MATTHIAS BARTUSCH works from Neuenrade, in the Sauerland hills of North Rhine-Westphalia, and sells the part of a wardrobe that does the work in a long winter: dresses that can be worn to an office and then to dinner, and knitwear heavy enough to sit under a coat. Three dresses and five sweaters are enough for a week of cold mornings if the yarns are honest. The rail stays short so that every piece is worn, washed and measured before it is listed, and orders leave from Germany within two business days of cleared payment. Returns are handled by the same pair of hands that folded the garment.

Yarn, stitch, weight

A sweater is chosen by hand first and by photograph second. We weigh the yarn rather than trusting a description, check whether a cable holds its line after two washes, and pull every cuff to see how quickly it recovers. Polyester blends are kept out of the knitwear because they pill at the sleeve where a coat rubs. For dresses, the jersey is tested for whether it falls or clings, the lace for whether it scratches at the neck, and every shirred panel for whether it holds through a full evening of sitting. When a yarn loses its shape, the style is dropped rather than sold on the strength of a good photograph.

Measured on bodies

Each product page lists bust, waist, hip and length in centimetres for every size, taken flat and again on three different bodies, because a label says very little about how a knit relaxes after an hour of wear. Knitwear is given with a chest measurement and a sleeve length from the shoulder seam, and the note that a loose style runs generously. Dresses state whether the fabric has stretch and how much it recovers. If you sit between two sizes, send your measurements and we will compare them with the production sample before you order. The return window runs for thirty days from delivery, on top of the fourteen days the law gives you.

Wrapped for winter

Orders are folded with tissue between the layers, closed with a paper band and sent in a recycled paper bag. Knitwear travels flat so the shoulder does not stretch, and a dress is rolled around a paper core to keep the crease out of the bodice. Nothing is scented and no plastic goes inside the parcel. If a stitch needs attention or a button arrives loose, tell us and we will arrange the repair rather than ask you to return the whole garment. Messages are answered in German and English, Monday to Friday, and a question about a sweater bought last winter is as welcome as a new order.