The La DoubleJ swing dress, and which one to buy

J.J. Martin built La DoubleJ around one shape. Before the kaftans, the tailoring and the tableware, there was a swing dress cut from Italian silk in a re-coloured archival print. It is the piece the house keeps returning to, and the reason the brand reads as joyful rather than fussy: a simple silhouette carrying a complicated print.

There are now close to a hundred swing variants in the Luxury Handbags edit alone, which is wonderful and slightly paralysing. Here is how the family actually divides, and which one I would put a client in.

The Swing Dress family

The Swing Dress

The original. A midi length that hits below the knee, a T-shirt shoulder, a skirt that moves. Usually silk twill, sometimes jacquard, and almost always in a placed house print. If you buy one La DoubleJ piece in your life, buy this. It works for a summer wedding, a long lunch and a piazza dinner without changing anything except the shoe.

The Mini Swing Dress

Same shoulder, same swing, cut short. Better for city heat and for anyone under about 165cm who finds the midi length swamps them. It is also the easier one to wear with a flat sandal in the day.

The Long Sleeve Swing Dress

The shoulder season answer. The sleeve makes it work in spring and early autumn, and in jersey it becomes the dress you travel in. This is the version I recommend to clients who want a La DoubleJ they can wear more than three months a year.

The Super Swing and the Big Swing

More fabric, more movement, more drama. Cut wider through the body and longer in the skirt. Beautiful on a tall frame and beautiful over a swimsuit. Not the one to buy first.

The Slinky, Clingy and Knit Swings

The jersey and knit interpretations. These skim rather than swing, so they read closer to the body and pack flat. The Knit Swing is a genuinely good travel dress.

The Lacey and Chemise Swings

The texture-led versions, in macrame, broderie and lace. Often solid rather than printed, which makes them the quiet entry point to a loud house. A Lacey Swing in ecru is about as understated as La DoubleJ gets.

Which print should you choose

The prints matter more than the shape here, because the shape barely changes. A few of the house names worth knowing:

• Ambrosia and Blooming Tulip. The florals. Romantic, densely coloured, the most photographed of the house prints.
• Sanctuary and Cocoon. The placed prints, positioned per size so the motif lands where it should. These photograph beautifully and read as the most expensive.
• Swathe and Oasis. Painterly and ombre, softer at a distance, good for anyone who wants colour without a literal flower.
• Solid colours. Yes, they exist, and the ecru and black solids are the ones to buy if you want the cut without the conversation.

How it fits

Take your usual size. The swing shapes are the most forgiving thing the house makes, cut slim in the shoulder and generous through the hip, so the letter you wear elsewhere is the letter you wear here. La DoubleJ’s models stand between 176cm and 180cm and wear an S, which tells you the midi length is cut long. The full breakdown, including the Italian numeric styles and the denim, is in the La DoubleJ size guide.

How to wear it

Let the print carry the look and keep everything else quiet. A flat leather sandal and gold hoops in the day, a heeled mule and stacked bangles at night. Resist the urge to add a second pattern. If you want to tone the whole thing down, pull one shade out of the print and repeat it in the shoe and the bag. There is more on this in the La DoubleJ styling edit.

Caring for it

Most swing dresses are silk twill and should be dry cleaned, which protects both the drape and the print. The jersey and knit versions are more forgiving. Store them on a padded hanger, keep them out of direct sun, and the colour will hold for years. These are made in Italy from mill-quality cloth, and they behave like it.

Frequently asked questions