Rick Owens F/W 25 Shroud

Most knitwear is engineered to hold a shape: ribbed at the neck, the cuff, and the hem, so the garment resists gravity at every edge and keeps its outline. This does the opposite deliberately. It begins as a draped tube at the neck, widens as it descends across the shoulders, and meets the arms so low that the armhole is nearly at the waist, leaving the sleeves to hang loosely from it. Nothing anywhere is holding it in. The whole garment is a study of what cashmere does when it is given permission to fall.

That is why the fibre choice is not decorative. Cashmere is fine, soft, and low in crimp compared with sheep's wool, which means it has less spring and more drape, and it falls in long soft folds rather than standing in short crisp ones. A shroud in lambswool would look like a mistake. In cashmere it reads as intended, because the material and the idea are the same thing.

It is from Concordians, the F/W 25 collection.

This is the piece that makes least sense described and most sense worn, and that is an argument for seeing it in person. It is drapery in something close to its pure form, which is the house's central preoccupation, and it is constructed from the one fibre that can actually deliver it. We also took it because it solves an awkward wardrobe problem: it goes over almost anything, adds a silhouette rather than a layer, and can be worn where a coat would be too much.

Drapery is the idea this house is built on, and the Shroud is that idea with everything else removed.

One hundred percent cashmere, made in Italy, in black. Draped tubular neck, widening over the shoulders into low armholes with loose sleeves.

Sizing here means very little in the usual way, because there is no fitted point on the garment. It hangs from the neck and shoulders and the rest falls. What matters is length on your frame and how much volume you want at the arm, both of which are worth seeing in a mirror rather than deciding on a number. It goes over a fine knit or a shirt. Cashmere of this weight will relax over a day of wearing and recover when it is rested and folded.

Over something narrow, always, because the piece supplies all the volume the outfit can carry. A close knit and a straight trouser underneath. Nothing at the neck.

Fold it, never hang it, because a draped cashmere on a hanger will pull out of shape at the shoulders within weeks. Hand wash cool with a gentle detergent, press the water out between towels, and dry flat away from sun and radiators. Pilling in the first wearings is normal and comes off with a cashmere comb. Our care guidance covers cashmere in detail and is worth reading before the first wash.

For cashmere in a knit, the Long Wrap and the Raglan Crewneck. Also the Oversize Roundneck, and the F/W 25 Island Jacket from the same collection. Everything we currently hold from Rick Owens is listed together.