The La DoubleJ Hand Pochette: A Buyer’s Guide

Why the pochette matters at La DoubleJ

J.J. Martin, an American journalist who has lived in Italy since 2001, founded La DoubleJ in Milan in 2015. Her first collection took its prints from the archive of Mantero, one of the oldest silk houses in Como, and the house still works with Italian artisans and mills on a look built around print worn against print. The pochette belongs to that idea. It puts the house prints into something you hold in one hand, so it never looks like an afterthought.

For me it is the easiest way into the brand. A dress asks you to commit to a print from shoulder to hem. A pochette lets you carry one under your arm with a camel coat and jeans, and decide from there.

Which pochette size should you buy

Three styles share one frame. The Hand Pochette, the Party Pochette and the Ruffle Pochette all measure 32 x 23 cm, a little larger than a sheet of A4 paper, with room for a phone and a slim wallet. The Mini Hand Pochette in Devon Brown comes down to 20.5 x 14.5 cm, close to an A5 notebook and enough for a phone and a lipstick.

For something other than a flat clutch, the Jazz Bag in Smarties Orange is a near-square 21 x 20 cm pouch, and the Divine Tote Bag in Dark Green is the day bag of the group at 34 cm tall, 45 cm wide and 21 cm deep.

The pochette family, style by style

Hand Pochette

The largest group by a distance. The rustic cotton versions, such as the Hand Pochette in Heath Mint, are the most relaxed, made for daytime. The Autumn Winter 2026 Hand Pochette in Botanical Black is a fully lined cotton-mix jacquard with an all-over print. If you mostly wear black, it is the one I would buy first.

Mini Hand Pochette

In Devon Brown the Mini is a silk-mix jacquard, fully lined, from Autumn Winter 2026. It is a party bag, small enough to hold in one hand while you talk with the other.

Party Pochette

Same size as the Hand Pochette, dressed for evening. The Party Pochette in Devon Brown shares its jacquard with the Mini and adds an ostrich feather trim.

Ruffle Pochette

The Ruffle Pochette in Herald Pink is worked in paillettes over the 32 x 23 cm frame. Unlike the paillette Hand Pochettes, it is made in Italy.

Jazz Bag

A silk twill pouch closed with a leather drawstring and finished with brass scarab medals. It reads more like jewellery than a bag, best with a plain dress.

Divine Tote and Divine Beauty Bag

Both are canvas and leather, made in Italy, with “Divine” embroidered on them. The Divine Beauty Bag in Dark Green has a structured base, a long contrast canvas handle and a zip with a scarab detail. Neither is printed, which makes them the calm members of a loud family.

Soft Bag

The Soft Bag in Crossflower Black is embroidered polyester, made in India, for when you like the embroidery but want a softer shape than a flat pochette.

What the pochettes are made of

The fabric changes the mood more than the print does. Rustic cotton, 98% cotton with a little elastane, is the daytime version. Jacquard is the biggest family, in blends that run from cotton-mix to silk-mix, and a few include wool. The Hand Pochette in Sylph Black is 100% cotton velvet, and there is also a viscose and silk velvet, a faille and a cotton-blend tweed.

Then there is the shine. The Hand Pochette in Palazzo Chocolate is worked in paillettes, and the Hand Pochette in Lilac is embroidered with glass and acrylic beads. Both catch the light from across a room, so keep the rest of the outfit quiet.

Which pochettes are made in Italy and which in India

Most of the family is made in Italy, including every cotton, jacquard, faille, tweed and velvet Hand Pochette. The beaded Hand Pochette in Lilac, the paillette Hand Pochettes and the Soft Bag are made in India. Each product page states the country, and our guide to where La DoubleJ is made goes into more detail.

How to pair a print pochette with a print dress

La DoubleJ prints are made to be mixed, and the pochette is the easiest place to practise. My rule is to share one colour and change the scale. A small, busy floral dress takes a pochette with a larger motif, as long as one shade runs through both. Put the Botanical Black jacquard against a dress with black in its ground and the two read as one idea.

Placed prints help too. When a shade name includes Placee, the motif has been positioned for that garment so it lands where it should. Hold the pochette against the dress and check that the two motifs do not collide at the hip. If the dress is already doing a lot, go to velvet in a dark shade and let texture do the work. For the dresses themselves, start with our La DoubleJ swing dress guide.

Frequently asked questions