L.A. Fashion Week Fall '04: J. Maskrey
British designer J. Maskrey got her start as a makeup artist. She then switched to skin jewelry before making the transition to apparel. “It’s important for people to understand how it evolved,” she said.
The influence of her former endeavors turns up in her fashion—body-conscious styles that either expose or define the underlying form. Maskrey showed her collection on the rooftop of the Downtown Standard Hotel on March 30, drawing an audience of fashion followers who sought refuge from the crowds at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City.
Maskrey showed a mix of sexy dresses and separates, including sheer sheath dresses embellished with red-and-black rhinestones in a radiating star pattern. Other sheath dresses had a 1920s flapper style but came in black beading on sheer netting or ended in a cascade of ruffled layers. The designer also experimented with trompe l’oeil detailing on a halter dress and skirt outlined in rhinestone trim. She also added a few conservative blouses in houndstooth prints and polka dots, as well as a glammed-up shirt worn as a blouson-style bodysuit with red panties.
Maskrey accessorized her models with skin jewelry, including a dramatic band of rhinestones worn with an open-back halter dress.
The designer said she was in town to meet with buyers and hopefully introduce her collection to the West Coast. “It’s glamorous dressing that brought me out here,” she said. “The idea was to come here to expand our business in Los Angeles.”
—Alison A. Nieder
