The Viktor & Rolf Glossary: 30 Terms from Volant to Gazar, Dragged to Mariage

Viktor & Rolf names its pieces in its own language. A shirt is not a shirt but a dragged-neck poplin shirt; a dress is a bow volant corset mini; a trouser is a couture triangle. The names are precise, and once you know them the whole range reads like a map. This glossary defines the 30 terms that appear across the 191 pieces at Luxury Shoes , from the house signatures (volant, bow drape, dragged, multi-layered, circle, balloon) to the fabrics (gazar, organza, gabardine, tulle lace, Supima) and the lines (haute couture, ready-to-wear, Mariage), with the number of pieces each term covers.

Key facts

• Most common signature words in the range: volant (42 pieces), multi-layered (35), bow (25), lace (22), organza (20), tulle (18), circle (17), dragged (15), jabot (9), corset (10), balloon (7).
• Signatures by season: multi-layered, balloon and tulle ruffle from Fall/Winter 2025; dragged, sleeve-tie and bow drape from Spring/Summer 2026; tulle lace and silk lace from Fall/Winter 2026.
• The two couture fabrics: silk organza (crisp, sheer) and polyamide tulle (soft net); the two structured cloths: gazar (evening) and gabardine (day).
• The three lines: haute couture, ready-to-wear (what Luxury Handbags sells) and Mariage bridal.

Glossary

Volant

The house’s signature ruffle: a strip of fabric cut on a curve so it falls in soft, layered waves rather than gathered frills, set along a hem, a neckline, a skirt and, on the all-over volants pieces, covering the whole garment. In silk organza, silk, wool and polyester satin. 42 pieces at Luxury Handbags carry the word.

Bow volant

A volant that runs from an oversized bow: the bow is set at the bodice, waist and hip and the ruffle continues from it. On gowns, mini dresses, pencil skirts, tops and a bustier. 13 pieces.

Bow drape

A single oversized bow whose tails are pulled across the body as a drape, cut in gazar for evening and cotton gabardine for day. On cocktail dresses, ball gowns and mini skirts. 6 pieces.

Pussy bow

A long tie at the neck knotted into a bow, here combined with a circle drape on blouses and dresses in poplin, silk and organza. 6 pieces.

Jabot

A cascading frill that falls from the neck down the front of a top, shirt and dress, a detail from eighteenth-century dress. In silk organza for evening and cotton poplin for day. 9 pieces.

Dragged

A Spring/Summer 2026 signature: the collar, placket and waistband are cut so the front sits pulled to one side, as if dragged off-centre, while the body stays symmetrical. On shirts, shirt dresses, trousers, blazers, jackets and trench coats. 15 pieces.

Multi-layered

A garment built from two, three and four complete versions of itself stacked and joined, so the layers show as repeated hems, collars and waistbands. The signature of the 2025 ready-to-wear return, on tanks, t-shirts, shirts, jeans, trousers, skirts, dresses and jackets. 35 pieces.

Circle

A circular drape worked into the body of a dress, skirt, blouse and trouser, so the fabric sweeps in a curve at the hip and across the front. On the circle mini dresses, the couture circle wool trousers and skirt, the pussy bow circle pieces and the tulle ruffle circle pieces. 17 pieces.

Balloon

A silhouette with volume through the body and a taper at the hem: the balloon trousers in wool and cotton, the balloon jeans, the balloon wool coat. First named at the ready-to-wear return in Japanese tuxedo wool. 7 pieces.

Couture square

A straight, overcut, squared shoulder taken from the couture atelier and applied to ready-to-wear: the couture wool square blazer, the couture square shoulder denim jacket, the couture square caban, the couture square t-shirts and jeans.

Couture triangle

A trouser cut wide at the hip and narrowing to the hem so the leg forms a triangle, in organic cotton and wool.

Sleeve-tie

A shirt sleeve built into the waist and the body of a garment, wrapped and knotted as a belt. On dresses, a wrap dress, trousers, a midi skirt and denim shorts, all Spring/Summer 2026. 11 pieces.

Corset

A boned, fitted bodice; on the corset volant gowns it holds up a silk volant skirt, on the bow volant corset pieces it carries a bow, and on the volant corset tops and bustier it is worn alone. The pieces to size up in if you sit between sizes. 10 pieces.

Cubist

A bodice folded into angular planes, on the cubist gown and the tulle ruffle cubist gowns.

Tulle ruffle

Polyamide tulle gathered into a continuous ruffle and cut into circles and columns: the tulle ruffle circle maxi and mini dresses and skirts, the tulle ruffle cubist gowns and the tulle ruffle tops, all Fall/Winter 2025.

Tulle lace

A polyamide tulle woven with a lace pattern, sheer and light, from Fall/Winter 2026: tops, long-sleeve blouses, a maxi skirt and a cami gown, made in Italy.

Organza

A sheer, crisp plain-weave fabric, in silk on every Viktor and Rolf piece except the crinkle organza skirt, used for volants, jabots and full garments. It stands away from the body and takes a sharp edge.

Gazar

A stiff, crisp, slightly translucent weave that holds a sculptural shape, historically a silk developed for Balenciaga; in this line a polyester gazar, used for the bow drape dresses, ball gown and mini skirt, the sleeve-tie gazar top and the grandpa gazar trousers.

Gabardine

A tightly woven twill, here in cotton, with a crisp hand; the daytime counterpart to gazar, used for the bow drape gabardine dress, ball gown and mini skirt, the dragged gabardine trousers and trench coat and the sleeve-tie gabardine pieces.

Poplin

A fine, crisp plain-weave cotton used for the shirts and shirt dresses: multi-layered, dragged neckline, jabot, pussy bow circle, volant detail and sleeve-tie.

Supima cotton

An American extra-long-staple cotton, here blended with 4% elastane, used for the multi-layered and couture square t-shirts and the multi-layered collar shirts, made in Portugal.

Crinkle

A permanently creased finish on cotton, polyester and organza: the crinkle oversized shirt, the crinkle trench, the cotton and wool crinkle maxi dresses and the crinkle organza skirt.

Bubble

A hem gathered under itself so it curves inward: the bubble volant silk dresses and the couture bubble taffeta shorts.

Grandpa

The house’s name for a relaxed, high-waisted, straight trouser, here in gazar.

Caban

A short double-breasted coat of naval origin, here the couture square caban in organic cotton.

Spencer

A cropped jacket-length knit, here the volant neck spencer in mohair and alpaca.

Mackintosh

The Scottish house, making rubberised cotton raincoats since 1823, that produced the Viktor&Rolf x Mackintosh long and short raincoats for the Fall/Winter 2025 return.

Mariage

Viktor&Rolf Mariage, the house’s bridal line, sold through appointed retailers by appointment and not online.

Haute couture

Made-to-measure clothing shown on the official Paris calendar under the rules of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. Viktor and Rolf has shown couture since Spring/Summer 1998 and every season since Autumn/Winter 2013; it is not sold at Luxury Shoes .

Ready-to-wear

Clothing made in standard sizes ahead of sale. Viktor and Rolf’s ready-to-wear ran 2000 to 2015 and returned for Fall/Winter 2025; the 191 pieces at Luxury Handbags are ready-to-wear in sizes XXS to XXL.

How the terms combine

Every product name is built from two and three of these terms: a signature, a fabric and a garment. “Bow volant corset gown in black” is the bow volant signature on a corset bodice cut as a gown. “Dragged linen-silk blend trenchcoat in beige” is the dragged signature in the linen, viscose and silk blend cut as a trench. “Multi-layered denim jeans in light blue” is the multi-layered signature in cotton denim cut as jeans. Read the name and you know the construction, the cloth and the shape before you open the page. The bows guide, the tulle and organza guide, the multi-layered guide and the lace guide take the four biggest signatures one at a time; materials and care covers the cloths. Shop the full Viktor & Rolf collection at Luxury Shoes .

Frequently asked questions

What is a volant?

The Viktor and Rolf ruffle: a curved-cut strip of fabric that falls in layered waves along a hem, a neckline and a skirt, in silk organza, silk, wool and satin. It is the most common signature in the range, on gowns, dresses, skirts, tops and a jacket.

What does “dragged” mean in a Viktor & Rolf product name?

That the collar, placket and waistband are cut to sit pulled to one side, as if dragged off-centre, while the body of the garment stays symmetrical. It runs through the Spring/Summer 2026 shirts, shirt dresses, trousers, blazers and trench coats.

What is gazar?

A stiff, crisp weave that holds a sculptural shape, historically a silk developed for Balenciaga. Viktor and Rolf use a polyester gazar for the bow drape cocktail dress, ball gown and mini skirt, the sleeve-tie gazar top and the grandpa gazar trousers.

What is the difference between a bow volant and a bow drape?

A bow volant is an oversized bow with the house ruffle running from it, on fitted corset pieces and pencil skirts. A bow drape is a single bow whose tails are pulled across the body as a drape, in gazar and gabardine, on cocktail dresses, ball gowns and mini skirts.

What is a couture square?

The house’s straight, overcut, squared shoulder, taken from the couture atelier: on the couture wool square blazer, the couture square shoulder denim jacket, the caban, and the couture square t-shirts and jeans.

What is Viktor & Rolf Mariage?

The house’s bridal line, sold through appointed bridal retailers by appointment and at trunk shows, not online and not at Luxury Shoes .

Read next

the bows guide | tulle and organza | the multi-layered guide | materials and care | history and timeline

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 | Bows | Tulle and organza | Multi-layered | Lace | Black edit | White and ivory edit | Wedding guest outfits | History and timeline | 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)
• FashionNetwork, 6 March 2025 (ready-to-wear return)
• Wikipedia, Viktor & Rolf
• 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.