La DoubleJ Prints Explained: Print Names, Placee and Colourways

“Cocoon Placee Blue”, “Zooflora Mini Burgundy”, “Lark Black”. La DoubleJ shade names look cryptic until you know the pattern. The same print can turn up as a dress, a shirt, a scarf and a bikini, and the name is how you match them.

The label’s first collection used prints from the archive of Mantero, one of the oldest silk houses in Como,, and it still works with Italian artisans and mills. Below are twelve prints with what La DoubleJ itself says about each. Where the brand gives no inspiration, I say so.

How La DoubleJ print names work

Every shade follows the same order: the print first, the colour second. Bamboo Yellow, Bamboo Burgundy and Bamboo Black are one print in three colourways.

Some shades add a word in the middle. One is “Placee”, explained below. Others are Mini and Micro, as in Zooflora Mini Burgundy and Ali Micro Chocolate; read those as part of the print name. To match a skirt to a shirt, look for the same print and the same final colour word.

What is a Placee print

Most printed fabric is a repeat, cut wherever the motif happens to fall. A placed print works the other way round. The design is drawn for the pattern pieces of one specific garment, so a bloom can sit in the centre of the back and the two fronts of a shirt can line up.

La DoubleJ marks these with “Placee” in the shade. Its own notes on the placee Boy Shirt say the print layout is perfected at the brand’s headquarters before Italian artisans print each one by hand. The Brooklyn Bomber in Bounty Navy is a good example of the result: the brand points out the single bloom placed on the back. A few pieces without the word are also positioned by hand, and their product notes say so.

The La DoubleJ print glossary

Nucleus

La DoubleJ describes Nucleus as a kaleidoscopic burst of cells, inspired by the matter that makes up every living thing on earth. My pick is the Foulard 140 in Nucleus Blue, a 140 x 140cm square in 85% modal and 15% silk, made in Italy.

Bounty

The brand calls Bounty a swirling print and fills it with big, bold blooms. It appears in red and navy, from viscose kaftans to beaded paillettes. The Brooklyn Bomber is virgin wool with a ribbed knit collar and cuffs, and the placed bloom on the back is the detail to look for.

Peony

Peony is named for the flower, and La DoubleJ describes it as a mega bloom print. It runs in black on satin and in a placee light blue. The Boy Shirt in Peony Light Blue is the clearest lesson in placement: Italian silk, a straight, slightly oversized cut, and a layout set at headquarters before hand printing.

Big Blooms

La DoubleJ calls Big Blooms one of its iconic prints, and the name says what it shows: oversized flowers. You will find it in brown on satin, silk chiffon and a silk-cashmere knit. The Cerere Blouse in Big Blooms Brown is silk chiffon with a detachable foulard at the collar that ties, belts and hangs loose.

Botticelli

The brand describes Botticelli as Renaissance-inspired, and it shares its name with the painter. It comes in black and rust. The Visconti Dress in Botticelli Black is floor-length silk crepe de chine with a mock neck and sleeves that end in frilled bells.

Cherubs

Cherubs is another Renaissance-inspired print, according to La DoubleJ, and it turns up in fil coupe, devore velvet and knit. The Cherubs Knit Dress in Cherubs Ivory is 100% virgin wool, ankle-length with a straight fit, and the brand notes the print is hand-placed by its artisan partners.

Lunaria Light

La DoubleJ also calls Lunaria a Renaissance-inspired print. In light pink it appears on crushed velvet, silk and knit. The Silky Turtleneck in Lunaria Light Pink blends 55% silk, 40% wool and 5% cashmere, and the brand says Italian artisans place the print on each one individually.

Cocoon

The brand describes Cocoon as kaleidoscopic and engineered, in oceanic shades of blue. It comes as a placee print on swimwear and scarves. The Foulard 45 in Cocoon Blue is a small square of glossy Italian silk twill, sized for the neck, a ponytail and a bag handle.

Mariposa

La DoubleJ says Mariposa was designed in-house and is placed by hand. It comes in ivory, celeste and green. The La Favorita Dress in Mariposa Ivory is an Italian silk slip with a deep V neck and slits at each side of a floor-skimming skirt.

Lemuria

Lemuria is an in-house motif, the brand says, and it travels well: silk shirts, wool cady trousers and Lycra swimwear all carry it. The Bikini Bottom in Lemuria Pink is hand-printed Italian Lycra of 80% polyamide and 20% elastane, cut to sit low on the hip.

Regalia

La DoubleJ gives no inspiration for Regalia, so recognise it by name. It appears as a placee print in red, ecru and menta on silk and crepe marocaine. The Foulard Shirt in Regalia Red is silk, part shirt and part poncho, with a Korean collar and a waterfall drape that shows off a hand-placed print well.

Bamboo

The brand gives no source story for Bamboo, but it lives on more fabrics than most: silk twill, crepe de chine, devore, and a jacquard woven with silk and metal threads. The Swing Dress in Bamboo Yellow is the one to know: the Swing Dress was La DoubleJ’s first design. It is cut in silk twill that does not cling, slim at the shoulder and generous at the hip.

La DoubleJ prints at a glance

How to mix La DoubleJ prints

The house was built on print on print, so clashing is the point. My rule is to hold one thing steady. Keep the colour family the same, say a Big Blooms Brown blouse with a skirt in another brown print, and the prints can be as different as you like. Match the print and change the colour for a quieter version. The La DoubleJ styling guide has more ideas.

Frequently asked questions