Freed Of London

I visited here like a total fangirl a few weeks ago. They are something of a mecca for dance shoes; ballet flats and pointe, ballroom, jazz, all of the above. They also, I learnt, make a range of small sized vintage style and wedding shoes. HUZZAH I thought, finally gorgeous shoes for my size 2.5 foot.
Unfortunately, not only am I size 2.5 but I’ve also got feet that resemble a small paddle; they are goddamn wide. And as Freed’s make their shoes in house, and probably still from shoe blocks that were used in the 1950s, they are much too narrow on the whole for my poor foot. The exception were some of the ballroom shoes that were much more roomy about the toe but not the style I was searching for. The staff were wonderful, very helpful, full of recomendations for styles that might work and I almost felt bad how many times they were up and down to the stockroom!
So, if you have small narrowish feet and need pretty outdoor heels in a vintage style, look this place up. And if you need ballroom or dance shoes, well you probably know these guys already. :)
As for me and my oddly shaped feet, my search continues…

Good range of excellent quality. I buy shoes for tango and ballroom here and have been thrilled with them, particularly as I have difficult feet to fit. The staff are professional and if you get the lady in charge she’s really excellent. I also had my wedding shoes made by them to my own specification (a Spanish court with a cuban heel in cream leather) having been unable to find a cream, closed toe, low heel to wear with my Edwardian wedding dress. And I get evening shoes from them: just pick your favourite dance shoes and have them made with a resin sole for outdoor wear. They take about 6 weeks to come and are worth the wait.

I wish I was a ballet dancer so that I could actually be taken seriously when I come into this shop for a look. I always try and approach it with my absolute best posture and be really graceful in the vain hope that maybe someone will think I’m a pro. Sadly it’s not convincing but I love this shop in the middle of London, near the Coliseum with its shelves of pointe shoes and leotards and excited little girls buying tutus.

I recently went to Freed with a friend who was buying ballet shoes for her daughter. Stepping inside the store instantly brought back memories of going there with my mum to get my ballet shoes, leotard and any other bits I needed for my weekly dance class. I remember fantasing about one day wearing the pink tutus on stage like all the great ballet dancers. I never made to the Royal Ballet School but walking into Freed again made me relive my dancing dream again. So thank you Freed for the memories and for allowing me to pretend that I can still be a dancer weraing that pink tutu.

I went in to Freed to buy some ballet shoes and dance skirts for some models we were styling for a shoot. I have wanted to go in for so long but as soon as I walked in, I felt enourmous and ridiculous. I was looked up and down by the shop assistants and felt that I needed to tell them automatically that the shoes and clothes weren’t for me– they gave me a pitying look as if to say ‘we know.’
Their shelves of ballet shoes and rails of tutus make it a perfect stop-​off for any little sisters/​nieces that might be coming to visit.
I ended up buying myself a pair of their split sole soft toe ballet shoes in pink– they are so comfortable for around the house (they have suede soles so don’t go outside in them)

Freed sells the prettiest dancewear and shoes that I have ever seen. Every time I pass this shop I want to be a ballerina. They sell sparkly ballet shoes that are just classically beautiful. They also sell tutus that I would wear on a night out, if it was socially acceptable of course. Actually, whatever, I’m going to cop one of those £40 tutus and I’m going to rock it at G-​A-​Y this Saturday. Their prices range from £20-£100, so you’ll be able to be a ballerina, even if you can’t keep a beat for the life of you, without breaking the bank.

Freed’s of London is a great store for those involved in the dance industry. It stocks a wide range of clothing and shoes for all dance styles and caters for adults as well as children. The staff obviously have a good history and knowledge of dance and so are able to help out anyone who really doesn’t know what they’re looking for, as was the case when i was after some tap shoes recently. The store is quite small and unfortunately hours are shorter on the weekend so plan to get there early, especially if you want to try a couple of items on.

I suppose looking at me know that one would never guess I trained for the ballet. Like Topsy I just grew and grew. My friend became a Prima Ballerina with the Royal Ballet. by 15 I was too tall.
My first ballet shoes and character shoes came from here. We would order tights and shoes while on tour, in the Med and the Far East, from here and they would be swift to arrive.
‘Frederick Freed Ballet’ is still going strong — nearly 80 years after the ballet shop was opened by Frederick — it’s still pirouetting on.
As a pattern-​cutter for ballet shoe designers, every week Fred’s father would put aside half a sovereign for his son — allowing Fred by the 1930s, to open his own store.
Freed’s provided the first made-​to-​measure service and clients including Anna Pavlova and Margot Fonteyn who would wear out her shoes in just two performances. I have had the same pair of pointe shoes since I was 19!
Every professional ballet dancer is fussy about their footwear. So much so that each shoe is hand-​made to an exact specification.
Good things should last the test of time — they should remain and remind us all of what once was and how life used to be — it’s important in the ever changing London.
‘Freed of London’ make 40% of the world’s ballet shoes — about 200,000 shoes a year.