'It's the perfect dress for events' - this Rixo shirt dress is a timeless choice for Wimbledon, Ascot and beyond

As soon as Easter weekend is over, the dates for your diary start coming thick and fast. You might have a wedding or summer party to attend, or perhaps you're a regular at high-profile summer events like Wimbledon. Either way, now's the time to find a dress. We're all too familiar with that feeling of frantically trying to find an outfit the night before a big day, and it's not fun.

What if I told you there's one dress that could work for everything? A style so versatile, you could wear it with trainers for casual get-togethers like a back garden barbecue, but add a hat and heels, and you'll sail your way into the Royal Enclosure at Ascot!

We recently went shopping with fashion expert Jo Good, and Rixo's bestselling Izzy Shirt Dress stopped her in her tracks. She told us: "This is a classic, I would wear it for Wimbledon, Ascot, Chelsea (Flower Show), especially for more mature ladies because it's got the most beautiful collar, it's got sleeves.

"It's discreet," she continued, "but because it's animal print, it's quite racy as well. So that is the perfect dress for events. For my age group, this would be my choice of dress for the summer."

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The great thing about this dress is quite how versatile it is. Wear it with heels of any height, from kitten heels to wedge espadrilles. Then, when the weather's chilly, it works with ankle or knee boots and chunky knitwear over the top. The really great thing about it is the flattering fitted panel across the tummy, before the skirt gently flares out into pleats beneath it. It gives it the look of a shirt tucked into a matching skirt, but with the smoothness of a dress. The swishy skirt feels so luxurious, and the smart collar keeps it classic.

Thanks to the statement print, you can afford to keep accessories to a minimum, allowing the antelope spot to do all the talking. You read that right - antelope. It's a slightly more subtle take on leopard print, which I know some people can find intimidating.

I much prefer a dress that covers my arms, and the bracelet sleeves on this dress mean it's appropriate for any occasion. The elasticated cuffs can be pushed further up your arms if you prefer. Whatever the dress code of your event, you're sure to meet it.

Rixo recently celebrated ten years of being one of the best British clothing brands, and we're certainly not the only fans. Alison Hammond wore this exact animal print dress when hosting This Morning back in 2024, plus Kate Middleton has not one but two Izzy dresses in her wardrobe. The first is a rust-coloured polka dot print, and the second is a pretty pink marbled design.

The Izzy dress wasn't the only Rixo dress that Jo fell in love with, and we can't blame her. Here are three more styles that caught her expert eye...

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The Izzy shirt dress is also available in red polka dot or a pretty vintage-inspired rose print option, and the customer reviews speak volumes. One wrote: "Couldn’t have been a better fit or design for if it had been individually made by a personal dressmaker. Wow."

Another said: "Really easy to wear with classy effect. Fits well - petite length on 5'2" height perfect, not too long. Fitted at waist but flattering style. Hides bumps you want to."

The Maddison shirt dress is a really similar style too, only it doesn't have the fitted waist panel of the Izzy, plus it has more traditional shirt-style cuffs. The buttons on the Izzy finish at the waist, whereas these go the full length of the dress, and the Maddison shirt dress doesn't have a pleated skirt.