Rixo

Designers often mine the past in search of traces of the future. What came before may help predict what comes next, and for co-founders of British label Rixo, Orlagh McCloskey and Henrietta Rix, it was travelling back in time to Ancient Egypt that helped distil the direction of their clothes now.

For fall 2023, McCloskey and Rix turned their attentions to eveningwear and occasionwear, in a collection aptly called Goddess of the Nile. Mini dresses, floor-length gowns and pieces with playful cut-outs (a hint of flesh at the waist; a keyhole at the collarbone) gave countless examples of party dressing, as seen through the brand’s vintage-inspired lens. A wealth of prints, seen on halterneck dresses and full-length styles also grounded the collection within the brand’s identity, all while deftly speaking to another time and place.

As such, the influence of Ancient Egypt permeated the clothes. Ancient Egyptian iconography and colour schemes, including the Nemes headdresses and jewellery worn by pharaohs, were revised for modern day. That transpired on the runway in delicately embellished dresses, gold accents in the form of chain belts and weighty necklaces reminiscent of those adorned in ancient times. An asymmetrical column dress in gold felt especially referential, as did a black gown with a colourful hand-embroidered bust undoubtedly inspired by old-world mosaics.

The directive was all too clear: McCloskey and Rix want their wearers to dial up the glamour, and they offered plentiful options to execute with aplomb.

Rixo

Rixo

Rixo

Rixo