La DoubleJ Celebrated The Lighthouse—Its First U.S. Store—With an Al Fresco Dinner at Casa Cruz

Reported by Vogue.

Milan came to Manhattan this week, and it arrived in silk twill. La DoubleJ — the maximalist Italian lifestyle brand beloved for its jewel-toned prints and unapologetic joy — threw an al fresco dinner at Casa Cruz to mark the opening of The Lighthouse, its first U.S. flagship store. The Upper East Side townhouse party was exactly what a suffocating June in New York needed: Aperol Spritzes, tarot readings, and women who clearly had nowhere else they'd rather be.

The rooftop terrace at Casa Cruz did the heavy lifting aesthetically — woven palm-leaf fans, rosé-hued drapery, and cinematic skyline views framing two long communal tables dressed in pink-and-yellow linens, botanical cushions, and jewel-toned vases. Guests including actresses Lily Rabe and Elizabeth Gillies, models Carolyn Murphy and Anne V, and civil rights activist and astronaut Amanda Nguyen arrived in the brand's signature looks — feathered hemlines, asymmetrical scarf tops, waterfall sleeves. Nguyen, in a floor-length gown with a dramatic sash, put it simply: "It's about tapping into that fun and playful heart and spirit." Founder J.J. Martin told Vogue she wanted the night to feel "warm, soft, open, welcome, and harmonic — all the things Italy does so well."

The Store That Almost Wasn't

The Lighthouse's origin story carries real weight. Originally slated for Los Angeles, the concept lost its building in the devastating Palisades fires last year. Rather than stall, Martin — a former fashion journalist — redirected to a townhouse on the Upper East Side and built something more ambitious than a boutique. The space incorporates custom gongs from Gongmatic and Grotto Sonora, a quartz crystal sourced from Ixim Crystals, and a suspended chandelier with over 110 hand-blown glass bulbs. Sound baths, meditations, and workshops are already in the pipeline. It's retail as ecosystem, which sounds precious until you see what she actually built.

Back at dinner, the menu matched the mood: roasted beetroot salad, orecchiette al limone, branzino on porcelain plates with 18-karat gold detailing, wine poured into fishbowl-size glasses. Laura Brown and Jenna Lyons broke into song between courses. Martin climbed onto the back of a banquette to toast, kicked off her shoes, and told everyone else to do the same. The night closed — past 10:30 p.m. — with tiramisù in silver cups and drawn-out goodbyes, every guest leaving with a piece of the brand in hand. Murphy, according to Vogue, said it best: "It's that collective energy that's really inspiring, and it makes me want to do more in life and never stop."

When a brand can make you feel that way at a dinner party, the store doesn't even need to sell you anything — you're already converted.

Read the original at Vogue.