Rick Owens Jacket Details on ‘Zionic’ jacket from AW19.

In another article focusing on a garment that has made it through from catwalk to retail», this time the focus is on the Zionic jacket from Rick Owens’ Autumn-Winter 2019 collection. What is most striking about this jacket, particularly when first seen in the black wool version, is the bold shoulder which defines the silhouette.

It becomes easier to dissect how the sleeve and shoulder area is crafted by looking at the same jacket in the Cardinal Red colourway. The first point to notice is that the whole junction of where the sleeve meets the jacket body is moved inwards. This has a huge effect on the shaping on the sleeve pattern, as it requires the sleeve head to be cut out wider and fuller to allow more fabric to reach across the front and back of the body.

This is facilitated by moving away from a standard set-in sleeve pattern shape, instead, the sleeve looks to be cut in three pieces. Two pieces form the top of the sleeve from the elbow up. By having two separate pieces in this area, the sleeve can be cut so that the seam that runs down the outside of the arm can be manipulated as needed. In the case of this particular silhouette, this outside seam allows for the curve of the fabric up from the bicep and over the shoulder.

The lower part of the seam from the elbow down appears to be cut from one piece, with the seam running down the back of the arm into the sleeve slit that forms the cuff. Effectively, rather than splitting the sleeve into a classic two-piece set-in sleeve through long vertical lines, the sleeve is split into upper and lower halves instead along a horizontal axis, with the vertical lines used to control the shaping where needed.

Other details of note on the jacket include the welt pockets at the front that are created as a double-tiered effect and what appears to be working keyhole buttonholes on the cuffs (rather than a fake closure).

The jacket is shaped through the front body using a bust dart that splices in under the line of the collar. This dart placement has the effect of being able to take into account any dart shaping needed for the bust area, as well as providing shaping needed for the collar at the same time. In cases where this design was sized up for bigger sizes, and especially for larger bust ratios, the basic form of this dart may need to be maintained to avoid messing with the collar, with additional dart value and shaping provided by a second bust dart. This could possibly be placed so that it ran down in line with seaming already in place for the welt pocket detail. Or as a bust dart that runs directly down from bust point to the centre of the welt pocket area – similar to how you would see a dart running into a pocket on a classic tailored jacket.

Images of Zionic Jacket from Autumn-Winter 2019 from RickOwens.com»
Zionic Jacket, Rick Owens, AW19, Black, Wool version on RickOwens.com»
Zionic Jacket, Rick Owens, AW19, Cardinal Red, Cotton/Silk version on RickOwens.com»