 
Mister Freedom® “Liquette Manouche”, double calico indigo discharge print.
GYPSY BLUES mfsc collection Fall 2017.
Made in Japan.
We have previously introduced two specific mens shirt designs during the opening chapter of our GYPSY BLUES collection, both with somewhat of a bohemian vibe: the SS2017 Liquette Manouche and Liquette Tzigane.
The pattern of the Liquette Manouche was inspired by a vintage 1930’s-40’s French pull-over garment from the MF® archives. This shirt features a col requin (shark-fin-shaped open collar, later to be associated with casual 1950’s European sportswear style shirting), a two-button front half placket, shirred back yoke, and classic early EU tailoring arrowhead-shaped side gussets, precursor of the now-common ‘heritage’ workwear design gimmick.
Liquette is an old French argot (slang) term simply designating a man’s shirt. A Manouche is a person of Western European Romani ancestry. Belgium-born Django Reinhardt, mastermind of the world-renowned musical style Jazz Manouche in the 1930’s, is one of the most illustrious French Manouche.
Etymologically, the term “Gypsy” finds its roots in the word “Egyptian”, as the mysterious nomads were originally believed to have migrated from Egypt. It is commonly accepted today that their journey originated from India, sometime in the 14th century. These West-bound Romani travelers hauled along traditions, lifestyle and costumes. Their India-rooted Bohemian style tends to be associated today with flamboyant garb and vibrant indiennes prints.
Anecdotally, authentic India-designed prints could be considered as precursors of the quintessentially-British Liberty London style, as they were originally available from Arthur Liberty’s first retail venture in London (England), a bazar he had appropriately named ‘East India House’ in 1875, specializing in imported Oriental goods. He went on to opt for local production and designs, with great success.
Back on point to our shirt du jour…
The Mister Freedom® Liquette Manouche was originally introduced in two color options, red and blue discharge-printed popeline.
For Fall 2017, we figured we’d chalenge our friends at Toyo Enterprises with a new puzzling favor: a double discharge-printed calico fabric! Inspired by a rare French 1930’s vintage garment, we had been contemplating the idea for some years, and thought it was time to mail an R&D package across the Pacific, attention Toyo’s Textile Lab. We then resumed our daily tasks and assignments, mostly consisting of chasing Pokémon around the office.
We opted for a black, crisp cotton twill as the base fabric, and painstakingly selected two distinctive traditional calico patterns from antique textiles and swatches collected over the years. For production, the two subtlety-contrasting calico patterns are discharge-printed, on both the face and reverse of the fabric (i.e. “bleached-out” with low bleed-through), and then printed with actual indigo ink.
How this technically works is actually still quite puzzling to us savvy experts of the MF® HQ Team of Pikachu Specialists, but the resulting double-sided fabric is quite outstanding. We can thank and congratulate our Sugar Cane friends for delivering such a beautiful and original textile.
Please note that, although attractive both inside and out, this garment is not reversible, therefore not optimal for the French shower.
The MF® Liquette Manouche is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in Japan by Sugar cane Co.
SPECS:
FABRIC:
A crisp 5 Oz. 100% cotton twill, double-printed in indigo with two specific calico patterns on face and reverse, using a discharge-print technique.
Milled and printed in Japan exclusively for mfsc.
DETAILS:
* Inspired by 1930’s French shirting and vintage bohemian style.
* Pull-over style, two button placket.
* ‘Col Requin’ style open collar.
* Corozo wood buttons.
* Shirred back yoke and cuffs.
* Early-type arrowhead side gussets.
* Contrasting front/back shirt tail.
* Original mfsc Gypsy Blues woven rayon label.
* Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT:
The MF® Liquette Manouche in double calico comes raw/unwashed.
Follow the usual recommended initial method before wearing: cold soak for 30mn, spin dry and line dry.
This shirt is true-to-size and we recommend getting your normal mfsc size. I often wear a Medium in mfsc shirts and i opted for a comfortable Medium in the Liquette Manouche.
Please refer to chart to figure which size works for you. If still confused, email sales@misterfreedom.com
 
CARE:
Machine wash on delicate when needed, cold water, eco-friendly detergent. Hang dry.
Available raw/unwashed.
Sizes
Small
Medium
Large
X-Large
XX-Large
Now available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles brick & mortar store, and fine retailers around the World.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support.
Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2017
 MF® Liquette Tzigane, old Kékfestés printing blocks and a vintage Hungarian folkwear indigo skirt with a red Kelsch patch. Mister Freedom® “Liquette Tzigane”, fine cotton poplin, Kékfestés-style indigo print.
GYPSY BLUES mfsc collection Spring 2017.
Made in Japan.
In our Spring 2017 mfsc lookbook, we introduced two specific mens shirt designs for our GYPSY BLUES collection, both with somewhat of a bohemian vibe. First up was the Liquette Manouche, a polka-dot print pull-over type shirt released in two color options. Next number up is the long-awaited “Liquette Tzigane”.
You already know that Liquette is an old French argot (slang) term designating a man’s shirt. The word Tzigane (or Tsigane) can be used to designate a person of Eastern European Romani ancestry, although the term hints at a specific culture within the Gypsy world (often with a musical connotation) rather than a geographic origin. Sounds of lamenting violins playing “Les Yeux Noirs” around the fire camp, with a string of caravans in the background, come to mind.
The shirt pattern of the Liquette Tzigane is inspired by several vintage 1920’s-30’s fancy specimen, twisted à-la MF®. To give our shirt its Tzigane bohemian vibe, we tapped into the little-known indigo world of Kékfestés, literally “blue-dyeing”, a traditional centuries-old Hungarian textile-dyeing technique producing beautiful indigo resist-dyed fabrics. Sometimes referred to in France as Bettelkelsch, the motifs are somewhat reminiscent of Old West indigo discharge-print calicoes popular with American workwear aficionados today, and sporadically featured in MF® collections, such as the popular “Les Apaches” Chemise Calico from 2011.
 A few vintage Kékfestés folkwear pieces at the MF® ol’ pile o’ rags. If the specific calico motif design of the Mister Freedom® Liquette Tzigane is shamelessly lifted from a rare 1930’s folkwear skirt from our vintage textile archives (featured in one of the photos), we decided against the traditional wood block resist paste technique for production, for obvious cost considerations. Technically, the fabric of our shirt, initially white, is printed with two shades of indigo (a very dark and deep hue -almost black- for the background, and a cadet blue for the larger dots) using a silkscreen bleed-through method. The tiny white dots show the original color of the fabric, unprinted. In the repeat motif, these groups of four dots are unevenly spaced, to convey the organic wood block hand-printed feel of Kékfestő.
Voila, you now know that the word Kékfestés does not refer to a tropical disease transmitted by water buffaloes.
Those interested in textile and costume history will visit the Pápai Kékfestő Múzeum when around Budapest, Hungary, for more accurate info. The Musée Alsacien de Strasbourg also sounds like a good place to spend an afternoon to learn about heritage and fashion, when traveling to North Eastern France.
The Liquette Tzigane is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in Japan by Sugar cane Co.
SPECS:
FABRIC:
Fine and crispy 4 Oz. 100% cotton poplin, indigo-printed with a bleed-through technique.
Milled and printed in Japan.
DETAILS:
* Inspired by 1920’s-1930’s fancy shirting, and vintage Kékfestés Hungarian folk textiles for a ’Tzigane’ bohemian twist.
* Versatile collar pattern with double button tab, fashionable as a classic open collar, cutaway style or high-buttoned.
* Original MF® pocketing (from the 2012 MF® Prairie Shirt).
* Indigo poplin button placket facing.
* Early shirting curvy tails.
* Side gussets.
* Corozo wood buttons, indigo blue color.
* Shirred back yoke and cuffs.
* High-count stitching, early shirting narrow chainstitch construction.
* Original mfsc Gypsy Blues woven rayon label.
* Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT:
The MF® Liquette Tzigane comes raw/unwashed.
Follow the usual initial method before wearing: cold soak for 30mn, spin dry and line dry.
Because there’s never a dull moment in the mfsc Fit Dept., ?, we recommend sizing UP on the Liquette Tzigane. I usually wear a Medium in mfsc shirts, and went with a Large with this shirt, for a comfortable fit. The fine 4 Oz. poplin drapes nicely, so the extra fabric doesn’t bother me, giving the shirt a bit of a ‘blousy’ bohemian feel.
Stylish petite ladies will find the Liquette Tzigane in size Small quite an attractive addition to their discerning closet.
Please refer to chart to figure out which size works for you. “Rinsed” means soaked for 30mn in cold water, spin dry and hang dry.
If still confused, email sales@misterfreedom.com
CARE:
Machine wash on delicate when needed, cold water, eco-friendly detergent. Hang dry.
Available raw/unwashed.
Sizes
Small
Medium
Large
X-Large
XX-Large
Retail: $349.95
Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles brick & mortar store, and fine retailers around the World.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support.
Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2017
“RANCHERO Shirt” Mister Freedom® MFSC
‘Viva la Revolución’ Collection, Spring 2013
Here we go with the final chapter of our ‘Viva la Revolución’ venture for this season.
The Ranchero design is inspired (no breaking news here) by vintage shirting, combined with some MF® signature elements. Inspiration was drawn from old movies, vintage photos and classic silhouettes. We mixed a bit of early work shirts, Indian ‘traditional’ tunics (if you are a casualty of Facebook, make up for wasted time looking at vacation photos of people you don’t know by checking this page), Old West shirting, ethnic garb, European fancy shirts, stirred it all up, and dipped it in the MF® salsa…
 
The ‘cut away’ collar pattern was inspired by late 1800’s European homemade farmer blouses & early Mexican and Mestizos tops.
We have developed two very different fabrics for the Ranchero:
a) “Dobby Stripe”: a fine white 100% cotton broadcloth woven with a Dobby loom. This specific fabric was duplicated from a rare vintage piece, the fancy plastron of a 1920’s European Henley shirt (actually the inspiration for the Charro Bib Henley.) It was expertly woven in Japan. The tiny color accents are woven black and navy yarns, and not a print.
b) “Indigo Calico”: a crispy 100% cotton selvedge popeline, indigo dyed to our specific hue, with a discharge AND a ‘madder’ red tiny print, inspired by several vintage swatches from our archives.
On a side note, many seem to have gotten on the ‘Indigo Calico’ bandwagon in the recent years, they can now figure out how to add a color on top. I wrote a bit about the discharge process for a previous shirt we made, the ‘Calico Trade Shirt’. The indigo dyed popeline base for the Ranchero is the same base fabric we used for our indigo Apache ‘Chemise Calico‘ in late 2010.
With an all original MF® pattern and two fabric options, the Ranchero is a pretty versatile shirt that can go dressy or casual, according to what you will match it with.
Designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co under our MFSC collaboration. Limited Edition.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An original MFSC pattern inspired by vintage early shirting from the Americas and Europe.
FABRIC: Two options
a) “Dobby Stripe”: Fine white 100% cotton broadcloth woven with a dobby loom.
b) “Indigo Calico”: 100% cotton selvedge popeline, indigo dyed, with a discharge and a ‘madder’ red tiny print.
DETAILS:
* ‘Old West’ type silhouette.
* Full button front.
* Double button collar closure.
* Original MF® box pleat single chest pocket and ‘cut away’ collar.
* Cotton indigo popeline button hole placket facing, white cotton popeline button facing strip.
* Rounded front tail and square back tail.
* High stitch count chain stitch flat felled seam construction.
* Selvedge side gusset (self with indigo version and indigo popeline on Dobby stripe option)
* Sheared wrist cuffs.
* Double front and back shoulder yoke expansion pleats, a MF® signature.
* Painted embossed metal buttons, 1930’s workwear type.
* 100% cotton tonal stitching.
SIZING/WASHING:
This is not a tight fitting shirt, unlike our original Utility chambray from the “Naval Clothing Tailor” days for instance. Wear a medium if you are a medium in mfsc though.
Both fabric come raw/unwashed, and will shrink to tagged size.
We recommend an original cold wash on gentle cycle, minimal eco-friendly detergent and line dry.
Sizing Chart coming soon
Available RAW/unwashed
Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
Retail
a) White $399.95
b) Indigo $399.95
Call 323-653-2014 or email sales@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. We ship internationally to select Countries. As always, thank you sincerely for your support.
Mister Freedom® MFSC ‘Reno Shirt’
‘Men of the Frontier’ Collection, Fall 2012
Trailing right along, let us introduce the 4th installment of our Fall 2012 endeavor: The Reno Shirt.
Taking it’s moniker from the original title of a 1956 movie “The Reno Brothers” (better known as “Love Me Tender” and featuring a young artist bound to alter musical History and Pop culture, like something solid), this garment draws inspiration from early homesteader shirting and Western Cinemascope imagery.
We combined early Frontier garb ‘home made’ feel with fancy imported fabrics and trims one could get his hands on at the local dry goods store. We used a then popular pull-over style, giving it our own treatment and an original MFSC pattern.
One of the inspirational pieces for our Reno was a rare vintage early obscure ‘ethnic’ man’s blouse, roughly made from homespun woven textile. It featured a one piece collar band and pleated front and back, with ‘primitive’ construction.
We used original 1920’s glass buttons, a New Old Stock found in France during a wild goose chase buying trip.
Because easy has yet to do it around here we chose to develop three very different original fabrics for the Reno options. Selected from our textiles archives, all three have a vintage 1900-1930’s European origin and were expertly milled in Japan on narrow shuttle loom machines:
a) BLACK SNOW CALICO: We used the traditional and tedious ‘discharge’ print method for both calico options. Again, the motif is not a ‘print’ per se, but a ‘bleached out’ section. For a glimpse of the technical aspect of that process, read the first 48 pages of this book.
(insert DOW)
Instead of the poplin base we have used for our previous calico printed shirts, we have chosen to use cotton twill this season. This ‘snow’ option has a brushed back, giving it a warm, soft feel. This was a fabric of choice for winter workman shirts in France, as seen on vintage pieces.
b) INDIGO DOT CALICO: Same ‘discharge’ technique on this one, but with un-brushed back. Vintage photography attests that small tiny printed shirting fabrics were not the ‘girly’ thing associated with it later on in post 1950’s Fashion. From hairy lumberjacks, to coaled faced train conductors, to fierce American Indian warriors, to 1800s Texas Rangers, such patterns were quite the Man’s man’s favorite.
c) INDIGO TICKING: A woven indigo/white pin stripe fabric, popular workwear fabric in the late 1800’s France. Very slubby, it has a desirable homespun aspect.
Designed in California by Mister Freedom® and crafted in limited edition by Sugar Cane Co in Japan for our collaboration MFSC collection.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An all original MFSC® pattern, inspired by early American pioneer wear and its Cinemascope renditions.
FABRICS: Three options
a) Black Snow Calico: Selvedge 100% cotton 6 oz. twill with brushed back, discharge print.
b) Indigo Dot Calico: Selvedge 100% cotton 6 oz. twill, discharge print.
c) Indigo Ticking: Selvedge 100% cotton 4.5 oz. indigo woven pin stripe.
DETAILS:
* An original MFSC pattern, pull-over style, inspired by early Old West imagery.
* One piece collar.
* Double top buttons.
* Button placket facing with indigo dyed cotton poplin.
* Double expansion chest pleats on back and front panels.
* Original vintage French NOS 1920’s glass buttons.
* Longer ‘square’ back tail, contrasting with front curved shorter panel.
* Original side gussets, indigo dyed cotton poplin.
* Original MFSC woven rayon label on bottom of the button placket, early European Henley shirts style.
* Narrow-width side chainstitch and single needle machine construction.
* 100% cotton thread contrast stitching, high count.
PACKAGING: Sturdy cardboard box with MF® original ‘finer than frog hair’ artwork 😉 Please re-use.
SHRINKAGE/SIZING: All three fabric options come raw/unwashed.
After shrinkage, all fabrics will approximately shrink to the same specs. I am a 38/medium/15½ in MFSC shirting, and I wear a 15½ in the Reno Shirt.
We recommend an original cold soak and line dry. Subsequent washing should be done with turning the shirts inside out, gentle cycle and eco-friendly mild detergent. Line dry is preferred.
Some bleeding is expected with the indigo dyed fabric and yarns, due to the nature of indigo dyed textiles.
Available RAW/unwashed
Sizes
14½ (small)
15½ (medium)
16½ (large)
17½ (xlarge)
18½ (xxlarge)
Retail $399.95
Call 323-653-2014 or mail sales@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. We ship internationally to select Countries. Thank you again for the continuing support, friends.
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