Mister Freedom® Chandail “Saint-Malo”, indigo cotton rib knit, made in USA.

 

A rinsed Mister Freedom® Chandail “Saint-Malo” next to a worn/sun-exposed early prototype.

Mister Freedom® Chandail “Saint-Malo”, NOS indigo cotton Fisherman’s rib stitch jersey knit.
“Sportsman” catalog, Spring 2017.
Made in USA

Hissez-haut matelots!
Some new nautical adventures and sea shanties from MF® this Spring 2017…

The small iconic harbor of Saint-Malo, was the home town of renown mariner Jacques Cartier, responsible for Céline Dion’s entertaining accent when she speaks French. The port city later became notorious as anchorage for 17th and 18th century corsairs and pirates, guaranteeing the French crown handsome revenues, and local taverns a steady flow of parrot-shouldered flamboyant return customers.
Manufactured nowhere close to Bretagne but right here in sunny California, the Mister Freedom® indigo chandail is no less Seven-Seas-ready.

After scoring a loot of NOS indigo cotton jersey last year, we decided to turn the fancy fabric into boat-neck seafaring-inspired shirts. For the pattern, we adapted an old favorite, the MF® Boating Jersey. The technical term “Fisherman’s rib stitch” refers to the fabric’s specific weave, displaying a vertical pattern of fine ribs, with somewhat of a ‘waffle’ aspect reminiscent of vintage thermal shirts.

The specific horizontal mechanical stretch combined with fabric shrinkage made manufacturing this garment a tour de force. It took nearly one year of challenging sample-making and pattern-adjusting to get the fit and proportions right. Today, we are quite ecstatic to finally add this little guy to our ever-growing Sportsman catalog.

The MF® Chandail Saint-Malo is quite versatile and can be worn as a single-layer nautical shirt, as a thermal-type undershirt, as a light sweater over a summer-weight button shirt, like a chambray Tonkinoise or Ranger Shirt for instance.

As always with Mister Freedom® garments, this shirt is not available factory distressed. The subtle and attractive heather quality of the deep dark indigo will intensify as the garment fades with normal wear/wash cycles. Check out the photo featuring a rinsed shirt next to a worn/sun-exposed early prototype, for an idea of fading evo.

The MF® Chandail Saint-Malo is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in USA, from American NOS fabric.

FABRIC:
New Old Stock 100% cotton “Fisherman’s rib stitch” jersey knit, deep dark indigo blue yarn-dyed, milled in USA.
Note: It is the nature of indigo-dyed garments to transfer some of the indigo color to other surfaces, from abrasion. Be aware of potential color crocking when pairing the Chandail Saint-Malo with light color garments.

SPECS:
* An original MF® pattern inspired by vintage nautical shirts and traditional French naval jerseys.
* Slim-fitting at first, relaxed fit after mechanical stretch.
* ¾ length sleeves.
* Side slits.
* Extended back tail.
* Concealed ID patch for custom markings, cut from vintage selvedge chambray fabric.
* Contrasting “Sportsman” green inside stitching.
* Made in USA

SIZING/FIT:
After an initial cold rinse and heat dry cycle, the MF® Chandail Saint-Malo will fit pretty much like our popular Stanley T-Shirt, but with much more ‘elasticity’. If you are familiar with our Skivvy and Stanley T-Shirts, the Tricot Marin fits like a Skivvy, while the Saint-Malo feels more like the Stanley, due to similar fabric stretch properties.

I wear a Small in Stanley and Skivvy, and usually Medium in mfsc button shirts. I opted for a size Small in the Saint-Malo, with a snug initial fit that loosened-up gradually and rapidly while wearing the shirt. After a day of normal wear, the body expands a few inches in width, minimally in length. If the pattern has been specifically adjusted to avoid an unattractive “boxy” silhouette, a Small in the AM feels somewhat like a Medium in the PM.
This garment is meant to be laundered following each wear. It will shrink to a tighter fit after wash/heat dry, and expand again with wear.
Bottom line, if in-between sizes, or worried about the gradually overly-relaxed fit, we definitely recommend sizing down on the Saint-Malo.
As always, which size will work for you depends on your own aesthetics, body type, preference for ‘vintage’ silhouette or contemporary fit.

Refer to sizing chart for measurements, taken with the item laying flat and not stretched. Do keep in mind the mechanical stretch aforementioned. Think of it as a tube sock without Lycra or Spandex.

CARE:
When laundering, we recommend cold wash with eco-friendly detergent, heat dryer. Wash and dry separately to avoid color transfer to light color garments.

Available raw (un-washed)
Sizes
X-Small
Small
Medium
Large
X-Large

Retail: $149.95

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

Fresh batch of MF® “Boro Shorties”, neckwear up-cycled from antique Japanese indigo textiles.

MF® Boro Shorties “Aizume”

MF® Boro Shorties “Checks”

MF® Boro Shorties “Kasuri”

MF® Boro Shorties “Katazome”

MF® Boro Shorties “Stripes”

MF® Boro Shorties “Nihon”

MF® Boro Shorties with sliders.

 

“Thankyaverymuch”

 

Mister Freedom® “BORO SHORTIES”, antique Japanese textiles.
Up-cycled in USA.

These ties are the shorter version of our Indigo Boro Ties, originally introduced in 2011.
We put together another fresh batch of these shorties this week. They are made from antique textiles loomed in Japan (some over 100 years ago, see original release post here), and hunted down during a recent trip.
These narrow shuttle loom fabrics are of assorted patterns, textures and colors, all one side selvedge and the other side frayed. Their vintage ranges from turn of the century to the 1960′s. A mixture of home spun, cotton, hemp, natural indigo, katazome prints, kasuri weave, plaids, solids… each scarf is pretty much one of a kind.
Although the MF® Boro Shorties all vary from one another, with specific fade/condition/size/repairs/holes/yellowing due to age, we loosely classified them by textile family groups (there are obvious cross-references):
* Boro Shorties Aizume: mostly solid indigoes.
* Boro Shorties Kasuri: fiber-dyed woven patterns.
* Boro Shorties Katazome: resist-paste dyeing.
* Boro Shorties Nihon: Miscellaneous Japanese patterns. 
* Boro Shorties Stripes: striped patterns.
* Boro Shorties Checks: Check/plaid patterns.

Wrapped once around the neck with a simple single knot, they’ll work with different outfits, dressed up or down, worn out or tucked inside the shirt, ascot-style, bolo tie-style or á-la J. Depp. We do insist on the ‘rough and rugged’ nature of the kerchiefs, this is not Brooks Bros neckwear. Think “Salaire de la Peur” rather than “The Great Gatsby“.
Our Shorties come with a Mister Freedom® original vintage metal slider, bench-made in our LA atelier. Sliders are all one-of-a-kind, with different shapes and sizes, up-cycled from antique silverware.

Of notice, displayed atop our jovial and debonair friend Rudolph Valentino’s head, is a fine assortment of casquettes “La Deffe” and “Scuttler” caps, currently in stock.

The Mister Freedom® “Boro Shorties” are up-cycled in USA, and made from antique textiles loomed in Japan.

Retail: $129.95 (including MF® vintage slider)

CARE:
Hand washable, cold water, eco-friendly detergent. Line dry.
The condition of some of these fabrics are beyond the wabi-sabi of a little imperfection, and feature fraying, occasional holes, repairs, fragile spots, etc…As the fabric continues to age with wear, your own hand-made repairs will add character.

Available from our Los Angeles brick & mortar store, and soon from www.misterfreedom.com.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support.

Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2017

Mister Freedom Veste BELLEVILLE, Indigo cotton-linen HBT and Stripe Covert, “GYPSY BLUES” mfsc Spring 2017

Veste Belleville, indigo cotton/linen HBT & cotton covert stripe.
“Gypsy Blues” mfsc collection Spring 2017
Made in Japan

Recently unveiled in the “Gypsy Blues” mfsc Spring 2017 Lookbook, our latest seasonal venture in vintage-inspired menswear features a 78rpm “Jazz à Cordes” soundtrack… Unless you said “a who?”, you can skip this intro and scroll down to the SPECS to get straight down to bin’ness…

Pioneered by future members of the Quintette du Hot Club de France in the 1930’s, a novel musical style known today as “Jazz Manouche” (“Gypsy Jazz”, “Gypsy Swing”,…), made its way from the Boite à Matelots (Cannes, circa 1931), to guinguettes on the Seine river, bal musettes, and smokey jazz caves of hopping Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Paris, 1950’s). This new musical genre, a type of continental jazz originally consisting of string (corde) instruments (as opposed to brass instruments) soulfully improvising on traditional hot jazz standards and chansons in a specific style, stayed quite popular in France for a few decades, eventually crossing borders and oceans, anecdotally making  an appearance in Hollywood in a Woody Allen film in 1999.

The QHCF, ‘house band’ of the Hot Club De France, was driven by the creative genius of Django Reinhardt, a young Manouche (French Gypsy) guitar player born in Belgium, settled down in France. With a left hand notoriously crippled in a caravan fire when he was 18, Django literally invented a unique guitar style, sound and technique that still puzzles and humbles guitarists today. His expertly-crafted solos are always so unique, so adventurous yet melodic, that each bar becomes a melody within a melody, each improvisation a standard within a standard. Many of his compositions, such as the ultra-famous Nuage or Minor Swing, are forever associated with his own original recorded renditions and have become anthems for Gypsy Jazz musicians over the years.

I recall my Dad not having much positive things to say about Rock & Roll or Yéyé pop tunes… The family’s selection of LP’s and 45’s at home clearly showed his preference for traditional Jazz. A big fan of Django Reinhardt early on, he liked to recount having purchased tickets to go see the Hot Club perform live in Bordeaux, France, in the summer of 1953. On May 16th that year, a few months before the event, Django passed away…

Many years later, when visiting Paris in the 1980’s, my Father used to take us kids to “La Chope Des Puces”, a then-unassuming café near the Puces de St Ouen (famous Parisian flea market). I remember us sipping expressos at the counter, to the sounds of Daphné, Tes Yeux Noirs or Ménilmontant, performed by a Manouche duet (they might have been Mondine & Ninine Garcia),  jamming on beat-up Maccaferri-type guitars with jerry-rigged Stimer pick-ups. That place still exists today, having become quite the tourist attraction with a full-blown restaurant.

La Chope Des Puces with Mondine & Ninine Garcia, 1960’s (Photo credit Ginette Douville)

Today, Django Reinhardt’s known body of work is well-documented and easily available on well-curated and exhaustive CD collections. On-line forums dissect his career and recordings, passionately discussing Django’s style, guitars and whereabouts during the 43 years he blessed us with his earthly presence.
His musical legacy is also well alive in 2017, with amazing talents such as the Rosenberg Trio and many others, keen on keeping Django’s ears ringing, and la pompe (the specific strumming of the rhythm guitar that replaces the drums, trademark of Jazz Manouche) pumping.

If not yet familiar with this particular music style, treat yourself to some of Mr. Reinhardt’s six-string escapades on numbers like the endlessly melodious I’ll See You in My Dreams (1939), the frantic Belleville (1942), or electrified powerhouse Blues en Mineur (1947), …,  just for a taste of that goodness. You won’t even need to like Jazz to appreciate. For visuals, watch Django’s effortless virtuosity on J’attendrai (1939), one of the very few surviving filmed clip that features synched sound/image. The apparently-lost movie “Clair De Lune”, filmed in 1932 by Henri Diamant-Berger, and boasting a soundtrack recorded live-on-set by Django himself, will hopefully surface one day and reveal more of the man in action…

Django, on set of “Clair de Lune” (1932) Photo courtesy Teddy Dupont Django Station

Messieurs Dames, after this typically rambling overture…showtime!
It is with that inspiring musical score in mind that we improvised a Mister Freedom® wardrobe for our mfsc “Gypsy Blues” story. For Spring 2017, we’ll be mixing 1930’s ~ 50’s French workwear and vintage European menswear, giving somewhat of a Sinti bohemian vibe to the collection.

We’ll kick our jam with a garment pattern familiar to most today, as it has made it into streetwear for several years now, and many modern fashionable versions exist: the French work jacket, known as ‘bleu de travail’ in its homeland.

Our Mister Freedom® jazzed-up interpretation of this classic, inspired by vintage 1930’s moleskine and twill specimen, comes in two distinct fabric options.
First is an indigo-dyed cotton/linen HBT (the same sturdy fabric of our Waterfront Coat, indigo-dyed to a dark and rich hue), a textile inspired by early French firemen uniform of the 1900’s. The second option is a 100% cotton stripe covert fabric, a sort of heather charcoal grey salt & pepper with a subtle woven stripe pattern, developed from a vintage swatch of 1930’s French workwear NOS textile. Both are milled in Japan exclusively for us, as-in not picked from a textile trade show.

The Veste Belleville is designed in California by MISTER FREEDOM® and manufactured in Japan by SUGAR CANE Co.

NOTE: Please note that the photos feature an indigo HBT Belleville worn for about a week, with hardware treated with antiquing solution (DIY salt water/vinegar should also work). Production comes with brass/copper buttons without patina.

SPECS:

FABRICS:
Option A
A sturdy 15 Oz. blend of 80% linen and 20% cotton indigo-dyed HBT textile, selvedge, milled in Japan.
Please note that some light streaking can be observed on some garment panels at times. This is due to the nature of indigo-dyeing this specific heavy textured fabric. This is not considered as a defect, and will subside with wear. This indigo-dyed fabric is very light sensitive and its hue will evolve rapidly.
Option B
A lighter 9 Oz. covert woven stripe 100% cotton fabric, milled in Japan.

DETAILS:
* Inspired by classic 1930’s French work/farmer jackets.
* Utilitarian unmarked ‘donut’ metal buttons (copper for the indigo, brass for the covert)
* Three outside patch pockets (chest pocket fits iPhone, we’re hi-tek like that).
* Indigo Wabash twill concealed chest pocket, featuring the MF® woven label.
* Indigo-dyed poplin button & button hole placket facing.
* Vintage off-set shoulder seam pattern.
* Arms mounted with piping method, indigo-dyed tape.
* Flat-felled seam construction.
* Made in Japan.

SIZING/FIT:
Both fabric options come raw/unwashed.
Follow the usual method, initial cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
We recommend sizing down on both the indigo HBT and the grey covert. I usually wear 38 (Medium) in mfsc jackets, but went with a 36 (small) with the Belleville, without arm-hole issues.
Please refer to chart to figure which size works for you. If still confused, email sales@misterfreedom.com
 
   

CARE:
Indigo HBT: When needed, hand wash or machine wash on delicate, cold water, minimal eco-friendly detergent. Turn inside-out to avoid marbling of the fabric. Line dry ONLY.
DO NOT use heat dryer as this will leave marbling lines and set un-natural creases to the indigo HBT linen fabric.

Covert stripe: Machine wash on delicate, cold water, minimal eco-friendly detergent. Line dry.

Available raw/unwashed.
Sizes
36 Small
38 Medium
40 Large
42 X-Large
44 XX-Large
Retail:
Indigo HBT: $549.95
Covert Stripe: $499.95

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

Mister Freedom ‘Blouson de Quart’, indigo-dyed jungle cloth issue, Fall 2016 mfsc Anniversary Collection

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n-1h-indigo1

n-1h-indigo2

n1h-indigo-1

n1h-indigo-10

n1h-indigo-2

 

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cl-marine-86

CL Marine Nationale, Indian Ocean (1986)

“Blouson de Quart”, indigo jungle cloth issue
Fall 2016 mfsc Anniversary Collection

Moving along with our Fall 2016 Anniversary Collection, marking ten years of collaborations with our friends at Sugar Cane Co (Toyo Enterprises).
Here is a popular classic pattern we have been playing with for years: the USN Deck Jacket, aka N-1.

Our version is not a period replica, those being abundantly available today from various brands, but rather our twist on several vintage Government-issued foul weather jackets. Freely mix-matching models and types from the US Navy and Marine Nationale (French Navy) of the 1940’s through 1960’s, we released the first iteration in 2008, the original Type N-1H deck jacket of our 2008 “Naval Clothing Tailor” early mfsc adventures. The Type N-1H never existed as a USN-issued garment, but after mixing deck jacket models for our original design, we simply added the “H” of hook to “N-1” for the name.
A Troy blanket-lined version followed for Fall 2010, the Type N-1H “Troy” issue. Vintage Navy deck coats were so popular at the time that  J.Crew even picked up some of ours to spice-up their menswear catalog.
In 2014, the “Sea Hunt” collection featured yet another twist on the pattern, the Blouson de Quart, in mil-specs khaki jungle cloth. (The original blog post features some old French Navy photos that inspired this version.)

For Fall 2016, we thought of a new deck jacket hybrid model, a modified indigo-dyed N1-H/Blouson de Quart . If we had made use of indigo jungle cloth in the past (N-1Z Deck Pants), we really wanted a darker shade of indigo for this Anniversary event. We made a special request to the textile experts at Sugar Cane Co and, as always, they delivered.

At the prototype stage, we found the color mix of that deep indigo blue and the chocolate brown alpaca so attractive that we went full alpaca lining, body and collar.

Made from high quality (period mil-specs) fabrics, our deck jacket is solid and quite warm, as they were originally intended to be, to keep sailors protected from the cold and damp marine air while on deck duty.
Please note that more recent R&D has concluded that layering is a key requisite to shield from the cold. Modern military-issued field gear typifies this evolution, and bulky garments are now obsolete and have been replaced by lighter hi-tech clothing worn in layers.

The mfsc “Blouson de Quart” in indigo jungle cloth is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.

NOTE: For production, both MF® and “MFSC NAVAL CLOTHING TAILOR” woven labels are sewn separately, not overlapping. Above photos are of an early show sample.

SPECS
FABRIC:
* Shell: Tight weave 14 Oz. “Jungle Cloth”, 100% cotton grosgrain, period mil-specs, dark indigo blue, milled and indigo-dyed in small batches in Japan.
* Lining: Warm, non-itchy, soft-touch wool pile alpaca full lining, chocolate brown color, vintage mil-specs.

DETAILS:
* Freely inspired by 1940’s-1960’s vintage US Navy and French Marine Nationale foul weather-type deck jackets issued to enlisted personnel.
* Double front closure featuring both a 1950’s-type TALON zipper, and a wind flap secured by 1940’s-type clip hooks.
* Full lining, vintage USN-style chocolate brown wool pile alpaca.

* Alpaca stand collar, chin strap.
* Concealed chill-protectant wool knit cuffs.
* Synch adjustment string.
* MF® teardrop hand-warmer pockets, lined with golden brown cotton corduroy.
* Tonal poly-cotton thread stitching.
* Limited Ten Year Anniversary Edition.
* No outside military markings.
* Made in Japan.

SIZING/FIT:
We had these jackets professionally rinsed. NOT distressed, but gently rinsed and tumble-dried.
Our indigo jungle cloth Blouson de Quart is pre-shrunk, and true to size. I wear a comfortable 38 in this coat, with room for a denim jacket or wool sweater underneath. Please note that I am wearing a Fletcher L/S T-shirt, a chambray Patrol Shirt, a CPO Shirt 189ac and a Cowboy Jacket on the fit pic. Toasty.

n1h-indigo-fit
We have taken the measurements to the best of our abilities. Refer to our sizing chart and remember that measurements are from the outside of the fabric. The lining is about ¼ inch thick, which reduces the inside room by that much.

blouson-indigo

CARE:
Please DO NOT try to wash this jacket in a home washing machine! You risk ruining both machine and jacket. The Blouson de Quart weights a ton when wet, the metal hooks will get snagged, the indigo-dyed fabric will get marbling marks etc…

Activities and frequency of wear will dictate when cleaning is needed. Please use common sense with spot cleaning or take the jacket to a professional eco-friendly cleaner. The jacket can also be hand-washed in a tub filled with cold water. Use eco-friendly detergent for delicate colors. Hang to dry.
With normal wear and outside exposure, the indigo-dyed jungle cloth fabric will develop an attractive patina.

Available rinsed/pre-shrunk.
Sizes
36
Small
38
Medium
40
Large
42
X-Large
44
XX-Large
Retail $949.95

Available from www.misterfreedom.com, and our Los Angeles brick & mortar store.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support.

Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2016

Mister Freedom Naval Chinos, Type No.266ac, selvedge indigo canvas, Fall 2016 mfsc Anniversary Collection

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Mister Freedom® Naval Chinos, Type No.266ac, selvedge indigo cotton canvas.
Fall 2016 mfsc Anniversary Collection
Made in Japan

A nod to our early collaborations with Sugar Cane Co, specifically the “MFSC Naval Clothing Tailor” capsule collection of 2008, we are issuing our original “Naval Chinos” again this Fall. With a pattern inspired by 1940’s US Army chino trousers, this Ten Year Anniversary edition will come in two very distinct options, indigo canvas and chino twill.
First to be released is a dark indigo yarn-dyed selvedge cotton canvas model. This is the same fabric used for our recently-released Anniversary Liberty Issue CPO Shirt.

Please note that this is canvas and not twill, canvas is plain weave, twill has a diagonal pattern. This indigo fabric is very different from the indigo-dyed ‘midnight twill’ types (also referred to as double indigo denim) we have often used in the past.
Canvases and twills both drape very differently, and canvas often feels and looks stiffer than twill. And stiff our indigo canvas Naval Chinos are at first! With normal wear/wash cycles, the fabric will not only naturally soften, but also fade nicely.

The MF® “Type MFSC No.266ac” Naval Chinos, indigo canvas model, are designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.

FABRIC:
Sturdy and dry 100% cotton canvas, 11.7 Oz., dark and deep shade of double indigo warp and weft, white with red line selvedge ID, milled in Japan.
Due to heavy starching in the milling stages, this fabric feels quite stiff at first and even more so after the initial recommended cold soak/hang dry process. This is normal and will gradually subside with normal wash/wear cycles.

SPECS:
* Pattern inspired by vintage 1940’s US Army chino trousers.
* Stripe ticking cotton pocketing and waistband facing.
* Selvedge ID displayed on pocket facing.
* Button fly, brown corrozo wood buttons.
* Front slash pockets and back welt pockets featuring arcuate decorative stitching.
* Watch pocket.
* Double MF® woven labeling on inside waist band.
* Concealed cloth label for custom markings on lower leg, French Navy style.
* Flat-felled leg seams.
* Tonal 100% cotton stitching.
* Made in Japan, designed in USA, worn around the World.

SIZING/FIT:
The indigo canvas Type MFSC 266ac Naval Chinos come raw/unwashed/loomstate.

We recommend an original 30-40mn cold soak with occasional hand agitation, then spin dry cycle. Hang dry.
The tagged size corresponds to sizing after this soaking process. I wear a comfortable Waist 32 in these chinos. No need to size up or down from your actual measured waist size.

naval-chinos-indigo-fit
As the attractive fit pix suggests, these feature a vintage silhouette, mid rise, with somewhat of a classic leg, neither slim nor baggy.
Refer to chart for soaked measurements.

naval-chinos-266-ac-indigo

CARE:
We recommend hand washing this garment when laundering becomes necessary. The loss of indigo dye will then be minimized.
If using a machine, turn the trousers inside-out to avoid marbling, use cold water and minimal eco-friendly detergent, and set to ‘delicate’. Line dry.
Please note that color crocking is to be expected, as it is the nature of indigo to rub off.

Available RAW (unwashed)
Waist: 28, 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38.

Retail $329.95

Available from www.misterfreedom.com, and our Los Angeles brick & mortar store.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support.

Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2016