 
Mister Freedom® Ranch Blouse and Californian Lot.674, “ICE-BLU” selvedge denim edition.
mfsc SS2020 “YUCATÁN” collection.
Made in USA.
On October 18, 1956, Rock’n’Roll pioneer Gene Vincent and his wild band of musical geniuses known as “The Blue Caps” recorded the savage “Red Blue Jeans and a Pony Tail”…
Colored denim made its way to the forefront of fashion for casual wear suppliers and westernwear brands in the 1950’s. By the next decade, the catalogs of the “Big Three” (aka Lee®, Levi’s®, Wrangler®) were all spiced-up with a range of colorful models, alongside the traditional indigo blue utilitarian dungaree offerings.
Lee® had ventured into indigo denim alternatives as early as 1958 with their iconic “Westweave” cotton (aka satin) Westerner 100-J, made available in off-white, light blue, brown and black. This was bringing a city feel to ranch wear, with dress-up options for denimed-out cowboys.
Wrangler Blue Bell® had the 22MJZ jacket (Men Jacket Zipper) and matching 11MWZ jeans (Men Western Zipper) in a variety of colors: off-white, light blue, red, black…
Levi’s also had its share of colored fabric options in trucker jackets with matching bottoms, like the popular pique models (941 series), satin models (940 series), and twill models (840 series). All these groovy alternatives were to prove very popular with the youth and in-crowd, becoming favorites on campus, movie sets and city streets alike.
Our Mister Freedom® interpretation of vintage colored denims draws from all the above classics. Sometime in 2019, we reached-out to our friends and textile experts at Toyo Enterprise and finally developed a long-desired light indigo blue selvedge denim. This was quite an unusual request for Sugar Cane’s network of fabric mills, as “heritage” makers tended to mostly focus on ounceage challenges and dark indigoes. One thankfully took-on the task and delivered.
Our 12 Oz. “ICE-BLU” denim twill features a sky blue indigo warp and ecru weft, solid white selvedge, with an attractive overall appearance somewhat reminiscent of our 2012 Hacendado “Baja Denim” fabric.
The two candidates to make the first cut with that original “ICE-BLU” denim are the staple MF® Ranch Blouse and Californian jeans. We opted for the Lot.674 pattern, for its early 1960’s vibe and slim and lean cut, balanced with the Ranch Blouse’s earlier western-wear influences.
Both are of course available for purchase separately. For the brave, the “ICE-BLU” denim combo will be quite the stylish statement, guaranteed to turn more heads than a freeway pile-up. For the Texas Tuxedo-shy, mixing-up either top or bottom with traditional darker denim might be the ticket. Either way, these two pieces are quite versatile for anyone with a sense of style anchored in old classics.
We opted for ivory white contrast stitching, a choice also inspired by 1950’s vintage colored denim specimen.
We are quite fond of this brand new fabric around here, so please forgive the upcoming avalanche of IG posts! Note that we are offering the Lot.764 in select odd sizes too (29, 31, 33), to better accommodate your target fit and desired silhouette. The “ICE-BLU” Ranch Blouse also comes in a rare size 32 (double extra small), for smaller ladies into the boys’ jacket look.
The “ICE-BLU” Ranch Blouse and Californian LOT.674 (available separately) are designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in USA in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co., from denim fabric milled in Japan.
SPECS
Fabric:
12 Oz. “ICE-BLU” Denim, light indigo blue warp x ecru weft, solid white selvedge ID, milled in Japan.
Pocketing/facing: sturdy NOS white/navy gingham, 100% cotton.
“ICE-BLU” RANCH BLOUSE:
DETAILS:
* MF® “Uncle Sam” type collar pattern.
* ‘Vintage’ boxy but trim silhouette.
* Pleated front with original MF® arrowhead dart stitching.
* Original MF® “M” stitching on chest pockets.
* Single pocket flap.
* Selvedge front panel fold.
* NOS white/navy gingham fabric facing for collar and pocket flap.
* “Silver” cast MF® branded tack buttons.
* Buckle back, concealed selvedge strap, adjustable, riveted.
* Copper rivet reinforced, unmarked hardware.
* Subtly contrasting ivory white stitching, 100% cotton thread.
* Original mfsc printed “Buckaroo” cloth label.
* Made in USA
SIZING FIT:
The “ICE-BLU” Ranch Blouse comes UN-WASHED and is cut so that the measurements match the labeling AFTER an initial cold soak/line dry.
We recommend the usual protocol before wearing:
- Cold soak for about 30-40mn, with occasional hand agitation.
- Spin dry and line dry.
- Wear briefly before fully-dry to set creases, then hang until fully dry.
I wear my usual Ranch Blouse size in this “ICE-BLU” edition, a cold-soaked 38. Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements.
Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry (ie. minimal shrinkage).
CHART
Available Raw/unwashed ONLY.
Sizes
32 XX-small
34 X-small
36 Small
38 Medium
40 Large
42 X-Large
44 XX-Large
“ICE-BLU” CALIFORNIAN Lot.674:
DETAILS:
* Classic vintage five-pocket blue jeans pattern.
* Button fly.
* Original MF® branded “silver” metal cast waist/fly tack buttons.
* Selvedge leg outseam.
* NOS white/navy gingham fabric pocket bags.
* MF® original “M” stitch design on rear pockets.
* MF® branded natural veg-tan leather patch on rear pocket.
* Subtly contrasting ivory white stitching, 100% cotton thread.
* Coin pocket with concealed selvedge.
* Selvedge button hole fly placket.
* Hidden back pocket reinforcement rivets, with top pocket reinforcement bartack stitching.
* Unlined rear pockets.
* Unmarked copper riveting for pocket opening reinforcement.
* Original MF® paper “ICE-BLU” pocket flasher (sky blue).
* Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT:
The “ICE-BLU” Californian LOT.674 blue jeans come UN-WASHED and are cut so that the measurements match the labeling AFTER an initial cold soak/line dry. A tagged W32 x L34 will shrink to approximately 32 inches x 34 inches after a soak/dry process.
We recommend the usual protocol before wearing:
- Cold soak for about 30-40mn, with occasional hand agitation.
- Spin dry and line dry.
- Wear briefly before fully-dry to set creases, then hang until fully dry.
The “ICE BLUE” Californian Lot.674 are true-to-size, with the usual “vanity sizing” standard in the industry.
A tagged W32 will most-likely be the right size for an individual with an approximate measured waist of +/- 32 inches, and with average body proportions. (Note that your natural waist is a bit bellow the belly button, not bellow the hips.)
The size that will work best for you depends on how you like your jeans to fit. I opted for a W31 in the Lot.674 “ICE BLUE”, which tends to be my size of choice for the MF® style of 1960’s slim jeans patterns, such as our popular Speedways, Malibu’s, Lot.74 and Lot.674 models.
On cuffing: When playing around with period “flood length” à-la McQueen, rather than rolled cuffs or modern unsightly stacking, the Lot.674 has a definite sixties vibe silhouette.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements.
Soaked = 30-40mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry (ie. minimal shrinkage).
 
CARE:
Wash when necessary. We recommend turning garment inside-out to avoid potential marbling of the denim fabric.
Machine wash with cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry.
Available RAW/unwashed.
Sizes (W is for Waist, measured in inches.)
W 29
W 30
W 31
W 32
W 33
W 34
W 36
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
Mister Freedom® Skivvy Tee, Brown 436.
Sportsman catalog.
Made in USA.
We are introducing a new color in our SKIVVY T-shirt selection this season, the classic “Brown 436” familiar to many as the specific shade of brown of 1980s US Army undershirts, the government-issued “Undershirt, man’s, quarter sleeve, type I, class 3, brown 436”. This color addition completes the vintage military-inspired palette of our SKIVVIES: white, sage green, navy blue and brown.
The STANLEYS and their looser jersey knit are still available in white, black, jungle green, royal blue, red and gold, with a full recent restock on all colors.
Please refer to the original MF® blog posts for specificities of both Skivvy and Stanley T-shirts, specs/sizing/fit/care instructions.
Our SKIVVY and STANLEY tubular T-Shirts are also available as a Two-Pack option. Individually priced at $69.95 per shirt, a two-pack can be purchased at a substantial saving for $124.95. The packaging consists of a simple lightweight cardboard box, reminiscent of old military stenciled ammo metal boxes.
Each two-pack box contains two identical solid T-shirts (sorry, no style/color/size combination or substitution.)
Available options are as follows:
* Two-Pack SKIVVY T-shirts (S, M, L, or XL):
White.
Navy Blue.
Sage Green.
Brown 436.
* Two-Pack STANLEY T-shirts (S, M, L, or XL):
White.
Black.
Jungle Green (olive).
Royal Blue.
Red.
Gold.
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® 2020
Mister Freedom® UTILITY Cap, assorted NOS selvedge denims.
Made in USA.
This pattern is inspired by generic 1930s-40s engineer caps.
An earlier take was released in 2015 as the MF® OKI Cover, a cross between the Choo Choo Charlie hat and a 40’s UMSC cover, cut from vintage 1940s frogskin camo US Army ponchos and available here.
This is a denim version. We have had them available from the brick & mortar HQ for years, and this is their on-line debut. We are using assorted types of NOS selvedge denims, of USA and Japan origins. Contrary to the frogskin camo OKI Covers, the Utility Cap is not intended to be reversible, unless wearing the selvedge on the outside and exposing the weft yarn sounds like a good idea to the wearer.
The caps have been cold-soaked and line-dried, and then measured and size-stamped to avoid guessing games with fabric shrinkage. For a salty look, the brim can be reshaped by damping the fabric with water, molding it to the desired curve, and letting it dry.
The MF® UTILITY Cap is designed and made in California by Mister Freedom®.
SPECS:
FABRIC:
Assorted New Old Stock indigo blue denims, assorted selvedge IDs. Varying twill weights of about 10 to 12 Oz.
DETAILS:
* Generic 1930s-40s engineer “Choo Choo Charlie” cap pattern.
* Utilitarian look.
* No open seams/overlock.
* Exposed fabric selvedge on the inner headband.
* Unstructured brim with reinforcement line stitching.
* “Selvedge” tape tab and MF® SPORTSMAN woven label branding.
* Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT:
The UTILITY Cap comes pre-soaked and line-dried. The caps are sized by measuring the headband on the outside in centimeters. The size is stamped on the inside.
Further shrinkage might be achieved with further washing and/or heat drying, but this will affect the indigo denim color and might result in marbling.
CARE:
Hand wash when needed. Shape and hang dry.
Available cold soaked only.
Size:
56, 57, 58, 59, 60.
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®
©2020
Mister Freedom® SCUTTLER CAP, NOS Wool Tweed edition.
Made in USA.
(This is a March 2020 updated version of this June 2018 post.)
If you are in a Peaky Blinders or Jack Sparrow kinda mood, here is the latest addition to the original MF® “Scuttler Cap” pattern. Initially introduced in 2013, this hat is our interpretation of the popular vintage newsboy eight-panel cover.
While Paris of the Belle Époque had its ‘Apaches’, Manchester enjoyed the ‘Scuttlers’, all victims, misfits and drop-outs left by the wayside of the Second Industrial Revolution…
In “Teenage, Creation of Youth 1875-1945”, British writer Jon Savage describes their attire this way, quoting a period account from the head missionary of a Manchester orphanage in 1890:
“…the “professional scuttler” wore “a puncher’s cap”, “narrow-go-wides” trousers, narrow-toed brass-tipped clogs, and heavy customized belts with designs, picked out in metal pins, that included serpents, stars, and pierced hearts. The “boy expert” Charles Russell observed that the Mancunian variant wore “a loose white scarf”, with hair “well plastered down upon his forehead”, “a peaked cap rather over one eye”, and trousers “cut – like a sailor’s – with ‘bell bottoms’”
The fabrics of our “Scuttler Caps” have been NOS (New Old Stock) textiles, 1940’s to 1970’s. This latest one is a wool tweed with a very textured grain and a definite vintage demeanor.
Please note that the sizing paper label stitched to the back of the cap, a reference to vintage packaging, is easily removable and not part of permanent branding.
The MF® Scuttler Cap is designed and made in California by Mister Freedom®.
SPECS:
* An original MF® pattern inspired by vintage 1930’s newsboy eight-panel caps.
* Genuine kangaroo leather sweatband (stretch-proof and rot-proof).
* NOS cotton biased tape seam piecing.
* Made in USA.
SIZING:
To avoid confusion, we recommend wearing the Scuttler Cap as-is, without rinsing it.
We measure the sweatband in centimeters. If unsure, measure your head with a metric cloth tape measure to determine your hat size. Kangaroo leather will not stretch or shrink but the hat crown might loosen slightly with normal wear.
CARE:
Professional cleaning only. Do not machine-wash.
Available raw/unwashed.
Limited sizes available per fabric option. See updated inventory here.
57cm (~ US 7 1/8)
58cm (~ US 7 1/4)
59cm (~ US 7 3/8)
60cm (~ US 7 1/2)
61cm (~ US 7 5/8)
62cm (~ US 7 3/4)
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®
©2020
Mister Freedom® “DUDE RANCHER” western snap shirt, vat-dyed selvedge chambray & shadow-plaid printed poplin.
SS2020 mfsc “DUDE RANCH” collection & Surplus catalog.
Made in Japan.
The Mister Freedom® APPALOOSA introduced during Fall 2013 and released in a variety of denim-related fabrics was our first traditional “western snap” shirt. The “DUDE RANCHER” is our second spin on the style. This all-original pattern was inspired by a selection of vintage “cowboy” shirts, and initially issued in high-count cotton poplin during Spring 2019, available in solid black and white, with a limited edition “rodeo” batch custom chainstitch-embroidered.
The DUDE RANCHER features the expected western-style front and back curved yokes, but we opted for arcuate panels subtle-enough to keep the shirt not too “costumey”. The playful “M” branding on the chest pockets is disguised as decorative stitching. The tricked-out forearm pattern and intricate one-piece elbow/cuff reinforcement diamond-shaped placket is quite a garment construction tour de force, for anyone who knows his/her way around a sewing machine.
Our DUDE RANCHER features painted metal snaps, reminiscent of 50’s Ranchcraft or Blue Bell shirts, previously featured on the MF® Sportsman printed flannel Camp Shirts. If pearl snap buttons are more-commonly associated with traditional western shirts, these metal snaps are a bit more subdued and utilitarian.
For this SS2020 release, we decided to go “Hee Haw meets Oklahoma!”, with a vibrant orange/green/yellow printed plaid poplin option. This period-looking check pattern was lifted verbatim from a vintage 1920s-30s garment from the MF® archives, also printed on high-count poplin. The “shadowed” plaid pattern has a definitive Art Deco vibe, reminiscent of bygone airbrush shading techniques. See the works of Dorothy and Otis Shepard, the power-couple geniuses behind Wringley’s chewing gum wrapper and countless of other 1930s billboards, paper ads and packaging.
This flashy number in Technicolor® is in sharp contrast with the vat-dyed selvedge chambray fabric option, kinda taking after Junior Bonner rather than 1950s Grand Ole Opry. If “traditional” chambray cloth is a plain weave of a colored warp (indigo for a blue chambray) and white weft, our vat-dyed chambray features light indigo-dyed yarn in both warp and weft, giving the fabric the appearance of a solid colored textile. Closer inspection will reveal the much more interesting and attractive grainy texture of classic chambrays. This characteristic definitely sets vat-dyed fabrics apart from regular piece-dyed fabrics (dyed after milling) and their ‘flat’, solid uniform color.
Vat-dyed chambrays were a popular novelty in 1940s-50s workwear, with fabric producers like PEPPERELL (Boston, Massachusetts) boasting of their colorfast, sunfast or “Will Not Fade” qualities.
Our choice of contrast stitching for the chambray model is a nod to the classic 1970s light-weight Levi’s chambrays familiar to vintage clothing aficionados. My Dad was a big fan, as I remember that vivid orange tab on the chest pocket, magically enhancing the faded blue fabric.
We combined orange and yellow thread for the caballo chainstitch, a subtle dual color contrast touch. The DUDE RANCHER features high-count stitching, contributing to the shirt’s vintage look, without having to resort to unnecessary processing, chemical washes or sandblasting. In these days of fast fashion, very few factories are still willing or qualified to operate the machines that allow such high-count stitching and narrow seams, so we are grateful for our friends at Toyo Enterprises for keeping this quality production level available. Such attention to details also delays production drastically, as each shirt takes about 3 times longer to complete. It goes without saying that this comes at a price, which the reader is very well aware of!
The DUDE RANCHER western snap shirt is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.
FABRIC:
Two options:
a) Printed “shadow” plaid, high-count 100% cotton poplin, partial bleed-though, made in Japan.
b) Vat-dyed chambray, 100% cotton, light indigo blue solid color, solid white selvedge ID, milled in Japan.
SPECS:
* An original mfsc pattern, inspired by traditional western-style shirts.
* Traditional western-wear arcuate front and back yokes.
* Attractive pointy pocket flaps, complementing the yoke pattern.
* 1950’s-style painted metal snaps (the paint will chip with age.)
* Tonal stitching for plaid model, dual contrast orange/yellow stitching for chambray version.
* Original curvy “M” decorative stitching on pockets.
* Fancy diamond-shaped cuff/elbow reinforcement patch.
* Vintage style side gussets.
* Rounded shirt tails.
* 100% cotton hi-count stitching.
* Original MF® mfsc “Surplus” woven label.
* Made in Japan.
SIZING/WASHING:
Both versions of the DUDE RANCHER come RAW/unwashed. This shirt is cut so that the measurements match the labeling after an initial cold soak/line dry.
We recommend this usual protocol before wearing:
- Cold soak for about 30-40mn, with occasional hand agitation.
- Spin dry and line dry.
- Hang until fully dry.
I opted for a MEDIUM in both fabric options (my usual size in mfsc shirting), for a trim, traditional western “cowboy” shirt fit.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
CHART
CARE:
Machine wash on DELICATE, cold water, mild eco-friendly detergent. Hang dry.
Wash with similar-colored garments.
Do not use the washer’s heavy-duty cycle. Heat dryer is also not recommended and could damage the garment.
Available RAW (un-rinsed)
Sizes
X-Small
Small
Medium
Large
X-Large
XX-Large
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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