Sizing and Fitting updates: Wendy Slipper, Capezio Bradon Collection

Hi all!  I've been busy and under the weather, but now I'm established in my summer routine.  I intend to get you at least one post a week, but I'm setting the bar higher and aiming for two.  I also want to bring you more videos, but some of the items I want to feature are still in the mail (they'll be here soon).  If you have a topic you would like me to address in a post or video, leave a comment!

Body Wrappers Angelo Luzio has had the Wendy ballet slipper on the market for several years.  Considered an update to the tried and true yet shapeless Sansha SA1, the shoe featured thin stiff canvas and individually shaped right and left feet.  When I tried the Wendy slipper about a year and a half ago, I found it boxy, wide, and too low profile on the heel.

I tried on the same style of shoe a few weeks ago at my local dancewear store.  I noticed that the canvas looked slightly brighter pink.  When I felt it, it seemed to be stretchier than the canvas on the Wendy from last year.  When I tried on the shoe, the vamp was noticeably lower, the heel was higher, and the last seemed narrower and more tapered around the toes.  I felt as if every complaint I had about the old Wendy had been corrected.  The shoe instantly went from an un-favorite to a true fave.  I bought a pair and confidently wore them in my school's spring concert.  If you have narrow or very tapered feet and previously wrote the Wendy off as wrong for you, I encourage you to give it another try.  I think Body Wrappers has done an excellent job updating their popular product.

Capezio recently introduced the Bradon collection, a set of leotards designed by Bradon McDonald on Project Runway.  The collection features 3 leos, a long sleeved shorts unitard, and a skirt.  Most of the pieces have closely placed strips of raw-edged fabric on the bodices that create stripe or chevron designs in the same color as the body of the piece.  These leos and other pieces are attractive, fashionable, and quite pricy compared to other items in the Capezio line (The leos are $50-75 and the skirt is around $25).  

Capezio generally runs fairly true to size in all products, but these particular leos and unitard run absolutely huge.  They are very, very long in the torso and slightly wide as well.  All dancers interested in these pieces should look at one size down, possibly two sizes if you have a short torso or are not curvy at all.  Additionally, the raw edges of the detail look as if they could easily unravel if care is not taken when washing.  I think this collection is very beautiful, but I feel that the price is not a good deal for the quality, and the sizing makes it very difficult for most dancers to find a good fit.