Spotlight, 13 May 2020
Before lockdown, one of our favourite things to do was to swirl around the RIXO store on the King’s Road in their beautiful, silk, printed and sent from heaven womenswear. Sadly for the moment this pastime is on pause instead we caught up with founders, Henrietta and Orlagh, to discover a little bit about their lockdown lives for some inspiration of our own.
So girls, tell us, have you found any real page-turners that you’d recommend?
Henrietta: Orlagh is in lock-down in London and I’m isolating in the countryside outside Manchester in my family home. It’s the first time Orlagh and I have been apart for so long since we launched RIXO which is tough! I am very lucky that we have a garden, so I try to keep a routine of Monday-Friday working and at the weekends spend as much time as I can outside to get some fresh air, reading books that have been on my list for ages.
My absolute favourite book is The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. I’d also recommend Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan (@naoisedolan). She’s an amazing twenty-six year old Irish author who we featured in our virtual RIXO (@rixo) x Refinery29 (@Refinery29uk) book club recently.
Orlagh: I would highly recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s a great read, I’m learning a lot about how small changes to your routine can lead to new and better habits to help you progress and be successful. It’s really fitting for now.
The Sunday Salon podcast by @aliceazania is a great source for good books by amazing female authors too.
Podcasts, who have you been listening too?
Henrietta: Our team are listening to lots of empowering female led podcasts: How To Fail by Elizabeth Day (@elizabday), @girlboss Radio by Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), The High Low by Dolly Alderton & Pandora Sykes (@dollyalderton & @pandorasykes) and After Work Drinks (@afterworkdrinkspodcast) by Isabelle Truman and Grace O’Neill (@isabelletruman @grceoneill).
Orlagh: Also HOSTEing by Laura Jackson (@iamlaurajackson), Feminists Don’t Wear Pink by Scarlett Curtis (@scarcurtis) and Gurls Talk by Adwoa Aboah (@adwoaaboah). Working from Home with Stylist (@stylistmagazine) by Lisa Smosarski and Alix Walker (@lisasmosarski & @alixkwalker1) is also a very relevant one to listen to now. Both Henrietta and I really enjoy hearing other founders and entrepreneurs’ journeys too, so we tend to also listen to Ted Talks and How I Built This.
What have you been up to in the kitchen?
Henrietta: I’ve been enjoying having time to cook and bake more at the moment while based at home. I’ve been making lots of scones and they’re a fairly easy one to start with if you’re not usually into baking.
INGREDIENTS
150 g raisins
150 g unsalted butter
500 g self-raising flour, plus some extra for dusting
2 level teaspoons baking powder
2 heaped teaspoons golden caster sugar
2 large free-range eggs
4 tablespoons milk, plus a little extra for brushing
Vanilla extract
Salt
Serve with clotted cream & jam
Orlagh: One positive of being at home more is having more time to make delicious healthy food. Everyday I’ve been waking myself up with a breakfast smoothie – I love Angie Smith’s (@angiesmithstyle) white chocolate fraud shake recipe!
INGREDIENTS
100g spinach
3 large slices of fresh mango
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
1 teaspoon of honey
2 large ice cubes
200ml of oat milk
Blender (blend for 45 seconds)
What have you been bingeing on screen?
Henrietta: Anything on Netflix… The Crown for some royal related binge watching or The Stranger for a good crime thriller – it’s filmed in Cheshire and Manchester where I’m from, so it was funny seeing places I recognised. Normal People and Hollywood are next on my list to watch.
Orlagh: I’m just finishing season 2 of OZARK on Netflix, perfect timing for season 3 which was released earlier this month – I’m hooked! Also dying to watch Becoming, the new Michelle Obama documentary.
Tell us about your new WFH uniform?
Henrietta: The first thing I do in the morning (after showering and a quick cleanse, tone and moisturise routine for my face) is get dressed! It makes the world of difference and helps me keep up a routine and some sense of normality while working from home. I’ve worn my Zadie and mixed print Donna dresses a lot, usually with a vintage necklace (and cozy socks!). Donna has flared sleeves, so isn’t tight and is dreamy to float around the house in with ZERO effort needed. I’ll usually also have a scrunchie on my wrist too, in case I feel the urge to put my hair up.
Orlagh: I’ve been living in my Kiara, Brooke and Tamara dresses since they’re super lightweight and let me move freely and comfortably while working from home. I also love the print on these styles – they have such a 60s vibe, but in a shape that suits my lifestyle. Anything that feels special, but you can wear day to day is a winner for me! I’ve been dressing up my hair with our new headband or bow on days I feel like going the extra mile – they’re also handy to pull the hair off my face if I’m having a bad hair day!
Check back soon to find out when RIXO will be re-opening and eager to see you.
(Image: Orlagh)
