Best Shoes for Egyptian wide feet

Caitlin Stewart asks:

I have Egyptian Wide Toed feet, and my first 3 toes are the same length, should I get tapered or Square pointe shoes? My arch isn't low, but I can over bend it a little bit, I need a medium shank, vamp and profile, what shoe do you recommend for me? please reply as soon as possible, thank you.

Answer:

As always, I'd say - if you can find a good fitter, trust their judgment.   I can tell you what should fit in theory, but the reality can sometimes be quite different.

When you say your "first 3 toes" are the same length, do you mean your big toe and the next two toes?  That's not an Egyptian foot, that's a Giselle foot.  I know we tend to say a Giselle foot has toes the same length, but what we really mean is at least three toes are the same length.

So, if your big toe and the next two toes are all the same length, celebrate - you've got a lovely strong platform to balance on, and you've got several shoes to choose from.  Bloch Balance European, Synergy, Aspiration would all be worth trying.  Russian Pointe Polette is also good for square toes, medium vamp, medium profile.

However, if your big toe is longer and the next three toes are even, you're going to find life more difficult - because you need the taper to suit your big toe, but it may squish your three even toes.  You could try the Chacott Sylphide.   If your teacher approves, it would be worth looking at Gaynor Mindens with a dynamic box liner.

The final possibility is Freed Classics.   I love them but they're not particularly durable.  I don't know what stage you're at in your career - if you're still at an early stage, you may not want to start wearing shoes that don't last long.