Dancers love a nice pair of new shoes as much as anyone. But you’d never know it by the way they treat them. The process of “breaking in” a new pair of pointe shoes begins with ripping them apart, and taking a knife to the innards. From there, it’s up to the individual dancer, and some are more, ahem, aggressive than others, but let’s just say that Krazy Glue and nails are frequently involved. And when all else fails, you might as well try slamming the shoe in a door hinge a few times before you strap it on. Pretty brutal treatment for such delicate-looking apparel? You bet. But when you spend your whole career on your toes, you’d better be comfortable.