Scott Studenberg is leaning in to his Californian lifestyle. Since most of the people who shop his brand are celebrities, or celebrity adjacent, he says, he has stepped away from trying to offer normal clothes and is giving full fantasy for fall 2022. Of course, Studenberg’s fantasy isn’t exactly the plumage and pomp of a red carpet. Instead, he’s exploring a sort of awards-season loungewear, where everything is cozy, silky, and drapey but still trimmed in crystal.
That play of serious comfort and silly motifs is what Studenberg does best, and he’s amplified both with this collection. All the middling materials are taken out, leaving only 100% cashmere, 100% silk, and a few light 100% cotton pieces. “It’s about making people feel good inside the clothes,” he says from his studio overlooking the Hollywood Hills. Knit lounge pants, silk camp shirts printed with the hillside, and his popular knit anorak will surely keep the Baja babe feeling warm vibes.
It’s the dresses with “for your consideration” and Studenberg’s awards print that will garner attention. In the pattern, he honors the characters that define the Baja mood: The Comeback’s Valerie Cherish, Schitt’s Creek’s Moira Rose, and 30 Rock’s Jenna Maroney and Angie Jordan. Studenberg imagines that his silk blazers with fringe and glistening black poncho are for press junkets and maybe even taking the stage to accept that golden statuette. It’s a scenario that, maybe, only really makes sense in his head—or perhaps Hollywood glitz is just anathema to jaded New Yorkers. Nevertheless, Studenberg’s business is holding strong, with the size-inclusive retailer 11 Honoré as one of its best doors. Studenberg should consider using models of all bodies in his look book to hammer home the fact that while he’s constructing a made-for-TV fantasy, his clothing really works IRL too.
