Viktor & Rolf Bows: Bow Volant, Bow Drape and Pussy Bow Explained, 25 Pieces Ranked

The bow is the Viktor & Rolf signature most people can name, and the one the house has pushed furthest: bows the size of a torso on the couture runway, a bow worked into the Flowerbomb bottle, a bow collection in the ready-to-wear. At Luxury Handbags there are 25 pieces with a bow in the name, $1,040 to $3,260, across 15 dresses, 5 tops, 5 skirts, and they come in three constructions: the bow volant (a bow plus the house ruffle), the bow drape (a single bow pulled across the body in stiff gazar and gabardine) and the pussy bow (a tie at the neck, usually with a circle drape). This guide explains the three, ranks the twelve to know, and covers how to wear a bow without it wearing you.

Key facts

• 25 bow pieces, $1,040 to $3,260, median $2,150; 15 dresses, 5 tops, 5 skirts.
• Bow volant: 13 pieces, gowns, mini dresses, pencil skirts, tops and a bustier.
• Bow drape: 6 pieces in gazar and gabardine, cocktail dresses, ball gowns and mini skirts.
• Pussy bow: 6 pieces, circle blouses and circle dresses in poplin, silk and organza.
• Colours: 13 black, 6 green, 3 purple, 2 burgundy, 1 white.

The three bow constructions

Bow volant. An oversized bow set at the bodice, the waist and the hip, with a volant, the house’s layered ruffle, running from it. In wool it is structured and matte; in polyester satin it is shiny and lighter; in silk organza it is sheer. It appears on the corset gowns, the corset mini dresses, the wool and polyester pencil skirts, the organza tops and the bustier. Bow drape. One large bow whose tails are pulled across the body as a drape, cut in gazar (a stiff, crisp polyester weave that holds a shape) for evening and cotton gabardine for day. On the cocktail dresses, the ball gowns and the mini skirts, in black and green. Pussy bow. A long tie at the neck knotted into a bow, combined with the house’s circle drape, on blouses in poplin and silk and on mini and long dresses in organza and silk. The glossary defines volant, gazar and the rest.

The twelve bow pieces to know

1. Bow Volant Corset Gown in Black, $2,570

The bow at its most complete: a wool corset, an oversized bow at the bodice and a volant skirt. The house gown.

2. Bow Volant Wool Pencil Skirt in Black, $1,520

A black wool pencil skirt with a bow and a volant, $1,520. The most wearable bow in the range.

3. Bow Drape Gazar Cocktail Dress in Black, $2,150

A single gazar bow drape across a cocktail dress. Sculptural and short.

4. Bow Volant Organza Top in Burgundy, $1,450

Silk organza, a bow and a volant, in burgundy. The evening top with a black trouser.

5. Pussy Bow Silk Circle Blouse in Light Green, $1,680

A silk blouse with a pussy bow and a circle drape in the house green.

6. Bow Volant Corset Mini Dress in Black, $2,790

The corset, the bow and the volant on a mini in polyester satin.

7. Bow Drape Gazar Ball Gown in Black, $3,260

A gazar ball gown with one bow drape. The couture silhouette off the rail.

8. Bow Volant Corset Gown in Purple, $3,110

The bow volant corset gown in deep purple satin, for a wedding guest.

9. Bow Drape Gabardine Mini Skirt in Green, $1,850

The bow drape in cotton gabardine as a mini skirt, for daytime.

10. Pussy Bow Circle Organza Mini Dress in Light Green, $2,470

Silk organza with a pussy bow and a circle drape, mini length.

11. Bow Volant Bustier Top in Black, $1,520

A strapless boned bustier with a bow and a volant; the top half of the gown, sold alone.

12. Bow Volant Organza Dress in Burgundy, $1,680

A silk organza dress with a bow volant in burgundy, $1,680.

How to wear a bow

One bow, and nothing near it. The house sets each bow where it wants the eye, at the bodice, the hip and the neck, so keep jewellery away from that point: no necklace with a pussy bow, no belt with a bow volant skirt, no brooch with a bow drape. Keep the rest of the outfit plain and matte. The Bow Volant Wool Pencil Skirt in Black with the Couture Square T-Shirt in Black ($720) tucked in is the daytime formula; the Bow Volant Organza Top in Black ($1,450) with the Balloon Wool Trousers in Black ($1,450) is the evening one. For a wedding, the purple bow volant corset gown as a guest; see the wedding guest guide. The house’s bridal bows are in the wedding dresses guide.

Where the bow comes from

The bow has run through the house’s couture since the 1990s and became a signature in the 2000s: the Flowerbomb bottle of 2005 is stopped with a bow, the Bonbon fragrance of 2014 wears a pink one, and the Spring/Summer 2023 couture show put ball gowns with enormous bows on the body at every angle. The bow volant and bow drape pieces at Luxury Handbags are the ready-to-wear translation of those gowns, cut in seven sizes and made in the Netherlands and Lithuania. See the history and timeline for the shows.

Fit and care

The bow volant corset pieces are fitted and boned; size up if you sit between sizes. The bow drape gazar and gabardine pieces are regular. The pussy bow blouses are regular. All are dry clean only; store the gazar pieces on a padded hanger so the bow keeps its shape, and steam rather than press the organza. See the size guide. Shop on the Viktor and Rolf brand page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Viktor & Rolf bow?

An oversized bow used as a structural element rather than a trim: on the bodice of the corset gowns, at the hip of the pencil skirts, and pulled across the body as a drape in gazar. It runs through the house’s couture, its bridal line and its fragrance bottles.

How much is a Viktor & Rolf bow dress?

The bow dresses at Luxury Handbags run $1,610 to $3,260: the bow volant organza dress in burgundy at $1,680, the bow volant wool dress at $1,610, the bow drape cocktail dresses at $2,150, the bow volant corset minis at $2,790 and the bow volant corset gowns at $2,570 to $3,260.

What is a bow volant?

The house’s bow combined with its volant, a layered ruffle that runs from the bow along a hem, a skirt and a neckline. It is the most common bow construction in the ready-to-wear, on gowns, mini dresses, pencil skirts, tops and a bustier.

What is the bow drape made of?

Gazar, a stiff, crisp weave (a polyester gazar in this line) that holds the bow’s shape, for the black evening pieces; and cotton gabardine for the green daytime pieces.

Which Viktor & Rolf bow piece is easiest to wear?

The bow volant wool pencil skirt in black, $1,520, with a plain tucked t-shirt, and the pussy bow poplin circle blouse in white, $1,040, with jeans.

Read next

the gowns guide | the skirts guide | tulle and organza | the glossary | mini dresses

All the Viktor & Rolf guides at Luxury Shoes

Who is Viktor and Rolf | How to wear Viktor and Rolf | Brands like Viktor and Rolf | Spring/Summer 2026 edit | Is Viktor and Rolf a luxury brand | Where to buy | Price guide | Size guide | Sale and outlet guide | Couture vs ready-to-wear | Real vs fake | Wedding dresses | Viktor and Rolf vs Schiaparelli | Viktor and Rolf vs Alexander McQueen | Fall/Winter 2026 edit | Dresses | Gowns | Mini dresses | Shirt dresses | Tops | Shirts | Jeans and denim | Trousers | Skirts | Jackets and coats | Tulle and organza | Multi-layered | Lace | Black edit | White and ivory edit | Wedding guest outfits | History and timeline | Glossary | Materials and care. Shop the full Viktor & Rolf collection at Luxury Shoes .

Sources and method

Checked on 17 September 2026. Facts about the house come from the sources below; prices, counts and stock come from the live Luxury Handbags catalogue on that date and change with the season.

• Viktor&Rolf, About us (house timeline)
• Viktor&Rolf, Care guide
• Viktor&Rolf, Size and fit guide
• Luxury Handbags product data for the 191 Viktor & Rolf pieces live on 17 September 2026 (prices in USD, compositions, countries of origin, sizes, seasons)

Gemma Deeks is Fashion Editor at Luxury Shoes . Prices, stock and counts on this page were checked against coveti.com and viktor-rolf.com on 17 September 2026.