A rare and wonderfully symbolic Moschino Couture! jacket from circa 1989, designed during the Franco Moschino era and covered in one of the designer's favorite things:
a message.
At first glance, this is an elegant ivory cropped jacket with a clean, collarless silhouette.
Then you turn it around.
Across the back flies an elaborate sequined and beaded white dove, beneath which Moschino embroidered one enormous word:
PAX!
Latin for peace.
And just in case the point was insufficiently clear, Moschino repeated the peace symbol across the jacket in the form of metal peace-sign buttons at the front, pockets and cuffs.
Subtle, Franco was not. 😂
The combination of a traditional tailored jacket with an enormous flying peace dove and literal peace-symbol hardware is quintessential early Moschino: polished enough to enter the room seriously, and mischievous enough to make that impossible once anyone actually looks at it.
The imagery on this jacket is not decorative by accident.
Pax is the Latin word for peace, while the dove has served for centuries as one of peace's most recognizable visual symbols. Moschino takes both symbols and refuses to leave them quietly in the background.
The dove becomes enormous.
It sparkles.
"PAX!" is written underneath it in capital letters.
And the peace sign appears again and again as hardware across the front of the garment.
The jacket does not merely suggest peace.
It announces it.
This combination of fashion, humor, symbolism and social commentary is characteristic of Franco Moschino's work, which repeatedly challenged the idea that expensive clothes had to take themselves seriously.
Pre-owned vintage condition with signs of age and previous use consistent with a garment approximately 35 years old.
All original buttons are present.
Please examine all photographs carefully, particularly the close-up photographs of the fabric and dove embellishment, as they form an important part of the condition description. Any age-related marks, discoloration, wear or variations visible in the photographs should be considered part of the item's vintage condition.
The photographs shown are of the actual jacket you will receive.
Because this is a light-colored vintage garment with extensive embellishment, I strongly encourage buyers to review every image at full size before purchasing.
Please compare the measurements below with a similar garment that fits you well. Vintage Italian designer sizing can differ substantially from contemporary US sizing.
Measurements are approximate and taken with the garment laid flat.
There is something almost wonderfully absurd about the construction of this jacket.
The front says:
Elegant ivory Italian tailoring.
The back says:
WORLD PEACE, PLEASE.
🤣
That tension is exactly what makes vintage Moschino so collectible.
Franco Moschino repeatedly borrowed the familiar language of respectable fashion - tailoring, pearls, elegant fabrics, ladylike jackets - and then interrupted it with slogans, symbols, jokes and visual commentary.
Other Moschino pieces from the same 1989 period use similarly overt peace imagery. The best-known surviving example is the "Peace & Pearls" jacket, which transforms the peace symbol itself into elaborate pearl ornamentation. Examples of that design are now offered by specialist vintage sellers for well over $1,000.
This PAX dove jacket belongs to that same extraordinary moment in Moschino's late-1980s design language: luxury clothing being used as a billboard for an idea.
This jacket comes from a private collection containing more than 150 new and vintage Moschino pieces.
It would make an especially strong addition to a collection focused on:
This is exactly the sort of early Moschino piece that works both as clothing and as an artifact of the designer's point of view.
This listing qualifies for eBay's Authenticity Guarantee. The jacket will first be sent to eBay's Authentication Center, where it will undergo authentication and a condition inspection before being forwarded to the buyer.
INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: Import duties, taxes, customs charges and other fees are not included in the purchase price or shipping charge and are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs authority before purchasing.
Please see my other listings for additional rare, new and vintage Moschino pieces from the same private collection.