SOLAQUA Dresses: The Pieces Worth the Price

I love a brand that begins with a very small, very real problem. In 2019, Sydney's Jessica Cognetta set off for Italy with her six-month-old and found no beach towel she liked that was light enough for a small suitcase. Back home, she looked into the craft of Turkish towels and connected with women artisans in Kayseri, Turkey, who weave them on old looms. That is the SOLAQUA origin story, and it is a lot more charming than a trend forecast.

Before building the brand, Cognetta worked on the fashion team at Elle, in luxury PR and digital marketing, and as a talent agent at IMG. Her practical eye shows in the clothes: she repeats fabrics and prints so pieces work together, and the label makes three collections a year, each taking nine months to create.

Today SOLAQUA is an Australian ready-to-wear label that lives between occasion and ease. I see that balance in the pieces here: familiar shapes, soft texture and a few thoughtful details that make getting dressed feel personal rather than fussy.

The Delilah Dress is an ivory cotton mini with lace trim and a light voile feel, a pretty pick for a lunch that might turn into dinner. The Camilla Dress goes longer and comes with its own scarf, so I would let that detail set the tone and skip piling on accessories. The Camilla Mini takes the name into polka dots and shorter proportions, and Marlo Dress and The Pepa Dress round out the mood.

I like this mix because it covers three moods without losing SOLAQUA's soft point of view. Picture her leaving a warm afternoon gathering in the Camilla Dress, scarf tied at the neck and sandals kept simple. I would keep the scarf packed with the dress, since it is a second way to wear it.

The Lottie Pants are the tailored option, in ivory heavyweight twill with a wide leg that gives them room to move. The Salone Pants shift into tan gabardine with a pull-on, drawcord ease, a more relaxed choice for a long travel day. The Giula Pants bring in ivory polka dots, and Hugo Pant is the other quiet option here.

I would build an outfit around one of these bottoms first, then choose a top by occasion. The Lottie feels right for a meeting that ends with drinks, and Salone has the ease I want for the airport or a beach town morning. What I would skip with Salone is a belt, since the front drawcord already finishes the waist.

The Juliette Camisole is the most textural piece here, in champagne satin with noir lace trim and a semi-sheer feel. The Camilla Top in noir is the darker anchor, the Genevieve Top in toffee brings warmth without competing with the lace, and The Luna Crop Top keeps things light in ivory.

I like how these change the feeling of a skirt or pair of trousers without asking for a whole new outfit. Picture her heading to a small dinner in the Juliette Camisole, an easy skirt and flat sandals, then putting on a jacket when the evening cools. I would plan the underlayer first, since the fabric is meant to show a little of what sits beneath.

The Emery Blazer has padded shoulders and a cinched waist in ivory twill, a structured counterpoint to the softer separates. The Francesca Bias Skirt promises movement in its cut, while The Magnolia Skirt pairs champagne satin with noir lace and an easy pull-on waist. The Margaux Skirt is the quieter ivory choice. For a change of scene, The Xanthe Coat adds tan outerwear and the Swim I One Piece carries the ivory and black palette to the water.

In my fashion dreams she leaves a long lunch in the Emery over the Magnolia, then trades the skirt for the one-piece before an afternoon swim. The Magnolia is unlined, so I would think about the layer underneath before wearing it out.

What stays with me is not a vacation fantasy but a practical question: will this piece work with what is already in the suitcase. SOLAQUA's towel story and its tailoring both come back to that kind of thoughtfulness. I would choose the Delilah Dress for a trip with a dinner reservation and the pants for a day that is less planned. Romantic texture, clear shapes and more than one good setting, although I suspect the towel is still the thing I would pack first.