Moschino Takes Style Seriously : Designers: Franco Moschino collections reflect personal concerns presented with tongue-in-cheek humor.

Italian prankster Franco Moschino is not ready to admit the “anti-fashion” message that characterizes his collections has put him on top of the system he pretends to mock.

Yet he continues to promote the humorous side of taking fashion seriously, an aspect that was clearly evident in the trunk showing of his three women’s collections--Couture, Cheap and Chic, and Jeanswear--which recently made its way across country to Roppongi on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.

The presentation, and the crowds that showed up to view it, pointed out just how well a good gimmick appeals to the buying public. The messages he writes across his clothes--”Stop the fashion system” as well as various pleas for the environment--are the designer’s personal concerns. But his tongue-in-cheek style of presenting them may be the most effective way to sell the ideas.

Moschino’s couture collection of short, fitted skirts and cropped jackets, solid tailored blazers with oversized buttons, tapestry jackets with gold rope trim, green fitted blazers with gold thimble buttons and wrap-leg pants with fringed seams, show the designer can take a more serious, albeit stylish, approach.

But his Cheap and Chic and Jeanswear labels, both spotlighting Moschino’s bizarre sense of humor, is where he excels.

For fall the two latter collections focus on 1960s-inspired shapes, fabrics and prints. A psychedelic print collection is fitted and body-conscious and focuses on multicolored abstract patterned tops and bottoms, accented with gold embroidery.

Washed velvet sweat shirts and leggings featuring comical oversized hearts and “Fax me baby” prints complement a quilted-print fabric used for tops and skirts. These are teamed with tight-fitting and stretch jeans.

The 1960s retro feeling is also inherent in the designer’s gold lame collection of dresses, jackets and jeans featuring denim stitched pocket details. These are paired with a whimsical “passion victim”-printed sweat shirts and denim shirts with ruffled plackets. Tie-dye velvet tops and form-fitting slacks accented with faux rhinestones round out the fall offering. Moschino shows these items with “100% Fake”-printed on unitards and body suits.

“For fall the line is influenced by the ‘60s and it is very focused on the issue of the environment,” explains Liana Bartoloni, the New York-based sales agent for the collection. “Fake leather peace sign patches on the back pockets of pants and tops are accented with fake fur. He is also doing a series of ‘Protect the Ozone Layer’ print shirts. And he’s showing a lot of hearts, peace signs and teddy bears. Some people think he means all this ironically. But he really does believe that love makes the world go round.”

All this love comes at a price, however. Moschino jeans, and his cheap and chic collections sell from $80 to $300; the couture collection starts at $400 and goes to $1,600. The collection is available at Roppongi as well as Neiman Marcus, I. Magnin’s, Bullock’s and Fred Segal.