Rick Owens SL Soft V

Viscose is what makes this work, and it is worth knowing why. Viscose is a regenerated cellulose fibre, which means it starts as wood pulp and is reformed into a filament, and the resulting yarn is heavy for its fineness with very little natural spring. Knitted into jersey it falls in a straight column from wherever it is supported and does not bounce back into shape the way cotton or wool does. That is a liability in a garment meant to hold a silhouette and an asset in one meant to drop.

This one is meant to drop. The body is elongated so the line continues past the waist rather than stopping at it, and the deep V opens the neckline so the vertical is uninterrupted from the collarbone down. The polyester in the blend is there for resilience, because viscose on its own creases and stretches more than most people will tolerate in something worn often.

The elongated line is difficult to buy and this is the cleanest version we found. It works on its own and it works as a base under almost everything else we carry from this house, which is the practical argument. The blend is also the sensible construction rather than the purist one, and we would rather sell a viscose jersey that survives being worn than one that photographs better and sags by March.

The elongated jersey pieces are the everyday register of this house's women's line, cut with the same attention to line as the more sculptural work.

Sixty-eight percent viscose and thirty-two percent polyester, made in Italy, in black. Jersey, with a deep V neckline and an elongated body.

Elongated, so it runs longer than a standard top and is meant to. Viscose jersey follows the body closely and has limited recovery, so it will relax across a day and settle back with washing. The deep V sits low and is a decision to make in front of a mirror. Take your usual size; the length is in the pattern, not in the sizing.

With high-waisted trousers, where the length reads as a deliberate line rather than as a long shirt. Under an open outershirt. Under the sleeveless turtleneck.

Viscose is significantly weaker wet than dry, so hand wash cool, never wring it, and dry it flat. Hanging it wet will lengthen it permanently. Our care guidance covers the general ground.

For the same blend with a drape at the hip, the LS Babel Top. For another V neckline, the Kite T. For the cropped version, the SS26 Cropped Rib Long Sleeve. Everything we currently hold from Rick Owens is listed together.