John Lewis and RIXO have not made a tiny party capsule and called it a collaboration.
Their 44-piece collection stretches from dresses and knitwear to blouses, jackets, skirts, scarves, shoes and bags. Prices begin at £65, bringing RIXO’s vintage-minded wardrobe into considerably easier reach.
The best part is hiding in the archive. A floral motif taken from a block-printed textile dated 1849 appears across two dresses, a blouse, skirt and scarf—the first time John Lewis has used one of its archive prints for a fashion collaboration.
Its hero is the Vesper: a full-length dress with cap sleeves and a ruffled neckline. It looks recognisably RIXO, rather than like the brand has been politely diluted for a department store.
That is the point. John Lewis supplies 177 years of design history and national reach; RIXO supplies the colour, print and slightly louche glamour that made its dresses so identifiable in the first place.
The full collection launches online and in John Lewis fashion stores on 22 October.
An 1849 print with somewhere new to go. Very Wonder, actually.
Sources & further reading
John Lewis: collection preview · John Lewis Partnership: collaboration announcement
Campaign images: Courtesy of John Lewis x RIXO.