The Saturday evening of this men’s week was feeling rather low-key until the Lazoschmidl show, which was taking place at, of all places, the Goethe-Institut Paris. There, Josef Lazo and Andreas Schmidl had turned models into American high-school archetypes: jocks, geeks, a heartthrob in the manner of Dylan McKay. Except, of course, their versions were flaunting a fetish ’70s-era style and highlighter hues. “We grew up with these ideas of what high school could be—preconceived concepts of social norms and social groups and social networking,” said Schmidl, with Lazo adding, “I think this is a rebellion against those groups in a playful way.”
The cheeky duo that they are, their backlash couldn’t help but turn out extra bright and oozing with boyish sexuality. Among the highlights: hip-huggers blinged out with silver starbursts or in a pattern they dubbed “Grandma’s ugly dress”; too-tight Lurex knits that looked as though copped from their gal pals (the designers confirmed that their female customers are a loyal bunch); and track jackets or tops decorated with a trompe l’oeil sash—you know, for all the rejected prom kings.
That the pieces were well-made counterbalanced the occasional ridiculousness. The net result was a collection that was confident, cute, and uncompromising. If the Stockholm-based designers remain on the fringe (in many senses), you get the sense this allows them to continue doing precisely what pleases them (for proof, feel free to zoom in on the sweater in look nine).