The Lazoschmidl show has become one of the highlights of the season. The brand, which mainly operates on a made-to-order basis, was recently picked up by Opening Ceremony, and, according to a company representative, its sheer pants, psychedelic tops, and Lurex separates are selling well to both men and women. This happy turn of events seemed to have freed Josef Lazo and Andreas Schmidl’s imaginations. They moved on from Palm Springs, their touchstone for at least two seasons, and dove instead into personal childhood memories. In so doing, the duo took a confident step forward, even as they revisited favorite pieces from past outings, like a pussy-bow blouse and a sheer one-piece.
Lazo and Schmidl have always challenged gender stereotypes by reinterpreting silhouettes and fabrics usually associated with womenswear for men, and they continued in that vein here. The designers took a shine to Lurex and glittering sequins, and they accessorized the models with metal chain jewelry—including a codpiece. Some male models wore corsets embroidered by Lazo after being crocheted by his mother; one had the face of a Muppet-like monster, another of a cat. For Spring the sharing went both ways; they cast women (the couple Asta Stensson and Elsa Sjökvist) to wear their clothes, which are cut for men. Hand-drawn prints, “paper hats” made of scraps of fabrics, and romper-style silhouettes added a bit of kids’ play to this upbeat collection, titled Playdate.