Solace London Brings Us Affordable Eveningwear That We Want to, Well, Wear

“The options for event-wear always seem to feel quite dated and somehow over-designed,” said Laura Taylor and Ryan Holliday-Stevens, the designers behind Solace London. The new line is their answer to the gap between the high-street and luxury brands. “The girl that’s ages 20 to, say, 35, she wants something that’s great and different, and there isn’t that much out there,” Taylor reasoned. “So we found a niche there and the collection is built around that.” And their commitment to creating an accessibly priced brand (pieces start at $100) in which the experience and creative reflect that of a super or luxury brand seem to set them apart. “When dresses are daring and the cut is revealing, it’s key that they fit,” Holliday-Stevens explained of the many facets of their design process. “We take risks with the cut and the fabrications, so it’s important to us that it all works together.”

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With a provocative but refined quality and a streamlined palette, the London-based designers’ modern but minimalist approach seems to have caught on among those hungry for their progressive, contemporary dresses and separates. Chanel Iman recently wore one of their frocks to Naomi Campbell’s birthday party in Monaco, and prominent U.S. stockists are placing orders. And while each delivery is expansive (the line cuts to cater to near-monthly deliveries for online retailers), the duo is committed to matching the quantity they’re designing with the quality that their target customer has been unable to find at this price point. “We want to create clothes that stand the test of time,” said Holliday-Stevens. And though the brand’s core will remain dresses, customers can expect more separates in coming seasons.

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Royal fan puts her best foot forward

The Duchess of Cambridge can't put a stylish foot wrong with thousands of fans snapping up items from the royal wardrobe.

Dunedin pharmacist Lee Tan is one devotee whose fandom comes with a hefty pricetag.

She has forked out more than $1000 on two pairs of shoes favoured by the royal.

"I'm not trying to be like her, I just appreciate her style," said Tan.

"I think I share a similar taste in clothes with her, that's why I find her so inspiring, elegant and she's just beautiful."

The 43-year-old's husband was enlisted to pick up a pair of $550 black Russell & Bromley boots when he visited London last year.

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Catherine frequently wears the same style boots, including memorably when she was discharged from London's King Edward VII where she was being treated for acute morning sickness in December 2012.

Tan has also shipped over a pair of Catherine's favoured $600 LK Bennett patent black pumps from the United States.

To keep up with the latest royal garb, Tan follows the popular What Kate Wore page on Facebook and clicks through to the website daily.

The website has as many as 43,000 unique views on a day when Catherine steps out at an official engagement.

"I've tried to get stuff that she wore from eBay, but in the end I just didn't have the time and couldn't be bothered," said Tan.

"I do look through all the websites when she buys from Zara and places like that but they're always sold out. It's expensive to be like her, I tell you."

Tan will miss out on seeing her style icon in Dunedin on April 13, but has instead spent $1000 on changing flights for a school trip to China with her children two days earlier.

"I've changed my flights so I'll get to Auckland a bit earlier so I'll be able to go to the Auckland tour and go to China later that night," she said.

"My husband says you're not guaranteed to see her and I said that's the fun of it, isn't it. My reasoning is when are you going to see the next [future] Queen of England again."

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