around the country. We actually used the store in Austin, TX to come up with the modifications we needed for my dd. It took quite a while to get this pair in. We are about to order a second pair, but we are going to try one more modification. Once we see how that works, we'll be able to order more than one pair at a time. In between waiting for the custom shoe to arrive, we use an unmodified Glise'. The people in Austin were amazing to work with. Even though we met with one fitter, there was someone else who was well aware of our custom order. She made a couple of suggestions before the order was submitted, and they turned out to be excellent suggestions.

 

Just like all matters related to pointe shoes, getting a custom shoe right is a process! You should go to the Capezio website, and see if there is a store near you.

 

mc

[Toby]

Judith and staff at the NYC store are wonderful to work with and will assist you in finding the correct fit. Even if you prefer another brand of shoe, a fitting by Judith is definitely worth the time spent.