If at all possible, have your fist fitting of any shoe done professionally and if you're not sure or are not quite experienced, be sure to have your teacher check the fit before you sew on ribbons/elastics.

There are so many shoes to try, and I have such fun trying new ones out, but these remain my perennial favorites. I have narrow, tapered feet w/ a strong, medium arch and shortish toes, and these always feel comfortable. The 3/4 shank is great: and it's good they come 3/4 because they are so well made on the inside it's virtually impossible to get at the shank yourself (I've tried!). My feet run hot and I literally melt shoes, but these last quite a while (it depends on how many classes I'm doing). The softer shank is good for demi-pointe and very easy to break in for a nice roll-through, but they do break down sooner than the hard shank. The shoes are very well made, but are noisy. I don't like the thickness under the pleats in the 2007 Pro, so I put up w/ the noise. 5 stars

These look fantastic on my feet and really flatter my arch. They are very supportive. However, when I bought them, the box was totally deformed on one side! I was still able to use them, but there was a huge dent in the side and it was super super painful. I finally had to just wet it and soften that side of the box. That said, there is a reason this is probably the most popular pointe shoe on the market. It seems to work well for many different types of feet. However, you should be fitted for any type of pointe shoe. Even if you have been en pointe for a long time, you should always at least try them on in person. 4 stars