Our first MFSC Apaches Fall delivery is in!
If you’ve missed the Spring pitch, here it is again (if you know it by heart, skip the skit and scroll down for the low down on the SPECS)
The Paris of the Belle Époque (1900s) saw the emergence of a certain type of street outcasts. They lived in secret dens in the seedy and dimmed outskirts of the City of Lights, abhorred honest labor, hunted the Faubourgs and Quartier de Halles, and danced in local Guinguettes and dives, decked out in flamboyant outfits.
They were called Les Apaches…
Issued from the French lower working class, with a lack of education and absence of Future, they regrouped in loosely organized neighborhood gangs. Abiding by their own hoodlum code of honor, they woke up late, spoke the obscure slang Jare, and wore specific flashy clothes. Their dandy accoutrement combined with intimidating attitudes imposed both respect and fear from the Parisians and their police.
For 30 years, Paris’ Apaches gangs marked their territories by terrorizing honest bourgeois citizens, committing petty larceny, pimping and street fighting their lives away. For those who had ducked the knife and the bullet that bared their name or the ravage of the “Grande Guerre” (WW1), it was the inevitable outcome of Biribi or the Bagne de Cayenne.
In the 1920’s one a many high society dame was spotted mingling with charismatic Apache groups in local Java dance halls, letting her hair down in a famous Dance Apache, immortalized later by Hollywood (“Charlie Chan in Paris”, 1935) and several Broadway Shows. The French movie Casque d’Or (1953) relates a true story of a famous Apache event that took place in 1905.
Bourgeois newspapers of the period and universal fascination with the underworld turned the reign of the Apaches into a mix of myth and imagery that will forever mark the Paris of the 1900s to 1930s…
MFSC Fall 2011, APACHES Collection: Gilet de Ville métisse
SPECS:
PATTERN: Original MFSC pattern, inspired by early French tailor-made suiting.
FABRIC: INDIGO Métisse: 9.7 oz. indigo dyed twill blend, 70% cotton and 30% linen, un-sanforized. The yarn core is white, the indigo outer has a purple blue shade typical of early french indigo work clothes. Fades, bleeds and reacts to sun light… Milled in Japan in limited batch.
This fabric is the same fabric the veste ouvrier is made of, so it will fade to this with wear.
LINING: Fully lined with 100% cotton stripe MFSC ticking.
BACK PANEL: Original MFSC lightweight black moleskine, all cotton, 5 oz.
BUTTONS: Original MFSC Corozo natural wood buttons. (aka “vegetable ivory”, corozo buttons where an hi-end option for suiting from the 1900’s to 1940’s). Five button front.
DETAILS:
* Limited Edition.
* Four front slash pockets
* Two inside concealed chest flap pockets.
* Traditional darted back piece, with cinch back belt. Original french NOS metal sharp-prong buckle (DISCLAIMER: Will scratch car seats, sofas etc…) The buckle is removable and you can switch to one that fits your needs (a “safer” metal buckle, used for the Japanese production, will be found in one of the pockets.)
CONSTRUCTION: Tailor type single needle, no overlock nor chainstitch. 100% Cotton thread, oxidized black/brown colour.
SHRINKAGE: The gilet comes RAW and unwashed, and will shrink and torque lightly with cold delicate wash/hang dry (about 1 to 2%). As you wouldn’t throw a suit in the washer, this gilet de ville, although washable, should be treated with TLC.
PACKAGING: The garment comes in an individual old school chipboard box, exclusive to MF®.
The original oil painting was masterfully executed by Mr. PATRICK SEGUI of RIVETED blog fame, and a paper print of his artwork is featured on the Apache Collection box tops.
SIZING: The Apache collection is sized and labelled in french…
92 (small) Chest about 18 1/2” across, after rinse/dry.
97 (medium) Chest about 20” across, after rinse/dry.
102 (large) Chest about 21” across, after rinse/dry.
107 (X-Large) Chest about 22” across, after rinse/dry.
Some not-so-serious fit pix here
 Gilet Métisse Sizing Chart Designed in California by MISTER FREEDOM®, manufactured in Japan by SUGAR CANE CO.
Available RAW (unwashed)
Sizes S, M, L, XL
Retail $439.95
Call John or Jordan at (323) 653-2014 or Email john@misterfreedom.com or jordan@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. We ship internationally.
We thank you again for your support in helping us continue making clothes we like.
Mister Freedom® CASQUETTE La “Deffe”
No, I didn’t find the secret coveted stash of New Old Stock French 1920’s-30’s caps in an abandoned Parisian storage room… (where ARE those caps??? Every single gent owned at least one back then, but they are nowhere to be found today, as any vintage hound knows.)
What I did find last year was an awesome batch of NOS French wool/tweed & linings, a rare 20’s-30’s grouping of fabrics. All coming from an haberdashery manufacturer from Northern France, that had been around since the early 1920’s and closed its doors in the mid 1960’s.
We have some of the amazing clothes (mainly suiting) that came with this loot at the MF® store now. Some of which are now seen on screen (HBO Boardwalk Empire…)
So. We figured out how to make them, the same way they were made back then. The pattern is inspired by early french men’s casquettes, different from the newspaper boy cap, the US version of it.
The name “Deffe” is one of the many colourful Apache slang for headgear. Originally, a hat manufacturer called DESFOUX (located near Pont-Neuf, Paris) made silk caps favored by butchers, pimps and gangsters since 1878. ” Une Desfoux” became “une deffe” in french argot…
Some documentation can be found in the amazing 1930’s underworld studies written by Mr. Emile Chautard, who apparently spent more time in dives drinking absinthe with unorthodox characters than behind a desk sipping tea (“La vie étrange de l’Argot“, 1931). Many of Chautard insightful accounts have influenced our latest MFSC Apaches collection.
The casquette was worn slouched on the side of the head, straight was for squares. Bold fabric patterns, contrasting colours, mismatching weaves were the thing.
Calico shirt, red silk scarf, pied de poule deffe… you get the picture (or Brassaï did, when he shot la bande du Grand Albert in 1931…)
For the few who managed to read this far down, much obliged, so here are the specs of Mister Freedom® Casquette la “Deffe”!
SPECS
PATTERN: Original Mister Freedom® single panel pattern, typical of 1920’s-30’s French gents’ caps.
FABRIC: 100 year old New Old Stock (NOS) French fabrics. Variety of all wool patterns, weave and colours. Solid, tweeds, herringbone, houndstooth in very limited quantities. (See last photo for an idea of how the fabric rolls looked like when found.)
LINING: NOS 1930’s sturdy black rayon and/or moleskine, printed with Mister Freedom® original artwork.
DETAILS:
* Kangaroo leather sweatband
* Decorative crown strap, secured by 1900’s french NOS glass buttons
* Snap-up brim (vintage United Carr snap).
* All hand made in MF® Los Angeles atelier, by happy skilled artisans, while listening to good music.
SIZE: The can of worms…Few random sizes available, from about 57 cm to 60cm.
We use only one pattern, and due to variation in fabric thickness, fluctuating seam allowance, the crown size also varies sligthly +/- a few milimeters. No two casquettes are exactly the same.
57cm is close to US hat size 7 1/8
60cm is close to US hat size 7 1/2
CARE: Professional Hat cleaner Dry Cleaning ONLY, if needed. Do NOT wash.
Designed by Mister Freedom® and made in California in a limited edition.
From +/- 57 cm to +/- 60cm
Retail: $ 199.95
Call John or Jordan at (323) 653-2014 or Email sales@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. We ship internationally. Thank you for your support.
Courtesy of Monsieur Patrick Segui, the artist behind the paintbrush of our Apache collection boxtops artwork, check out this amazing photo of Grand-Père Segui (left) in 1931.
Photographed in “Alger-la-Blanche”, Algeria, then a French colony, this shot conveys the local street style of the Pépé le Moko generation. Deffe & all! A rare photograph of a young man who went on to join the ranks of the famed Zouaves and bravely fought his way through WW2.
Patrick’s original post here.
MFSC “Les Apaches” Spring 2011 Collection: Introducing ‘ze’ Pantalon Apache!
I know. We’re late. But the deliveries from our Japanese partners have been quite delayed this season, for obvious reasons. We don’t really mind the delay, since our MFSC collections do not follow trends, seasons or reason.
So here they are, ’em anticipated stripey breeches!
Inspired by turn of the century to 1930′s French tailor-made gent garb, our Pantalon Apache come in three different fabric options. Woven in Japan exclusively for MFSC, the fabrics were developed from vintage swatches and samples of 100 year old textiles from our archives. They are not replicas, as we changed some yarn colour combinations, tones and texture, giving them our trademark twist. The fabrics are 100% cotton, making them drape and feel the way we wanted. They were a real endeavour to mill and had some people pulling their hair in the process…
The trousers can be matched with our Gilet de Ville, cut from the same cloth. Throw a Veste Ouvrier on top to dress them down, or a vintage leather coat or blazer… Also great with a simple white Marcel (French slang for tank-top undershirt, aka “wife-beater”, no offense Mesdemoiselles), for the BBQ months. Add your own vintage buttons to hook-up your suspenders. Dress shoes, motorcycle boots or clunky old work shoes… Work it out pally! Nice break from the daily denim accoutrement.
Check out our friend “Mr. French CanCan“, aka Vilbo Jr. from Toulouse, interresting 5 part retrospective on the Parisian Apache culture. Great read and photos for inspiration.
SPECS:
PATTERN: Original MFSC pattern, inspired by early French tailor-made suiting. 1930’s silhouette with higher-rise and fuller legs.
FABRIC: Milled in Japan, in small limited batches, exclusive to MFSC. The three options are NOT an alternate colour way of the same woven fabric, rather three totally differently woven fabrics as follow:
* GREY COVERT STRIPE: 10 Oz., all cotton, double cloth, 6 different coloured yarns, white selvedge.
* INDIGO STRIPE BLUE: 8 Oz., all cotton, 7 different coloured yarns, white selvedge.
* COVERT STRIPE BROWN: 8 Oz., all cotton, 5 different coloured yarns, white selvedge.
WAIST & POCKET LINING: All cotton MFSC stripe ticking and original MFSC Métisse 50% cotton/50% Linen plain weave, indigo dyed and black pigment coated.
BUTTONS: Original MFSC Corozo natural wood buttons. (aka “vegetable ivory”, corozo buttons where an hi-end option for suiting from the 1900’s to 1940’s).
DETAILS:
*Side adjustement slide buckle straps, with original NOS French metal hardware.
* Two back pocket with button dart flaps.
* Concealed waist hook, original NOS French metal hardware.
* “V” belt loops.
* “American” cuffs.
CONSTRUCTION: Tailor type single needle. 100% Cotton thread, oxidized black/brown colour.
SHRINKAGE: All fabric options are RAW and unwashed, and will shrink and torque lightly with cold delicate wash/hang dry (about 1 to 2%). As you wouldn’t throw a suit in the washer, this gilet de ville, although washable, should be treated with TLC.
PACKAGING: The garment comes in an individual old school chipboard box, exclusive to MF.
The original oil painting was masterfully executed by Mr. PATRICK SEGUI of RIVETED blog fame, and a paper print of his artwork is featured on the Apache Collection box tops. Yo Captain, ain’t ya tired of ze plug???…it’s just that we REALLY love ’em boxes!
SHRINKAGE: All fabric options are RAW and unwashed, and will shrink and torque lightly with cold delicate wash/hang dry (about 1 to 2%). As you wouldn’t throw a suit in the washer (or shouldn’t, should one get the urge to do so), this pantalon Apache, although washable, should be treated with TLC.
All three fabric have different shrinkage specs, so RAW measurements of a same size will differ slightly from on cloth to another. After rinse and dry all three trousers options will fit the same.
SIZING: The Apache collection is sized and labelled in french…
Click on chart below for Raw/Rinsed measurements (we do our best to measure accurately, but although sober, three different people measuring will come up with three different results… so the chart is APPROXIMATE):
Limited Edition, designed in California by MISTER FREEDOM®, manufactured in Japan by SUGAR CANE CO.
Available RAW (unwashed)
Waist US 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38
Retail $549.95
Call John or Jordan at (323) 653-2014 or Email john@misterfreedom.com or jordan@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. We ship internationally. We thank you for your support in helping us continue making clothes we like, and not what others do.
MFSC Spring 2011 “Les Apaches“: Pantalon Ouvrier (workman’s trousers)
We are very happy to have the fourth installment of our MFSC spring Apaches collection finaly in ze house!
Inspired but late 1800’s – 1900’s French military bourgerons trousers (often made of HBT natural colour linen) and early French workers garb, our Pantalon Ouvrier falls into the “denim” part of the collection. The trousers are available in two fabric options: Métisse Indigo dyed twill and Indigo Stripe ticking, both inspired by early French workwear textiles, then the Old World equivalent to American denim.
The silhouette is reminiscent of turn of the century imagery, a slimmer type fit, narrower legs with a higher rise.
You can make them look ‘dressy’ or ouvrier, according to what you pair them with…
SPECS:
PATTERN: An all original MFSC pattern and fit, inspired by early french work pants and military issued chore trousers.
FABRIC: Two options (fabrics loomed in Japan exclusively for MFSC):
A) INDIGO Métisse: 9.7 oz. indigo dyed twill blend, 70% cotton and 30% linen, un-sanforized. The yarn core is white, the indigo outer has a purple blue shade typical of early french indigo work clothes. Fades, bleeds and reacts to sun light…
B) INDIGO Rayure (ticking): 8 oz. indigo/white warp and black weft striped twill, herringbone weave, white selvedge, un-sanforized (respectfully lifted from a late 1800′s swatch of french textile). Fades…
BUTTONS: Original MFSC Corozonatural wood buttons. (aka “vegetable ivory”, corozo buttons where an hi-end option for suiting from the 1900′s to 1940′s). “MFSC déposé” engraved buttons combination.
SUSPENDERS: The trousers come with matching fabric removable suspenders, inspired by overalls straps.
HARDWARE: NOS original French hook secure waist closure. Buckle back with our NOS sharp prong buckle (guaranteed to blahhh).
BACK GUSSET: Contrast indigo dyed popeline.
POCKETING: Two front slash pockets, one watch pocket, two back slash pockets secured by button ‘dart flap’.
Pocket lining is with contrast fabric (métisse for the ticking body, and ticking with the métisse body… try that for the King’s Speech part.)
PACKAGING: The garment comes in an individual old school chipboard box, exclusive to MF.
The original oil painting was masterfully executed by Mr. PATRICK SEGUI of RIVETED blog fame, and a paper print of his artwork is featured on the Apache Collection box tops.
WASHING: Both fabric option come RAW/unwashed, and will shrink lightly with washing/drying. Your trousers will fade overtime, according to wear. Remember that you do not get good ‘wear marks’ from washing but from wearing.
I recommend an initial quick cold soak, without agitation, to initiate original shrinkage and hang dry.
Then, when needed, cold delicate wash, minimal eco-friendly detergent and hang dry.
DO NOT get a size up and BOIL them when you realize they are not skinny jeans.
MF® does not make skinny jeans…
SIZING & SHRINKAGE: The trousers are labeled and marked in French.
We measured the trousers with the back gusset fully open. A fully close gusset (with maximun back strap cinching) reduces the waist by about 1 and half inch all around.
Click on chart below to see RAW and RINSED measurements (missing measurements will be updated asap.)
LIMITED EDITION. Garment designed in California by MISTER FREEDOM® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.
Available RAW (unwashed)
Sizes 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38
Indigo Métisse (solid): Retail $599.95
Indigo Rayure Ticking (stripe): Retail $549.95
Call John or Jordan at (323) 653-2014 or Email john@misterfreedom.com or jordan@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. We ship internationally. Thank you for your support.
NOTE:
The métisse and ticking pantalons ouvrier featured in the above photos have been WORN on/off for about 2 months, washed cold about 5 times, minimal soap, hang dry. NFS. Production trousers are NOT distressed and are available UNWASHED only.
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