Rick Owens- Edfu Skirt

The ruching is the mechanism. A seam gathered up one side shortens that side of the skirt and lets the fabric it has borrowed fall elsewhere, which is why the hem is high where the seam is drawn and long behind. It is the same principle as a draped curtain and it is one of the oldest pieces of dressmaking there is, used here without any of the softness that usually comes with it.

What the ruche produces is a split that opens as the wearer moves and a hem that tapers into a train. A train on an everyday skirt is a strange idea and it works because the cloth is cotton and the pattern is a plaid, so the drama is undercut by the material. In silk this would be a gown. In a dusty cotton check it is a skirt you could wear to lunch.

Dark Dust is the house’s grey-brown, and a plaid in it reads as texture from a distance and as a check up close, which is exactly what you want from a pattern that has to carry this much movement.

Why we selected it

We look for garments that behave differently when they move, and there are fewer of them than you would think. This one is a plain skirt standing still and something considerably more interesting walking away, and that is a genuinely rare property. The cotton is what makes it wearable rather than theatrical, and that is the reason we took this version.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent cotton, in a Dark Dust plaid. Made in Italy. Ruched side seam opening to a split, hem tapering into a train.

Fit notes

The ruche is fixed, so the fit is at the waist and the drape below it is set by the pattern. Cotton with no stretch will not accommodate, so buy the waist to fit. The trained hem means the back length is considerably longer than the front, and the garment should be judged on the body rather than on the hanger.

Styling

With a flat shoe, so the train reads as a design rather than as evening wear. With a plain knit or a fitted tee tucked. This is a skirt that wants the top half quiet.

Care

Wash cool or dry clean, and dry away from direct heat. A ruched seam should not be pressed flat, since the gathering is the design and an iron will kill it. Our care guidance covers the general principles.

Related pieces

We would point to the Gonna – Edfu Skirt in jersey, the Shrimp Skirt, and the Pillar Skirt. Everything we currently hold from Rick Owens is listed together.