La DoubleJ Dupes: Why the Original Is Different and How to Spot It

I understand why people search for La DoubleJ dupes. The prints are joyful, and once you have seen a Swing Dress you want one. But a copy of a La DoubleJ dress copies the outline, and the outline is the least of it. This guide explains what you are actually buying with the original, how to tell a genuine piece when it arrives, and where to look if what you love is the mood more than the label.

What a dupe cannot copy

The prints themselves

La DoubleJ prints are its own. The label’s first collection used prints from the archive of Mantero, one of the oldest silk houses in Como, and the house has kept building its own library since. Some are Renaissance-inspired, like Botticelli and Cherubs. A copy can make something that looks similar from across a room, but the print on a La DoubleJ piece is the brand’s original artwork, named and coloured by the house. My La DoubleJ prints explained glossary goes through them one by one.

The fabric

This is the part a photo never shows. The Swing Dress in Bamboo Yellow is cut in unlined silk twill from Lake Como, 100% silk, chosen because it has weight and does not cling. The Swing Dress in Lunaria Light Pink is crushed velvet of 82% viscose and 18% silk. The Visconti Dress in Botticelli Black is 100% silk crepe de chine. These are fabric choices made for how the dress moves and how the print sits, and they are written on the composition label of every genuine piece.

Made in Italy

La DoubleJ is based in Milan and works with Italian artisans and mills. Every piece in this edit is listed as made in Italy, from the silk dresses to the Boy Shirt in Brick Red, which is cut in an Italian viscose jacquard. For more on where the clothes come from, see where La DoubleJ is made.

Placed prints

Many La DoubleJ shades include the word Placee. It means the print has been positioned for that exact garment, so the motif lands in the same place on every piece. The Sporty Swing Dress in Cocoon Placee Blue and the Slinky Swing Dress in Kells Swirl Placee Burgundy are two examples on Coveti. Placing a print takes planning at the design stage, and it is hard to fake convincingly.

The construction

Look closely at the details. The Swing Dress has hidden side slit pockets and a concealed back zipper, and it is cut slim at the shoulder and generous at the hip so the A-line falls cleanly. The Boy Shirt in Aperol Black & White is silk twill with silk-covered buttons down the front and on the cuffs, a back box pleat and a curved hem. The Boy Shirt in White is embroidered cotton lace of 76% cotton and 24% polyamide, with the same box pleat and a 66cm length. These small things are what you feel when you wear it.

How to spot authentic La DoubleJ

When a La DoubleJ piece arrives, four checks will tell you most of what you need to know.

1. The brand label. It should name La DoubleJ clearly. A missing brand label is the first warning sign.
2. The composition label. Compare it with the listing. The Swing Dress in Vetrata Grande should read 100% silk; the Super Swing Dress in Cherubs Multicolor is a fil coupe in an acetate, cotton and polyester mix.
3. The Made in label. The pieces in this edit are listed as made in Italy, so the label should say so.
4. The print placement. On a placee piece, the motif should sit in the same spot as in the product photographs.

Then check the details the listing names: pockets where they should be, a concealed zipper, covered buttons where promised, a garment length that matches. The Vetrata Grande Swing Dress, for example, is listed at 135cm.

Original versus copy: what to check

Buying authentic La DoubleJ from Coveti

Coveti stocks La DoubleJ’s own pieces, and each listing carries the brand’s fabric composition and country of manufacture, so you can hold the label up against the page when your parcel arrives. That includes the house classics: the Swing Dress in silk twill and velvet, the Visconti Dress in Bamboo Yellow in silk crepe de chine, and the Boy Shirt in silk, lace and jacquard. Sizing is true to size from XXS to XXL; the La DoubleJ size guide has the conversions. Delivery and returns terms are on our returns page.

If you love the mood, not the label

Sometimes what people want is the feeling: colour, print and a bit of Italian glamour. That is fair, and there are other designers who work in a similar spirit with their own original prints. I have rounded them up in brands like La DoubleJ, which is the honest route to the look without a copy.

Frequently asked questions