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The journal
Two long form guides from the fitting bench, written by the same people who measure feet and cut suits every week.
We are not trying to build a content machine here. These posts exist because the same questions keep coming up over the counter, and answering them once in writing saves everybody a phone call. Read them before you spend money anywhere, including with us. None of them contain affiliate links, and none of them try to steer you towards the most expensive option on the shelf.
All posts
Two articles, growing slowly. We would rather publish something worth reading than pad the page every week.
The size on the box is the least useful number in the shop. This piece walks through volume, heel lock and how much room your toes genuinely need on a long descent, using the checks we run on the treadmill and the slope board every week. If you keep losing toenails after a race, or your heels slide on the uphill, this one is worth reading before you buy anything new.
A 260 gram high twist wool will beat a cheap polyester blend every time in February, and a half lining changes how the jacket feels once you step outside. This post explains what to look for on a cloth bunch, why we keep the weight range we do, and the questions worth asking at a first fitting before you commit to anything.
Why we publish
Most of what we write here comes from conversations that started with someone standing at the counter, holding a pair of shoes or a jacket that was not working and asking why.
We could answer those questions privately and send the person on their way, but the same ones come back week after week. Heel slip on a downhill. A jacket that pulls across the shoulders. A suit that looks fine in the mirror and unbearable after twenty minutes outside. Writing the answers down means somebody can read them at home before making a decision, which is a much better place to be than standing in a shop feeling rushed.
You will notice we do not name competitor brands or tell you where not to shop. What we do is explain the fit principles, show you what we check at the bench, and let you apply it wherever you end up spending your money. If that means you buy somewhere else, fine. The person who comes back next season with a well fitting pair of shoes is worth more to us than a quick sale this week.
Written in house
Topics we cover
Our writing splits into the two things we do in the studio. Neither topic is finished, and both get revisited as stock and cloth ranges change.
Volume, width, heel lock, drop and the way a shoe changes on a wet descent. Anything we learn on the treadmill or on the Gap Creek trails that is worth passing on tends to end up here. The full service lives on the Trail Running Shoe Fitting page.
Weights, weaves, linings and the small construction details that decide whether a suit survives a Queensland February. The service itself is described in full on the Bespoke Tailoring Studio page.
From the bench
Small observations collected from years of fittings, the sort of thing that never makes it into a full article.
We see more bad fits caused by half a size and a lacing pattern than by picking the wrong brand altogether. Two runners with identical feet often need very different shoes, and the only way to know is to put them on and watch.
A very light fabric that clings to the skin can feel hotter than a slightly heavier open weave. What matters is how air moves through the cloth and whether the jacket is lined where the sun lands. We explain this on the fabric guide.
A resole, a new heel counter or a rehemmed waist can stretch another two seasons out of something you already own, often for less than a tenth of a new purchase. We say this even when a replacement would earn us more.
Still deciding
If the guides have not answered your question, the people who wrote them are a phone call away.
Forty five minutes with whoever wrote the footwear guide, on the treadmill and the slope board. Free when you buy a pair, and there is no obligation to buy anything at all.
Bring the date you are dressing for and we will check the diary before promising a turnaround. A first consultation takes twenty minutes and costs nothing.
Not sure which service you need, or whether a repair is worth doing? Describe the problem and we will point you the right way, even if that means sending you somewhere else.
The price page lists every fitting, tailoring and alteration rate we charge, and the about page has the background on the people behind the bench.
We publish when there is something worth saying, which works out at roughly one post every couple of months. Join the studio list and you will hear when a new guide goes up, along with occasional notes about restocks and cloth clearances. Nothing else, and leaving is a single click whenever you like.
We keep your address to ourselves and only use it to send those occasional notes. The Privacy Policy explains exactly how that works.