Mister Freedom® “ROAMER” Car Coat, 14 Oz Wide-Wale Corduroy, mfsc FW2020 Surplus Catalog. Made in Japan.

 

Mister Freedom® ROAMER Car Coat, 14 Oz. wide-wale corduroy.
FW2020 mfsc SURPLUS Catalog.
Made in Japan.

We released our first take on the 1910s-30s classic melton wool US Navy 10-button front P-Jacket back in 2008, as part of the original “MFSC Naval Clothing Tailor” line-up. That classic pattern has turned out to be quite a Mister Freedom® chameleon over the years, as we’ve played with its appearance many times.

If the initial SS2008 release was cut from a 14½ Oz. SC301 “Okinawa” fiber denim, later versions have included the 2010 “Midnight P-Jacket” and its 2015 “Caban Peacoat” clone in a 16 Oz. dark indigo warp x black weft “Midnight” denim, the 2016 “Waterfront Coat” in an elegant natural linen/cotton HBT fabric, and finally the rugged 2017 “MAC Jacket” in US Army OG107 cotton-back sateen.

The vintage military P-Jacket (aka Peacoat) pattern has been discussed at length with each release on this blog, with this post going quite deep down the rabbit’s hole, for those interested in historical fashion tidbits and our understanding of Costume History.

This FW2020 cru is another demilitarized take on US Navy peacoat early models, blending elements of civilian vintage Mackinaw jackets and mid-century car coats.
The shell fabric of the “ROAMER Car Coat” was inspired by that of an old 1930s French “Velour d’Amiens” work jacket from our archives, a grade of heavy wide-wale cotton corduroy (gros velour côtelé) typical of vintage European working class meets country gentlemen garb.
Competing with the British Lancashire textile industry at the time, French mills established around the City of Amiens had been producing this workwear corduroy grade since the 18th Century. If some still refer to heavy corduroy fabric as Manchester in some parts of Europe, “Velour d’Amiens” is the term that is familiar to French old-timers.
Cosserat, a French mill founded around 1793, and one of the last velour côtelé manufacturer from Amiens, permanently closed its doors in 2012. With low-cost corduroy manufacturing coming out of China flooding the market, management of the long-standing Coserrat mill eventually gave up on restructuring attempts, and genuine “Velour d’Amiens” is sadly no longer manufactured.
For those interested in vintage European workwear, the latest issue of Eric Maggiori‘s excellent AVANT publication features insightful and well-illustrated interviews of several major collectors, photos of rare pieces and tutorials.

As we had done for the MATTOCK Jacket, we reached out to our friends at Toyo Enterprise to source-out a fabric reminiscent in texture and feel of traditional “Amiens” workwear corduroy. The specific “oxidized” black color of the original 1930’s French hunting coat was expertly matched by a Japanese dyehouse, and the resulting color has that je-ne-sais-quoi that looks authentic and vintage.

For the lining, we went with an American classic, a warm and soft wool blend insulating fabric sometimes referred to as “canteen blanket”, “Troy blanket”, or “Alaska blanket”. It is our first time featuring this particular olive green/grey dominant stripe blanket pattern.

The traditional double pocketing of the lining has been updated for the 21st Century by adjusting the size of the lower “cigarette pocket” to fit the average smart phone, rather than a pack of Lucky Strike. The combination of both old school low-tech fabrics gives the ROAMER an average resistance to cold, making it quite ideal during mid-seasons in temperate climates.
The choice of leather piping pocket openings and arrowhead pocket stops is a feature found on sought-after early Mackinaw coats. The black tea-core leather trim will age gracefully over time with normal wear.
For the double-breasted front closure, we opted for tonal classic tailoring corozo wood buttons. A discreet naval reference was kept, with the small foul anchor button holding the removable chin strap under the collar.

The Mister Freedom® ROAMER Car Coat is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.

SPECS:

PATTERN:
An original MFSC pattern, freely inspired by 1910’s -1930’s US Navy and US Coast Guard sailor wool peacoats of the early 10-button pattern, 1930’s-40’s vintage mackinaw-type outdoor coats, and blending New World and Old World flavors.

FABRIC
Shell: Heavy 14 Oz. wide-wale corduroy, “vintage” black color, 100% cotton, milled in Japan.
Lining: Soft-hand “Troy Blanket” wool blend fabric, 60% re-used wool, 28% cotton, 12% rayon). Woven in Japan.

DETAILS:
* Early US Navy peacoat double-breasted 10-button pattern.
* Two ‘hand warmer’ slash welt pockets, two hip pockets with flaps, all lined with golden brown cotton-wool blend corduroy.
* Inside lining chest pocket and traditional ‘cigarette’ pocket (resized into an iPhone-size pocket).
* Black tea-core leather piping on pocket opening and arrowhead reinforcement pocket stops.
* Vintage style stripe “Troy” blanket full lining.
* Removable chin strap (displaying either shell or lining fabric when left dangling, or fully-concealed when buttoned under the collar.)
* Traditional Zig-Zag pattern under-collar reinforcement stitching.
* Rear vent.
* Mister Freedom® mfsc “Surplus” woven rayon label.
* Designed in California.
* Made in Japan.

SIZING/FIT:
The MF® ROAMER Car Coat comes ready-to-wear and does not require any pre-treatment or soaking.
This jacket is considered true-to-size. We recommend getting your usual size in mfsc jackets. If you are a 38 in our Ranch Blouse or Campus pattern (granted they are pears and apples), you are most-likely a 38 in the ROAMER.
I opted for a medium, for a comfortable fit.  I am 5.7’’ approx. 150 Lbs.

Please refer to sizing chart for approximate measurements. Do consider the thickness of the shell/lining combo when comparing these measurements to those of a jacket of a similar style that fits you well.

CARE:
Professional dry clean ONLY, from your local eco-friendly facility.

Available Sizes:
Small (36)
Medium (38)
Large (40)
X-Large (42)
XX-Large (44)

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®
©2020

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