CHRISTOPHELOIRON®

Mister freedom® TOPSIDERS, NOS Gunpowder HBT, mfsc FW2020, made in USA.

Mister Freedom® “TOPSIDERS”, NOS Gunpowder Tea HBT.
FW2020 mfsc Sportsman catalog
Made in USA

The TOPSIDERS is one of our popular and recurring naval-inspired trousers pattern.

First introduced in “Okinawa 301” denim during our Spring 2014 mfsc “Sea Hunt” collection, the style is our twist on vintage WW2 US Navy wrap-leg denim dungarees.
The TOPSIDERS were subsequently released in an original “Marine Nationale” denim, and NOS OD HBT.

For FW2020, we are bringing back on deck another NOS fabric lucky score, an all cotton “Gunpowder Tea” color herringbone twill (HBT), previously featured on our Workman Shirt. Milled in Italy, this fancy lighter-weight fabric is yarn-dyed with sulfur dye, giving it its desirable low colorfastness. Although the dyeing processes are completely different, the results are somewhat similar to indigo-dyeing, where the dye molecules cling to the outer part of the yarn, and the core remains “un-dyed”. Our NOS twill is “gunpowder tea” color (dark greenish brown) in appearance, while the core of the yarns is unbleached natural.
For those into instant gratification and quick, natural patina, this twill will rapidly ‘age’ after just a few machine washes. This is always a welcome feature for movie Wardrobe Departments.

High-waisted and full-legged, with a nice drape, our TOPSIDERS are designed with a vintage 1940’s military dungarees silhouette in mind, not yoga leggings.

The MF® Topsiders NOS Gunpowder Tea HBT edition are designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in USA in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.

SPECS:
PATTERN: Original MFSC pattern, inspired by classic 1940’s-50’s workwear shirting.
FABRIC:
New Old Stock 100% cotton herringbone twill, gunpowder tea color, lighter-weight 8.5 Oz., low colorfastness, milled in Italy.

DETAILS:
* Pattern adapted from an original pair of WW2 US Navy denim dungarees.
* High-waisted, roomy straight leg, vintage 1940’s military utility trousers silhouette.
* Wrap-leg construction (no side seams).
* Button fly, metal tack buttons, oxidized black donut type.
* Vintage USMC-style oxidized black Wreath & Star donut type waist button.
* Two functional rounded-bottom front patch pockets, two deep rounded-bottom rear back pockets.
* Adjustable back cinch strap.
* Skinny belt-loops for 2” wide belts.
* Flat felled seam construction for seat and inseam.
* 100% cotton tonal stitching.
* MF® Sportsman signature green inside chainstitch accent.
* MF® Sportsman rayon woven label.
* Made in USA.

SIZING/FIT:
The TOPSIDERS Gunpowder Tea HBT come unwashed and are cut so that the measurements match the labeling AFTER an initial cold soak/line dry. We recommend this usual protocol before wear:

Turn garment inside-out. Cold soak for about 30-40mn with occasional hand agitation.
Washing machine spin dry.
Line dry. (No heat dryer)

I opted for a W32 for a comfortable fit. I am 5.7’’ approx. 150 Lbs.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements.

CARE:
Launder when needed.
We recommend turning the pants inside-out to avoid potential marbling of the fabric. Wash separately from light-colored garments.
Machine wash with cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry.
DISCLAIMER: This sulfur-dyed HBT fabric is not colorfast and its appearance will ‘age’ and look ‘worn-in’ after the first full cycle machine wash. Delicately hand washing might minimize the fading of the fabric, but it is intentionally designed to age fast.

Available RAW/unwashed.
Waist x Length:
W28 x L34
W30 x L34
W32 x L34
W34 x L34
W36 x L36
W38 x L36

Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles brick & mortar store, and fine retailers around the World.
Email [email protected] or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support.

Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2021

Mister freedom® “ARISTOCRAT” Shirt, selvedge oxford cloth edition, mfsc FW2020, made in USA.

Mister Freedom® “ARISTOCRAT” Shirt, selvedge oxford cloth.
FW2020 mfsc Sportsman catalog
Made in USA

Happy New Year, friends!

The Mister Freedom® “ARISTOCRAT” is a new shirting pattern we are adding to The Sportsman, our catalog of US-made wardrobe essentials.

This original design was inspired by several vintage American and European classic dress and sport shirts from our archives.
Our aim was to merge traditional tailoring details with our own ideas, and simply create an elegant, unpretentious and versatile garment, a modern classic filled with vintage references.
The connoisseur will notice the nod to gents’ outfitters Turnbull & Asser – and other bespoke shirtmakers – in our choice of “Regent” spread collar shape (dig that subtle curve), although we opted for an unstructured collar construction (no fusing) for a more casual vibe.

We wanted the chest pocket design to serve as outside branding, rather than an embroidered logo, so our R&D team got extra cups of brain juice to reinvent the wheel, one that would spin our own yarn. Sketches were drawn-up, prototypes made from scratch, and a eureka moment came sometime in February 2020 when an all-original pocket finally surfaced from the drafting table. We had our ARISTOCRAT classic chest pocket: a simple diamond shape with an elegant curved fold and streamlined stitching.

The specific off-set shirt tail cut, front button placket construction, and double button rounded cuffs, were also thoroughly considered and tweaked until it all worked out for our aesthetics.
The shirred rear panel with its rounded piecing patch is a detail borrowed from early European shirting, and, along with the classic side gussets displaying the fabric’s selvedge, add to the refined and subtle vintage appeal of the ARISTOCRAT.

To our delight, the US factory did a remarquable job with the stitch count, closely following tech pack for the magic high number, matched by a fine thread gauge. Because of obvious productivity issues, it is often a challenge to convince factory owners of committing to higher-count stitching settings. This can almost double production time (= double production cost), but the results are stunning and always make a garment stand-out next to a more hastily-constructed one. Anyone able to spot a cheap suit will notice the difference.
So, tip of the hat to our family-run local Los Angeles factory, who not only faced unprecedented challenges in 2020, but kept her steady and fully delivered mfsc FW2020.

The ARISTOCRAT is complimented by genuine mother of pearl buttons, another reference to traditional European bespoke tailoring, while the chainstitch construction (using MF® signature green contrast stitching) brings it down a few notches with a workwear touch (bespoke shirts often feature French seams, not chainstitch.)
The discreet red bartack on the gusset is a nod to the red stitched “H” of the iconic Hathaway brand, one of the last American shirtmaker to produce shirts in the USA, until they gave up on that endeavor around 2002…

For the silhouette, we opted for a trim fit, adjusting body pattern and side curves to convey broad shoulders and slim waist, balancing with a traditional shirt tail length.

For this initial release of the ARISTOCRAT, we went for a fancy oxford cloth, the office dress shirt fabric of choice! Ours is milled in Japan, and features an attractive solid white with red line selvedge ID. This crisp and dry hand fabric is on the heavier weight side of the oxford cloth family. With normal wash & wear routine, the shirt will naturally soften over time to the desirable buttery feel of well-worn traditional button downs.

The ARISTOCRAT is a reimagined vintage-style dress shirt that morphed into a versatile, casual, easy go-to garment, dressed-up with a suit or down with a pair of blue jeans, worn with a tie or open collar, tucked or untucked.

The MF® ARISTOCRAT Shirt is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in the USA in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.

SPECS:
PATTERN:
Inspired by vintage American and European classic dress shirts and sport shirts.

FABRIC:
Fancy 100% cotton plain oxford cloth, solid white with red line selvedge ID. Milled in Japan.
Two options, white and blue oxford.

DETAILS:
* Classic, versatile, elegant yet casual shirt style.
* Slim and trim silhouette.
* Classic spread collar with British flair.
* Original chest pocket design, diamond shape with MF® signature curved fold and streamline pocket stop stitching.
* Rear panel shirring with rounded piecing patch.
* Side gussets featuring the oxford cloth selvedge ID.
* Off-set shirt tail lengths (slightly longer rear tail).
* Red bartacks accent on gusset.
* Genuine mother of pearl buttons.
* Double-button rounded cuffs.
* Elegant front button placket pattern.
* High-stitch count and fine thread gauge construction.
* Chainstitch construction with signature inside contrast green stitching.
* Mister Freedom® mfsc “Sportsman” rayon woven label.
* Made in USA.

SIZING/FIT:
The ARISTOCRAT Shirt in oxford cloth comes unwashed and is cut so that the measurements match the labeling AFTER an initial cold soak/line dry. This is a low-maintenance garment as it is designed to go through many wash/wear cycles, and we recommend this protocol before wear:

Machine rinse, delicate settings, cold water, spin dry.
Line dry. (No heat dryer)

I opted for a Medium for a trim, yet not too tight fit, my usual size in mfsc shirting. I am 5’7 ~145 lbs. We recommend getting your usual size in MF® shirts.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements, understanding that the soaked measurements are the relevant ones, since this shirt is intended to be worn/washed routinely.

CARE:
Machine wash on DELICATE, cold water, mild eco-friendly detergent. Hang dry.
Do not use the washer’s heavy-duty cycle. Heat dryer is also not recommended and may result in excessive and irreversible shrinkage.

Available RAW (unwashed)
Sizes
Small
Medium
Large
X-Large
XX-Large

Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2021

Mister Freedom® original ‘Stanley’ SHOP TEES, tubular knit, made & hand silkscreened in USA, “TRUCK STOP” 2020 edition.

Mister Freedom® Continental “RIVE GAUCHE” Two-Piece Suit, Camel Brown 14 Oz. Corduroy, mfsc FW2020, Made in USA.

Mister Freedom® Continental “Rive Gauche” Two-Piece Suit (Sportcoat & Trousers), 14 Oz. corduroy.
FW2020 mfsc Sportsman catalog
Made in USA

The Continental Two-Piece Suit combines two of our popular classic patterns, the MF® Continental Sportcoat and Continental Trousers, both staples of our made-in-USA Sportsman catalog.

The unstructured blazer style of the MF® Continental Sportcoat was initially inspired by a vintage French 1950s cotton twill work coat, jazzed-up by our Design Dept sometime in 2016. The MF® Continental Trousers’ pattern introduced the same year drew inspiration from 50s-60s tailoring, vintage casual wear, and timeless slick silhouettes.

Released since in an array of NOS and Japan-milled fabrics, both sportcoat and trousers are quite versatile garments. Equally intended to be worn mismatched, as a two-piece suit, or paired with whatever one is comfortable with, the Mister Freedom® Continental series’ only commitment is to be stylish, flexible, travel-friendly (i.e. low-maintenance), and USA-made.

This FW2020 “Rive Gauche” edition features the same grade of 14 Oz. wide-wale corduroy of the 2019 Mattock Jacket, a fabric inspired by 1930s-40s French Velour d’Amiens and discussed here in its historical background. We couldn’t resist requesting another batch to be milled for the Continental suit.

Regarding semantics, “Rive Gauche” refers to the left bank of the Seine, splitting the City of Light in half. The famed river was instrumental in elevating Paris as France’s capital through the years. The city’s nautical motto “Fluctuat nec mergitur” (something like “rocked by waves but never sunk”) suggests Paris’ long and troubled history. Its “Rive Droite” (right bank, north of the river) has been perceived as conservative and upper class territory, while the “Rive Gauche” was more blue collar, attracting free-spirited intellectuals, artists… Those lines have obviously been blurred for decades, but still fiercely-debated at the “café du commerce”.

Bar-room politics aside, corduroy fabric has traditionally been associated with the working class in Europe, and its resurgence in French menswear in the late 1960s~1970s signaled a new popular appeal for “simple” values and “liberal” references in casual fashion.
A stereotype “prof de Géo” (Geography teacher) clad in a brown corduroy suit, Fair Isle sweater vest and red scarf, strolling around the Quartier Latin circa 1975, might ring a bell for some Parisian old timers.
Our “Rive-Gauche” two-piece carries that old school professor vibe, but will morph into anything according to how one styles it. The Sportcoat is cut quite trim and on the shorter side, for more of a 1930s vibe than the longer deep vent back of 1970s suit jackets.

The mfsc Continental “Rive-Gauche” Two-Piece Suit (Continental Sportcoat & Continental Trousers) in 14 Oz. wide-wade corduroy is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in the USA in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.

Both “Rive-Gauche” Sportcoat & Trousers are available separately. A 15% rebate will be applied at Paypal checkout when purchased as a two-piece set.

SPECS:
FABRIC:
14 Oz. Heavy wide-wale corduroy, 100% cotton, “vintage” cognac brown color, milled in Japan.
Pocketing & half lining/facing: New Old Stock oatmeal color chambray with woven white stripe, linen-cotton blend, milled in EU.

Continental “Rive-Gauche” SPORTCOAT:
* Unstructured silhouette.
* Easy to pack and unfold, perfect traveling companion.
* Vintage-vibe high button front.
* Corozo wood buttons.
* Half shoulder floating lining, NOS cotton/linen stripe chambray.
* Side hip pockets with flaps.
* Pocket openings reinforced on the inside with facing fabric.
* Tonal 100% cotton stitching, all clean caballo (chainstitch) flat-felled seam construction, green color “Sportsman” signature chainstitch on the inside. No open edges or overlock.
* Made in USA.

Continental “Rive-Gauche” TROUSERS:
* Elegant late 1950′s early 1960’s type silhouette and fit, straight leg.
* Corozo wood fly and waist buttons.
* Flat-felled (caballo) leg out seam.
* Rear welt pockets.
* Trousers-style belt loops.
* Adjustable back cinch strap, with vintage NOS metal slide buckles.
* NOS cotton/linen stripe chambray pocket bags and waist band.
* Watch pocket.
* Tonal stitching, 100% cotton thread construction, with inside green chainstich MF® signature.
* Original “The SPORTSMAN” woven rayon label on rear waistband, concealed when wearing a belt.
* Tailor shop-style unfinished overlocked leg bottom, to suit your cuffing preferences.
* Made in USA.

SIZING/FIT
This explains how we size our garments.
The Continental “Rive-Gauche” Sportcoat and trousers come raw/unwashed. We recommend the usual initial 30mn cold soak/occasional hand agitation/spin dry/hang dry process.
The tagged size reflects the size of the garment after going through this process. The subtle variation of shrinkage between body fabric/lining fabric/cotton thread will result in normal puckering and roping, slightly altering the fit and drape.

I personally opted for a snug Size 38 (Medium) in this corduroy Continental sportcoat, and a comfortable W32 trousers. These are my usual sizes in the Continental series and most mfsc garments. I am about 5’7 ~150 Lbs.

Sportcoat sizing:
This “Rive-Gauche” corduroy Sportcoat release is cut quite trim, and sizing-up might be an option for some, especially if one plans to layer with a sweater or thick shirt, or just wants a more relaxed/unstructured look. The cut is similar to that of the recent “Parisien” Sportcoat, with a trim/shorter silhouette typical of 1930s mens blazers. The shorter length might not be ideal for tall individuals not comfortable with a “period fit” and vintage silhouette.

Trousers sizing:
The Continental “Rive-Gauche” Trousers are true to size. If you are a measured waist 32 inches, you are most-likely a stamped W32 in these. The top block is fairly snug, with a slim thigh and straight leg. A W31 was too tight on me.
To accommodate fine tuning for the silhouette of your choice, we are releasing these in a few select odd sizes too (W29, W31 and W33).
Please note that the Continental Trousers pattern might not be a good option for all body types. Proportion-wise, those with muscular legs will probably look better in our regular Sportsman Chino models.

Trousers hemming:
After the initial soak/hang dry process, we recommend settling down on the final length of the bottom hem after gently wearing the trousers around the house a bit. The cotton fabric tends to naturally bunch/wrinkle and pull the leg up slightly. Letting this specific fabric react to your own body for an hour or so will allow you to decide on a proper classic leg break that works for you.
I opted for a simple 1½ inch hem with no fold, with a slight break.

Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
(Fit pic wearing a size 38 jacket and W32 trousers.)

CARE:
Although low maintenance, both corduroy Sportcoat and Trousers should be considered as a delicate garments and treated with care.
We recommend professional dry-cleaning when needed.
Carefully hand washing in cold water, minimal eco-friendly detergent and line dry is also an option.

Continental “Rive-Gauche” SPORTCOAT:
Sizes:
Small (36)
Medium (38)
Large (40)
X-Large (42)
XX-Large (44)

Continental “Rive-Gauche” TROUSERS:
Sizes (inseam length about 36’’, left un-cuffed):
W 28
W 29
W 30
W 31
W 32
W 33
W 34
W 36
W 38

Continental “Rive-Gauche” Two-Piece Suit (Sportcoat + Trousers): Any size combination available, 15% rebate issued during PayPal check out when purchased as a set.
Sportcoat and trousers are also available separately.