Should pointe shoes be fitted with room to grow?
Never! A shoe that is too big, especially a shoe that is too wide at the ball of the foot, cannot provide proper support. Inadequate support could cause severe pain and serious injury. Please note: Gaynor Mindens are fitted differently from other brands because our elastomeric boxes do not deteriorate and our satin stretches only slightly. It is important to be able to pinch 1/4″ at the heel of a Gaynor Minden when en pointe for these reasons. However, the fit around the ball of the foot should be snug. Why are Gaynor Mindens more expensive? Actually, Gaynor Mindens cost less to use than other brands because they last an average of 3 to 5 times longer. If you protect the satin tips, you can expect even more durability. How? Gaynor Minden is the only pointe shoe with resilient elastomerics in the parts of the shoe that provide support: the shank and the box. Most other pointe shoes have a paste and paper construction for the shank and box, as they have since the 19th Century. You can br
