1. The shanks and boxes don’t soften. Be sure you love the pliability of your shoes when they are new because you cannot break them in.
2. The satin hardly stretches at all—allow a little extra length.
3. Know your size code - No exchanges.
4. All sales are final (unless there's a proven defect).
There's a six-digit code to specify the box, shank, vamp and heel of Gaynor Minden pointe shoes. Length and width are specified with the traditional number and letter, e.g. 8M (medium) or 8W (wide).
The code appears on the hang tags and inside each shoe.
#-###-##
The first digit indicates the Box 2, 3, or 4
#-###-##
The middle three digits describe the Shank. Of these it is
the first one that specifies the stiffness. (The others are for
production purposes.)
5##= Hard. Very stiff, comparable to most traditional paste shoes when they are brand new. Green bag.
1## = Extraflex. Firm and medium-stiff, comparable to most traditional shoes when they are slightly worn. Yellow bag.
2## = Supple. Flexible and medium-pliable, comparable to most traditional shoes when they are broken in. Pink bag.
4## = Featherflex. Very flexible, comparable to most traditional shoes when they are wearing out. Turquoise bag.
7## = Pianissimo. Extremely pliable, comparable to most traditional shoes when they are almost "dead." Lavender bag.
#-###-##
The fifth digit describes the Vamp.
1 = Regular Vamp
2 = Deep Vamp (+¼")
3 = Sleek Vamp (+¼"), comes automatically with Sleek Heel
#-###-##
The last digit describes the Heel.
1 = Regular Heel
2 = High Heel (+¼")
3 = Sleek Heel
Example: 3-121-21 = #3 Box – Extraflex Shank - Deep Vamp - Regular Heel.
Example: 3-121-21 = #3 Box – Extraflex Shank - Deep Vamp - Regular Heel.