My style CV

JJ Martin

The Milan-based La Doublej designer shares her more-is-more approach to party fashion with Emily Cronin I’ve never been frightened of wearing a lot of print.

But you’ve got to have a method to the madness. I’ll often wear three different prints, but the colour tones will match in some way – they’re all on a black background, say – it’s a link that provides a bit of order.

When it comes to mixing prints, proportion matters.

If I have a dress that has a huge all-over print and I want to pair it with another print, I’ll choose a micro print. Macro on macro is a lot. One thing that’s also nice is contrasting subject matter. Florals and geometrics always look great together. Then you can play with the scale.

I always wear plain accessories because my clothes are so wacky.

My accessories have to be mellow for the rest of the outfit to work. I love Loewe shoes and I’m not much of a handbag junkie. I like to have one handbag and wear it all the time.

I’ve got into statement coats.

Under a great coat I can be really basic, with my favourite pair of black Acne trousers and my Max Mara oversized cashmere sweater – and then a crazy leopardprint coat over it.

I have way too many dresses.

It’s bonkers. I used to be obsessed with collecting dresses. Now you open up the closet, and it is just a full-on explosion. It’s great, though – it’s mood-boosting. I love it.

The way I get dressed is totally emotional.

Howi decorate the house, how I dress myself, how I lay a table, all come from intuition and mood. Nothing in my life is coming from the head any more – it’s all pure heart space.

What I love most about Italy is that it’s not a casual country.

People do not walk around in their workout clothes. They go to the gym wearing a nice outfit, they leave the gym wearing a nice outfit. Everything else happens at the gym.