Should I Cut the Straps on my Dance Shoes?

Straps are a tricky business for our suppliers because we don\’t all have the same size ankles. If they don\’t make their straps long enough, they will be excluding some dancers with larger ankles. In other words, it\’s easier for for the shoe designers to make the straps longer and then the customer can customize to their preference.

So where should you cut the straps and how do you keep them looking nice and reduce the possibility of fraying, which can be especially true of the satin fabrics. You want to make sure that you don\’t cut them too short. Keep in mind that if the end does fray, you would like to be able to cut a bit of the end. Consider that your feet can swell and you may want to loosen them at some point to give yourself that flexibility. We\’ve also noticed that if they are too short they tend to stick out instead of lying nicely along the side of the heel cup.

The straps are sewn at the factory, but it can be easier to glue the ends after cutting, as opposed to going to a shoemaker to have them professionally sewn.  If the customer wants to use the shoe immediately, we will offer to cut the straps and glue the ends to prevent fraying.  The glue dries clear and does not show any marks.

Occasionally some customers have the opposite problem, and find the straps put on in the factory too short. We can order shoes with extra long straps if our customers need this service.