Anyone familiar with Baja East designers Scott Studenberg and John Targon’s Instagram feeds (@scottlovespalmtrees and @johnlovespinecones, respectively) knows that they’re social, as are their #BajaBaes.
To put the fall collection in its natural habitat, Studenberg and Targon are foregoing the runway and a typical casting and throwing a party Feb. 14 at the Gilded Lily on West 15th Street in New York City, where some of their prime baes will serve as models: Caroline Vreeland, Winnie Harlow, Coco Rocha, Soo Joo Park, Cindy Bruna, Delilah Belle, Elizabeth Sulcer, Leandra Medine, Allison Sarofim, Neels Visser, Caroline Daur and Hannah Bronfman, to name a few.
“We realized what sells doesn’t have to come down a runway — it has to fit into your real life,” said Targon. “So we asked our friends to wear the new collection during a night out with us.” Added Studenberg, “We love the idea that paparazzi photos replace the runway this season, think Studio 54 meets the Daily Mail. It’s a very voyeuristic way to see the new collection.”
After seasons of partnering with Fila and Nike on comfortable sneakers and slides, heels are welcome — the models are being given creative license with their accessories. “We’ve never shown heels on our runway but our friends wear them with our clothes,” said Targon. “We thought, ‘F–k it, let’s go real life.’”