Mister Freedom® Chemise “MARINA”, Indigo Blue & Daffodil Yellow Cotton Pique edition, SS2020 mfsc “Yucatán” Collection. Made in Japan.

 

Mister Freedom® Chemise “MARINA”, Cotton Pique, Indigo Blue & Daffodil Yellow edition.
SS2020 mfsc “YUCATÁN” collection.
Made in Japan.

Our recurring “YUCATÁN” capsule collection concept was previously introduced during Spring 2019, with the Californian Lot.674 Piqué release.
The vibe of that menswear venture is sporty, racy, with a touch of sixties-beachcomber-meets-desert-rat. It is a concise, full-throttle yet-unassuming contemporary collection for grown-ups who have a penchant for classic designs.

The following bit, our take on a slice of costume history, was previously shared in the original post, but the MF® Chemise “MARINA” is our humble twist on the traditional “polo shirt” pattern, so called due to its initial association with the ancient sport of polo. The activity of polo, the “Sport of Kings”, was imported by the Brits in the mid 1800’s, from Manipur, India. Along came the buttoned-down collar style of shirts sported by the local teams of horsemen. This classic garment’s history gets confusing since the term “polo shirt” evolved over time to encompass differing styles.
In the 1890’s, Brooks Brothers introduced its own original so-called “Polo Shirt”, in oxford cotton. That formal design is known today as the “Button-Down” shirt, an office favorite. Brooks Brothers’ specimen, which used to be Made in USA, can be recognized by their embroidered Golden Fleece chest logo.
In the 1920’s, French tennis player René Lacoste thought of revamping the impractical attire of his own sport of choice, white slacks and starched white shirts. His original design was a pull-over shirt in cotton piqué knit, featuring short sleeves with ribbed cuffs molding to the biceps, a rib knit collar that could be flipped-up to protect from the sun, and a “tennis tail”, a longer back panel to prevent untucking while playing.
His sporty design became the “Chemise Lacoste”, establishing the traditional pattern of the tennis shirt, or “polo” style, as it is commonly referred-to today. It rapidly spread to other sports, from golf courses to marinas, becoming a staple of casual menswear.
In the early 1970’s, Ralph Lauren introduced his own “Polo shirt”, pitching its galloping player against the hissing crocodile, adding to the confusion with the “polo” vs. “Polo” terminology, but cementing the design into its contemporary preppy demeanor.
As a casual, sporty, comfortable yet elegant, versatile and time-tested garment, polos were adopted by many stylish men through the years. Period photos abound: a young Steve McQueen hanging, Sean Connery bonding, JFK yachting, Clint Eastwood parroting…

If Fedex® and Pizza Hut® also offer their own versions of chest-branded polos today, it is in the popular 1950’s and 1960’s styles that we found inspiration for the Mister Freedom® Chemise “MARINA”.
Our ribbed knit underarm expansion gusset is a familiar classic design detail lifted off vintage sportswear polos, but the choice of chest logo took a little longer to come-up with. We’d seen them all, embroideries or patches: the entire Noah’s Ark (from tigers to dragons), wreaths, golf bags, trophies, umbrellas, skulls, mounted knights, crowns, anchors, cartoon characters, monograms, plain DBA’s, … some more clever than others.
We were aiming for something unique yet classic, elegant yet somewhat witty, unpretentious yet enticing, maybe with a nautical flair?.. We definitely wanted to stay clear from pure in-your-face branding, and picking another animal from the zoo didn’t cut it.
So, after days at the drawing board, we eventually settled on a maritime signal flag gimmick! Diagonal white cross on blue background is international naval code for Mike, the letter “M”. Red diamond on white background is Foxtrot, “F”. Serendipitously, an hoisted Mike flag warns “our vessel is not moving”, and a Foxtrot flag signals “we are disabled”.
In other words, “Sacré bleu! HELP!” The MF® Design Department was adamant that such semiotics would most effectively convey an earnest and reliable brand image.

The MF® Chemise “MARINA” was initially released in three classic color options: red, black, and white cotton piqué. For FW, we are introducing an indigo blue and a daffodil yellow version.

The Chemise “MARINA” is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.

SPECS:
FABRIC:
Fine 100% cotton knit piqué, soft and light-weight, milled in Japan.
Two new color options for SS2020:
a) Indigo Blue (genuine vat-dyed indigo).
b) Daffodil Yellow.

DETAILS:
* An mfsc pattern inspired by classic 1950’s-1960’s “tennis” or “polo” type shirts.
* Piqué knit body.
* Original Mister Freedom® “MF 7161” maritime signal flag embroidered chest logo patch.
* Rib knit underarm expansion gusset.
* Versatile ribbed collar.
* Short sleeves with ribbed cuffs.
* Side slits with HBT tape reinforcement construction.
* Subtle “Tennis tail” (1 ½  inch difference between front and back length.)
* Genuine Nacre (Mother of Pearl) fancy buttons.
* Original Mister Freedom® mfsc “Chemise MARINA” rayon woven neck label.
* Made in Japan.

SIZING/FIT:
All color options of the Chemise “MARINA” come pre-rinsed and tumble-dried.
The shirts are therefore pre-shrunk and ready-to-wear. These feature more of a ‘vintage’ silhouette than your average contemporary polo shirts.

I went for a Medium with the Chemise “MARINA”, with a comfortable fit.
For info, I usually opt for Small in Mister Freedom® knitwear – Stanleys and Skivvies, Tricot Marin, GI Henley – due to a subjective preference for old-school silhouettes rather than contemporary streetwear vibes.
The cotton pique knit body has quite a mechanical stretch (the fabric naturally stretches if you pull on it), but will pretty much recover and retain its initial shape.
Please refer to sizing chart, reflecting fully-rinse and tumble-dried measurements. All shirts come pre-shrunk.
CHART

CARE:
Wash when necessary.
Hand-wash or machine wash with cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry.
Consider the Chemise “MARINA” as a delicate garment, and do not launder with clothing containing sharp hardware (metal buttons, metal zippers, hooks,…) to avoid snagging the pique knit fabric and overall damage to the shirt.

Available rinsed/pre-shrunk.
Color options: Indigo Blue or Daffodil Yellow.
Sizes
Small (14-14½)
Medium (15-15½)
Large (16-16½)
X-Large (17-17½)
XX-Large (18-18½)

Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles brick & mortar store when it re-opens, and fine retailers around the World.
Email [email protected] with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support and stay safe.

Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2020

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