Is Solace London a Luxury Brand? Quality, Fabric and Fit Assessed

Solace London is a contemporary designer label, not a heritage luxury house. Laura Taylor and Ryan Holliday-Stevens founded it in London in 2013, and it makes structured eveningwear in polyester crepe and satin-finish twill, fully lined and often boned, in UK sizes 4 to 16. The quality sits in the cut more than in the cloth.

That is the short answer. The longer one depends on what you mean by luxury, and on whether you are paying for fabric, for construction, for a name, for fit. We have been through the product pages for the dresses Coveti carries, the fabric lines and the brand’s own fit notes, so this is a verdict built on what the labels say rather than on reputation.

Who owns Solace London?

Solace London is owned and run by its two founders. The brand’s own About page describes it as a British womenswear brand founded by Laura Taylor and Ryan Holliday-Stevens in 2013, and describes the pair as longtime friends and collaborators with backgrounds across design, production, retail, marketing and creative direction.

Their story goes back further than the label. In a 2017 interview with Fashion Week Daily, the founders said they met about twelve years earlier on a dance floor, and that Laura was managing a specialty store in Leeds where Ryan was selling his own line. Solace London’s first stockist was Selfridges, followed by Net-a-Porter, and the brand made its New York Fashion Week debut in September 2017 with its Spring 2018 collection.

The founders describe their aesthetic as “Bold, confident, refined. Modern futurism balanced with timeless minimalism.” In practice that means graphic shapes in plain colours: one-shoulder columns, strapless corseted gowns, off-the-shoulder necklines with sculpted sleeves. Print and embroidery are rare. Crystal embellishment appears on a handful of styles.

What are Solace London dresses made of?

Mostly polyester, and the brand says so plainly. Across 96 product pages we read, the most common fabric line is “100% Polyester”, followed by linings in 95% polyester and 5% elastane. A few stretch styles go to 90% polyester and 10% elastane, and a small number of pieces use viscose with elastane.

What the composition line does not tell you is how the cloth is built. Solace London names its fabrics by weight and finish, and those descriptions are where the quality story lives:

• Medium weight twill with subtle sheen: the base of the corseted and strapless gowns, such as the Dandridge Maxi Dress in Black, which has a boned bodice and exaggerated pleats.
• Lightly textured bonded crepe: a firmer, matte cloth used on sculpted styles like the Andress Maxi Dress, with a corseted bodice and a ruffle overlay.
• Medium weight stretch knit crepe: the fabric behind the body-conscious columns such as the Lang Maxi Dress, cut to sculpt with stretch through the fabric.
• Lustrous heavy weight satin: used for scarves, drapes and full skirts, as on the Newman Maxi Dress, which has a mini slip underdress beneath.

Construction is consistent. “Fully lined” appears on most of the pages we read, boned bodices on 22 of them, and concealed zips throughout. Care is the same on almost every style: dry clean only, cool iron, no tumble drying.

So is it good quality? For the build, yes. The bonded crepes and twills are dense enough to hold a sculpted line, and a lined, boned bodice is real tailoring work. For the fibre, it is synthetic, and if silk and wool are your measure of luxury, Solace London will not meet it. Online reviews often call the quality mixed, and both readings have a point: strong pattern cutting on a synthetic base.

How does Solace London fit?

Close, and on purpose. Each product page carries a one-line fit note, and they fall into a few groups: “designed to sculpt the body”, “designed to sit close to the body”, “designed to skim the body”. Most add “minimal stretch” for the twill and bonded crepe styles, and “stretch through the fabric” for the knit crepes.

The brand also gives a between-sizes rule that changes by style. On boned and minimal-stretch pieces such as the Dandridge, Reynolds and Ryder, it suggests your usual size, sizing up if you fall between two. On stretch knit crepe styles such as the Lang, the Olivia and the Nanette, it suggests your usual size, sizing down for a closer fit. Our Solace London size guide has the full body chart in centimetres and inches.

Where Solace London sits against similar labels

The labels shoppers compare it with most often are Self-Portrait, Safiyaa, Needle and Thread and Rasario. Here is how they differ on the things you can check.

Solace London is the most minimal of the five. It has the least surface decoration and depends most on the line of the dress. Safiyaa is the nearest in mood but more formal and more covered. Our brands like Solace London guide goes through each one in more detail.

Is it luxury, then?

We would call it designer occasionwear at the accessible end of luxury. It is sold through major luxury stores (Selfridges and Net-a-Porter carried it first), its patterns are cut with real skill, and its dresses photograph very well. It is not a couture house, it does not use natural fibres as standard, and it does not claim to.

Our verdict in one line: Solace London is a contemporary designer label, priced below the established couture houses, that earns its place through cut and construction more than through fabric. That is where we place it.

Where it earns its place is the occasion where you need the dress to do the work: a black-tie wedding, a gala, an awards dinner. Lily Collins wore an orange-red backless Solace London gown to the Love, Rosie world premiere in London on 6 October 2014, and Kristen Bell chose the Lolita gown for the 2018 Emmy Awards. Both are a fair test of how the label reads in a room. Our verified celebrity looks list has the rest, and the Solace London gowns edit covers the current evening styles.

What reviewers praise, and what they question

Public reviews of Solace London cluster around the same points. Renters and buyers tend to praise the structure, the way a boned bodice holds without straps and the way the dresses look in photographs. They also tend to say the fit is true to size on most styles. The criticism is about the fibre. People who expect silk at this level are disappointed to find a polyester label.

Both points match what the product pages say. The dresses are built like tailoring and cut from synthetics. If you go in knowing that, you are unlikely to be surprised. If you want natural fibres, a silk crepe label will suit you better, and you should expect a different, softer silhouette from it.

If you want a single number, the Solace London page on Trustpilot showed a score of 4.0 from 77 reviews when it appeared in Google results on 18 October 2026. Treat it as a rough guide. It is a small sample for a label sold mostly through other retailers, whose customers tend to review the store they bought from.

How long will a Solace London dress last?

With care, a long time. Polyester crepe and twill keep their colour and shape well, they crease less than silk, and the lining protects the seams. The parts that wear first are the ones under stress: zips, boning channels and the hem of a floor-length skirt that has been walked on. Dry clean only, as the care label says, and store boned gowns hanging on a padded hanger. A good tailor can replace a zip and re-face a worn hem, which is worth doing on a dress you love.

What to buy if you are new to the label

Start with a style built on twill and boning, because that is where the brand’s construction shows. The Dandridge in black has a boned strapless bodice and a sculpted back. The Pieta in platinum is an off-the-shoulder corseted gown in the same twill with subtle sheen, finished with a small peplum.

If you prefer stretch and ease, the Sedgewick in acai combines stretch knit crepe with heavy satin and has a long sleeve and blouson bodice. For something with more shine, the Swanson in gold is a one-shoulder maxi in fully embellished twill.

The full range is on the Solace London brand page, along with every Solace London maxi dress in the evening gowns category.

Frequently asked questions

Is Solace London good quality?

Solace London is well made for what it is. The dresses are mostly polyester crepe and twill, fully lined, and many gowns have boned bodices, so they hold a sculpted shape. The fibre is synthetic, so buyers who judge quality by silk and wool will rate it lower than the construction deserves.

Who owns Solace London?

Solace London is owned by its founders, Laura Taylor and Ryan Holliday-Stevens, who started the brand in London in 2013. The pair met years earlier when Laura managed a specialty store in Leeds and Ryan sold his own label there.

Where are Solace London dresses produced?

Solace London does not state a country of manufacture on its product pages. The brand is designed in London, and its product pages list fabric composition and care but no factory country, so we do not claim one.

Is Solace London worth the money?

Solace London is worth it if you value cut and structure. The dresses are fully lined, sculpted and often boned, and they photograph well at formal events. If natural fibres matter more to you than the line of the dress, look at labels that work in silk and wool.

Is Solace London a British brand?

Yes. Solace London describes itself as a British womenswear brand. It was founded in London in 2013, first stocked by Selfridges and then Net-a-Porter, and showed at New York Fashion Week for the first time in September 2017.

What is Solace London known for?

Solace London is known for graphic, close-fitting eveningwear: one-shoulder columns, strapless corseted gowns and off-the-shoulder styles with sculpted sleeves, mostly in solid colours. The founders describe the look as bold, confident and refined.

Is Solace London a designer brand?

Yes. Solace London is a designer label, founded in London in 2013 by Laura Taylor and Ryan Holliday-Stevens, who own and run it. It sits in the contemporary designer tier: priced below the couture houses, sold through Selfridges, Net-a-Porter and other luxury retailers, and known for sculpted, fully lined eveningwear.

How do customers rate Solace London?

The Solace London page on Trustpilot showed 4.0 from 77 reviews in Google results on 18 October 2026. Reviews of the dresses themselves tend to praise the structure and the fit, and to question the polyester fabrics.

More Solace London guides

Every Coveti guide to the label, plus the full Solace London edit.

• Solace London Size Guide: UK, US and EU Sizes with Body Measurements
• Where to Buy Solace London in the US, UK and Australia
• Solace London Gowns: The Evening Styles Worth Knowing
• Solace London Wedding Guest Dresses for Every Dress Code
• Solace London Bridal: Wedding Dresses, Reception Looks and Civil Ceremony Styles
• Solace London Modest Dresses: Long Sleeves, High Necks and Full Lengths
• Solace London Dresses by Colour: Black, Red, White, Pink, Green and Blue
• Solace London Strapless, One Shoulder and Off the Shoulder Dresses
• Solace London Signature Styles: Kinsley, Lang, Kira, Olivia and the Icons Explained
• Which Celebrities Wear Solace London? Every Verified Look
• Brands Like Solace London: 6 Alternatives We Stock
• Solace London in Dubai, Riyadh and the Gulf: Where to Shop and What to Wear
• Solace London Long Sleeve Dresses: Columns, Blouson Sleeves and Covered Gowns
• Solace London Mother of the Bride Dresses: Elegant Styles for the Whole Day
• Solace London for Winter Weddings and Black Tie Galas
• Solace London Christmas Party Dresses: Minis, Midis and Party Maxis
• Solace London Maxi, Midi and Mini Dresses: Lengths Explained
• Solace London Rental Versus Buying: When Each Makes Sense
• Solace London Resort 2027: The New Collection
• Solace London Real Versus Fake: How to Check Your Dress and the Site You Buy From
• How to Style Solace London: Shoes, Bags, Jewellery and Cover Ups