What Is Sizing Like at Rick Owens?

Rick Owens clothing runs in Italian sizing and is cut deliberately oversized and architectural, so most women should take their usual size on the mainline ready-to-wear and only size down if they want something more fitted — while the shoes run long and slightly narrow, so you’ll generally want to size down by half a size to a full size.

That’s the headline. Now let me actually explain it, because “Ricks” are one of the trickiest labels I get asked about. Getting the fit right is the difference between looking like a piece of walking architecture and looking like you got lost inside a duvet cover. I say all of this with love — I own three Rick Owens pieces and I have made the duvet mistake personally, so consider me your scarred-but-wiser guide.

First, why Rick Owens confuses everyone

Rick Owens is a California-born, Paris-based designer whose whole language is drama: elongated proportions, draped jersey, asymmetric hems and a palette that mostly lives between black, “dust” and a chalky off-white. The clothes are meant to swamp you a little. That generous, sculptural cut is the point, not a manufacturing accident. So the usual instinct to size up “to be safe” will leave you drowning.

Mainline ready-to-wear: take your normal size. If you’re between sizes, stay with the larger of the two for that signature draped silhouette, or go down one if you want the look closer to the body.
DRKSHDW (the more wearable diffusion line): this is where most people start. The jersey and coats run roomy — if you want a sharper line, sizing down one works beautifully.
Leather and tailored blazers: the exception. These fit tight and lean, so size up if you’re between or want any layering room. The good news: the leather softens and stretches with wear.

The shoes are a different beast

Here’s where I learned the hard way. Rick Owens footwear — the Geobaskets, the Ramones, the chunky boots — uses EU sizing and tends to run long with a narrowish toe box.

Sneakers (Geobaskets, Ramones): size down half to a full size. My honest fail — I bought Geobaskets true-to-size online, swam in them, and had to resell them on Vinted at a loss. Lesson learned.
Boots: a touch more forgiving. Lean true-to-size, or size down only half if you have narrow feet and like a locked-in feel.
Leather styles: expect them to stretch and mould, so a snug first wear is normal, not a red flag.

Mercifully, Rick Owens offers half sizes across most styles, which takes a lot of the guesswork out.

My honest styling advice

The trap with Rick Owens is wearing it head-to-toe and tipping from “considered” into costume. As a stylist, I treat one Rick piece as the sentence and everything else as punctuation. A draped DRKSHDW tunic over slim trousers and a flat boot is chef’s kiss. My personal win: a DRKSHDW jersey top in my normal size, worn with cigarette trousers to a gallery opening — I was asked three times where it was from. Keep the rest of the outfit quiet and let the architecture speak.

Where to shop the look — from high street to designer

Not everyone wants to spend four figures on draped jersey, and you don’t have to. Here’s how I’d build the dark, architectural, luxe-grunge Rick Owens mood across budgets.

High street

AllSaints — the closest high-street cousin to Rick. Washed-black leather, biker drape and that undone edge. Start here.
Whistles — clean monochrome separates and soft draping for the “quiet” pieces in your outfit.
Reiss — sharp, minimalist tailoring when you want a crisp line against all that volume.
Massimo Dutti — elevated leather and draped knitwear that punches above its price.
Uniqlo — the unsung hero. The U line does architectural basics and the long-line tees are perfect layering pieces.
Hush — easy, cool monochrome jersey and slouchy shapes for everyday Rick-adjacent dressing.
Mint Velvet — soft charcoals, draped knits and relaxed tailoring in exactly the right washed neutrals.

Premium

Zadig & Voltaire — Parisian rock’n’roll luxe, leather and distressed knits with genuine edge.
Totême — for the architectural, draped minimalism side of the aesthetic, done impeccably.
By Malene Birger — dramatic, sculptural pieces with a darkly elegant Scandi sensibility.

Luxury / designer

Ann Demeulemeester — if you love Rick, this is your next obsession: Antwerp dark romanticism, drape and asymmetry.
Yohji Yamamoto — the master of voluminous black and avant-garde tailoring.
Acne Studios — a slightly softer landing into edgy, sculptural Scandinavian cool.

Two left-field independents I love

Rundholz — a German label doing dark, asymmetric, layered “lagenlook” that scratches the exact same itch as Rick for a fraction of the price.
Lurdes Bergadà — a Barcelona independent making minimalist, draped monochrome separates that feel quietly avant-garde.

Match yourself to Rick Owens instantly with Tellar

Here’s the bit that saves you from the Vinted-resale walk of shame. Tellar.co.uk is the UK’s leading sizing tool — your body matched exactly to 1,500+ brands instantly, so you never have to squint at a size guide again. And our Fashion Hub is a library of free, honest, unbiased posts covering every fashion question going.

Measure once — using bust, waist, hip, or simply your existing size in a brand you already own.
Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your precise size in any brand — COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket and more.
Always free, no downloads, works straight in your browser.

And the Tellar Fashion Hub is stacked with free posts from our top stylists. Honest. Unbiased. Independent. Always free — style advice, top picks and the best brands for every body.

While you’re here, these are worth a read:

Stop guessing your size.

Match your body to 1,500+ brands in seconds — free, honest, no size guides ever again.

Find My Size on Tellar →

— Ella Blake, Senior Fashion Stylist & Founder, Tellar