Preparing for your pointe shoe fitting …

Always arrive prepared! Bring the essentials with you to ensure that you have the same feeling in the shop as you will when you get back on pointe in class.
• Bring clean tights
• If it’s your first pair of pointe shoes, ask your teacher what type of pointe shoe protection they recommend to ensure that you arrive in the classroom with the right kit
• If you have some, bring your old pointe shoes and your favourite accessories so that your fitter
can get a better feel for how you like to dance and better advise you
• Cut your nails before : going on pointe with long toe nails can be painful !
• Plan a 30 minute window. There are no rules : it depends on the shape of your feet and your
needs. Take your time to ensure that you find the pointe shoes that are right for your feet.
Show your pointe shoes to your teacher before you sew on your ribbons and elastics in case you need to change them. Each specialized shop has its returns policy however in general they cannot accept returns if the ribbons and elastics have been sewn on, even if you haven’t used the pointe shoes.

Why do pointe shoes need to be fitted by a professional?

Pointe shoes are an essential tool for any ballet dancer. Dancing in pointe shoes that are adapted is important to avoid injuries. When a child starts on pointe, their foot is not yet fully formed: like for street shoes, wearing poorly fitting pointe shoes can cause inflammation and damage to joints and even irreversible foot deformation. Keeping every dancer’s feet safe and healthy is our priority. For this reason, we advise you to purchase your pointe shoes in specialized Merlet partner stores where you can be correctly fitted by an expert.