JJ Martin is one of the few people (at least here in Italy) who’ve been able to circumvent the strict lockdown rules that prevent us from taking planes and flying to distant locations as we used to do in the Before. “It was a gift from the Universe,” she said of a recent trip to Bali—the gift in question making this reviewer desperately jealous. Fresh from a blissful week spent at a spiritual retreat there, she was back in action at her Milanese showroom, ready for a Zoom call to introduce her “vibration-rising” (her words) pre-fall collection.
Martin’s approach to the season was, as she explained, to “mood-boost it to the hilt.” Under the present circumstances, with energy levels not at their peak, a mood-boost is definitely most welcome. To improve her customers’ morale, a selection of new accessories was added to the ever-growing LaDoubleJ offer. A group of playful headdresses looked entirely smart for a soignée WFH situation. The “happy hair moment” (again, her words) included a vast catalogue of pin-up style turbans, giga-scrunchies in technicolor prints, barrettes emblazoned with the words Ciao Babe, braided Rapunzel headbands, and bejeweled tiaras.
Another clever proposition was the introduction of a new athleisure line, replete with a practical and fun array of second-skin stretchy leggings and bodysuits, terry cloth ponchos, and paper-thin windbreakers and anoraks in waterproof nylon. All of them boasted all-over prints in head-spinning new in-house patterns which the indefatigable Martin added this season to LDJ’s already impressive roster of archival design options.
New shapes were also proposed for occasion dresses, flounced and tiered and swingy; their versatile and forgiving silhouettes mean they can “cross-pollinate across occasions.” Pointing to a sumptuous gown, a ruffled triumph of rustling printed taffeta, Martin said, “you can wear it at a Roman Palazzo in the middle of the winter, or at the beach in the Bahamas.”
Martin and her team seem to be in a good place, pandemic notwithstanding. Their clever formula of versatile, visually uplifting, Made-in-Italy creations makes sense for today, with its much needed feel-good factor. “If we weren’t optimistic, our lights would turn off!” said Martin. “As creative people, it is required of us to be optimistic. We are required to use our light to spread it to the rest of the world. It’s time to rebuild new possibilities; it’s time to put our creators’ hats on.”
