Custom Pointe Shoes

Hi!

I have a question on which pointe shoe I should get or rather a recommendation on who you think makes the best custom fit pointe shoes. I have an injury in my foot and my doctor recommend I get custom shoes so he can call the maker and tell them what to do to stabilize my foot in the shoe.

So I was wondering.. how would I go about that? Do you know how I can get a custom shoe?

Thanks:)

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Hi!

I'm so sorry to hear you have a foot injury!

Custom ordering is not as scary as it sounds, but I'd first check a few things before you go straight to custom.

- Be sure that pointe is not going to cause further damage. I know you want to do anything to be able to dance, just please be careful and listen to your body.

Ok, having said that...

- Have you tried Gaynor Mindens? They often have a bad rep because some think they make feet weak. But that's because they have a lot of support built in that other shoes don't. They might have more support than anything you can customize. I'd give them a try first.

If you decide custom is best for your foot, you need to:

1. Figure out what brand you want. Some have order minimums (Bloch's minimum is 3), and they all have a $7-15 custom charge on top of shelf price.

I think Grishko is very easy to work with. They are a smaller company and more willing to do custom work. You can order 1 pair at a time, which is important while your are trying to find the perfect shoe.

2. Talk to your teacher and doctor about what specific support you need. Here are a list of things that can be customized:

insert an elastic drawstring
the height of the side quarters
the length of the vamp
the height of the heel
the shape of the vamp cut (V or U)

3. Place an order with your local pointe shoe dealer. Usually your local pointe shoe store will take your custom order and send it in to the pointe shoe maker.

4. Wait for your new shoes! It will take 2-10 weeks depending on which brand you go with.

Good luck! When you find your new shoes, write back and let us know how it went!

Find more information at The Perfect Pointe