TAP Lézard “Vanden” Jacket, reversible quilted indigo twill x lizard camouflage. SAIGON COWBOY Fall 2015
Following the release of the Mister Freedom® CDO Jacket, and in a similar Hmongs meets Commando vibe, here is the “Vanden” Jacket. This number will be the final addition to our “Saigon Cowboy” collection, wrapping our Spring and Winter 2015 South East Asia adventure.
Some quick semantics first…
If TAP stands for Troupes Aéroportées (Airborne troops, notorious for their tenue bariolée‘lézard’), the name “Vanden” is a reference to Roger Vandenberghe. A French military legend, Vanden, as his peers called him, lead the famed Commando N°24 known as the Tigres Noirs (Black Tigers), one of the 45 units making-up the 5,400 men-strong Commando Nord Viet-Nam (1951-1954). Adjudant-Chef ‘Vanden’ would become one of the most decorated non-commissioned officer of the French Army, with most of his decorations earned during the Indochina conflict.
Strategic precursors of the CIA-devised CIDG paramilitary groups that would later take over with the US involvement in Vietnam, these French commando units consisted of men recruited amongst ethnic minorities of mountainous regions of Southeast Asia (Hmong, Nùng… of North Vietnam, Laos). Many defecting Viêt Minh personnel also joined the ranks. For either cultural, economic, ideological or territorial reasons, these Vietnamese nationals volunteered to fight alongside the French colonial troops, against the Ho Chi Minh-lead communists.
Routinely infiltrating enemy-controlled territory, these commandos often opted for uniforms incorporating NVA (North Vietnamese Army) gear, ‘black pajamas’, Chinese military quilted vest, headscarves, dark indigo-dyed garments and other un-conventional local favorites… as can be seen on period photography.
After flirting with death on countless perilous ops, Vanden was to meet his fate in his sleep, assassinated in 1952 by one of his own, a Viêt Minh gone-rogue recruit of the N°24 commando…
For more on that, francophones can refer to “Vandenberghe – Le Commando Des Tigres Noirs – Indochine 1947-1952” by Charles-Henry De Pirey (ISBN:9782914086059).
Night river patrol, 1950’s Indochina (Photo Raoul Coutard)
4e Regiment d’Infanterie, Algerie, veste matelassée type I
LCL Jeanpierre Algerie (1958), veste matelassée type II
Now comes our loose interpretation of all this…
The Mister Freedom® ‘Vanden’ jacket is by no means a replica of authentic Indochina period uniform, but rather a respectful attempt to link History with contemporary wearables, acknowledging a not-so-distant past, lest we forget. This jacket is an original garment that blends vintage aesthetics and references, not an endorsement of bygone imperialistic foreign policies, nor a glamorization of warfare.
The usual MF® spin was put on a 1950’s French Army Type 1 veste matelassée (often seen rolled up atop the rucksack during the French Army Algerian campaign, 1954-1962), an NVA black-dyed vest,… and vintage sportswear field gear. The result is an hybrid jacket featuring double indigo twill on one side, and our version of the traditional camouflage lézard introduced with the Garrison Trousers and Caban Peacoat on the other.
This jacket is fully reversible, featuring a “TYE Tokyo” metal zipper with double-sided pull courtesy of Toyo Tailor, the skilled Sukajan makers of the Mister Freedom® Party Jacket, our special Spring 2015 illiterate keyboard cowboy stimulator.
Party Jacket and TAP ‘Vanden’ Jacket
The “Vanden” can be worn and zipped-up montagnard side out, or jungle side out. Please note that we left it up too you to customize the pull with your own scoubidou or Paracord tab, as the jacket comes without one.
The “Vanden” features 6 pockets altogether, lower expandable snap flap pockets inspired by French military TAP field jackets, and two camo side chest pockets, quite convenient to store sunglasses or iPhone.
The wool knit cuffs and collar band are mil-specs, courtesy of Buzz Rickson’s.
On a somewhat insignificant note, I have come to like the old stretched-out cuffs of vintage jackets that have been through the wringer, and an easy way to achieve that look is to roll-up the knit cuff on the arm part when the weather permits. Once pulled back down, the cuffs will look ‘sloppily perfect’. This defeats the purpose of keeping the wrist section air-tight, triggering the usual slave-to-style issue, be cool or stay warm, for those of us blessed with such First World dilemmas.
The bottom of the jacket features side expansion wool knit gussets, a vintage-inspired detail we already used on the Chiller Vest, an old Mister Freedom® garment from our 2010 “Speed Safe” collection. This features comes handy when the jacket is fully zipped-up and you are at the wheel.
For the inner padding, we opted for a 100% polyester fiber thermal fill, great for warmth but not too bulky to avoid the Michelin Man look. The square-shape quilted pattern is only featured on the indigo side of the body. The arms are not quilted but still feature a thin thermal padding.
The TAP Lézard ‘Vanden’ Jacket is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS: FABRIC: Montagnard side: “Double indigo twill”, a very dark (almost black) indigo warp and indigo weft 100% cotton denim twill, 12.4 Oz., white selvedge ID. Milled in Japan. Jungle side: 100% cotton HBT ‘lizard’ camouflage fabric, milled and printed in Japan. Inner padding: 100% polyester fiber thermal fill.
DETAILS:
* Inspired by 1950’s Indochina War military gear and vintage outdoor garments.
* Fully reversible.
* 4 bottom expanding pockets with snap flap, with two extra chest pockets on the lizard side. * 1950’s sukajan style reversible “TYE Tokyo” metal zipper with double pull tabs. * 100% polyester fiber filling with minimal ‘puffiness’.
* Mil-specs wool knit cuffs, collar band and side expansion gussets.
* Square-shape quilting pattern on the indigo side.
* Olive green 100% cotton thread.
* Snap down collar lapels.
* Concealed woven Saigon Cowboy label stitched inside pocket flap.
* Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT: The “Vanden” Jacket comes raw/unwashed and we recommend an initial cold soak (~30mn) with occasional hand-agitation to insure total immersion. Spin cycle and line dry. This jacket is quite bulky and heavy when wet, so do not attempt a full washing cycle as this might damage both your jacket and your washing machine.
This jacket is true to size, and a Medium (38) fits like a snug Medium by mfsc standards. I wear a Medium with enough room for a sweatshirt or denim jacket underneath. This is a rather fitted jacket, depending of course on your build, proportions and choice of size.
Please refer to sizing chart for cold rinse/line dry approximate measurements.
CARE: Launder when hygiene dictates and common sense prevails. We recommend professional cleaning in your local eco-friendly facility. If not practical, hand wash or machine wash on DELICATE in large capacity washer to avoid damaging both jacket and machine. Cold water, delicate cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry. We recommend turning indigo blue/denim garments inside out to avoid marbling when washing. Un-zip jacket before washing. Patina will develop according to activities and frequency of wear. WARNING: The double indigo twill will naturally bleed, and minimal color transfer to light color garments or furniture is to be expected. Indigo transfer will wash-off overtime.
Available RAW/unwashed SIZES:
Small (36)
Medium (38)
Large (40)
X-Large (42)
XX-Large (44)
Mister Freedom ® Sportsman Slacks, HBT cotton-linen. “The Sportsman” Fall 2015, made in USA.
A bit challenging to take this show back on the road in the wake of the recent events in Paris… Times like these put things in perspective a bit, rendering any kind of fashion-related discussions perfectly incongruous for me. Those feeling unconcerned due to geographical distances or pressing fabric shrinkage concerns might want to fast-forward to the fascinating washing instructions and sizing chart below.
Personally, i’ll pause for a second and throw down a few random thoughts instead of a sales pitch.
Dumbfounded by what happened, I have been trying to wrap my head around that tragedy by clinging on to live debates and analysis on Radio France and other sources, almost non-stop since hearing the news on Friday. If the average French citizen was utterly stunned by the unexpected suicide attacks on their capital city, well-informed criminology experts such as Alain Bauer sounded well aware that a blow from ISIS was not a matter of if but when and where.
Although the DGSI, France’s counter-terrorism agency, has been stealthily working overtime to avoid havoc in the homeland, discreetly thwarting about 90% of the attacks according to some sources, French authorities agree that zero-risk is an illusion in a democracy. Totalitarian regimes have the recourse of chopping-off every single head sticking out in opposition, temporarily guaranteeing an illusion of order. But France has moved on from the Dark Ages a while back, and is more likely to be remembered by distant future generations for its cultural legacy, lessons in art de vivre or contributions to the world of Arts and Letters. The French, having stormed La Bastille (the King’s state prison) in 1789, are not ready for Guantanameaux-Les-Bains, and are too attached to their privacy to comply with modern surveillance. They like their freedom, bequeathed to them by ancestors who fought and died for it. They drink, eat, smoke, complain, talk, vote, drive, swear, fuck, protest, create, sin, mock and basically behave with the apparently unrestrained freedom that only a very old democracy is comfortable seeing its citizens enjoy.
In retaliation for the Charlie Hebdo events in January, and in accordance with an international coalition that includes the United States, the Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) was instructed to pay an aerial visit to known terrorists-training camps in Syria. By late September, the first French bombs were dropped. It might not have been evident to French nationals at the time, but a country that bombs another, is officially at war with it. Granted ISIS is not an actual country, but land sprawling through Iraq and Syria claimed by islamist degenerates via a religious scam, a venture mainly funded by revenues from the local multi-million-dollar oil trade. Some of that profitable business is conducted with the local official tyrant, Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad, ISIS’s sworn enemy… Get it? Don’t worry about it, it’s far.
In the past 4 years, this insanity has scattered over 4 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, and beyond. The ranks of fleeing legit migrants have been said to also be infected by terrorist cells at times, delighted to be welcomed with open arms by faraway European nations with a penchant for the Droits De l’homme.
If one can only stare at that soup sandwich with perplexity, being aware of some of its ingredients might be a clue that sending troops won’t change much on the ground. As precisely-targeted as technology allows airstrikes to be, and as legitimate as the emotional urge for revenge triggered by the horror of the provocation may feel, the solution probably resides in geopolitical maneuvers rather than in talion-like military ops. Dropping another twenty bombs on Raqqa, ISIS stronghold with its inevitable city dwellers, sounds like a good plan for turning pissed-off locals into jihadist recruits.
Which brings me to the point that, given the opportunity, educating oneself is not only a must but a civic duty. A bit of reading has never hurt anyone at the voting booth. Foreign policies do have an impact at home. The famous motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, originally followed by “ou la mort” -or death-, inherited from the French Revolution, is still today an inspiration for many around the world.
Acquiring and sharing knowledge appears to be a universally reliable way to not lose the big race against stupidity, constantly exemplified by what humans do to others humans, and the environment.
Philanthropy has never been my strength, and I must confess of my tolerance for ignorance shrinking everyday. As connected miniature personal computers rapidly become the norm in modern societies, granting us access to an endless and invaluable wealth of knowledge, professional expertise, enlighten analysis, modern exegesis and intelligent reflections, I think that one has less of an excuse for being a plank in the 21st Century than, say, during the days of medieval Crusades.
Social media platforms are great knowledge-spreading tools, free and accessible to many, albeit mostly wasted on boring trivialities and cat videos. For those frustrated with the pathetic kitchen sink quality of their newsfeed, words and images, one easy trick does wonders. Harsh but tried and true. Unfollow acquaintances! Replace the flow of numbing brain pollution by meaningful content from various reliable sources of your choice. Historical facts, scientific vulgarization, travel logs, research updates, space exploration, world news, archeological discoveries, philosophical debates, societal discussions… all have the advantage of leaving one better equipped to hopefully make intelligent decisions in life.
You might not get a visual on Bruce’s awesome cappuccino on time anymore, but a bit of awareness about the world out there should help ease the void. Bruce and you will still be friends, but acknowledging no one cares about relentless Youtube recommendations, poorly-lit food photography and other navel-gazing considerations, he might reciprocate and unfollow, thereby saving precious bandwidth and brain cells for worthy material. Everyone wins. Less idiots, less keyboard cowboys anonymously voicing uneducated opinions publicly, less music video comments to sift through to reach a spark of relevance, and, i’m stretching here, maybe less desperate acts of frustration with horrific consequences in the physical world.
On November 13, 2015, a handful of ignorant brain-washed cretins on a fool’s errand cowardly mowed down and blasted un-armed civilians enjoying an evening of live music in a Parisian concert hall, and others peacefully celebrating the good life amongst friends at a terrace… One of the 130 victims might have lived on to discover a cure for cancer, a formula for the water-fueled engine, or written the prettiest music in the world, that people listen to when they’re sad… but I guess we’ll have to wait on that. Thanks, assholes.
I’m no militant, no activist and no altruist either, pay no mind to conspiracy-theory nut jobs, don’t like being lectured, and admit being turned-off when faced with constant preaching, whatever the charity. But eradicating obscurantism is a good cause, and it starts right at home.
There are times when pulling your head out of the sand to gasp for air is urgent.
CL
With that out of the way, the Sportsman Slacks are designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN: Revisited MF® Vaquero denim jeans style from our !Viva La Revolución! 2013 collection.
An original pattern inspired by early European trousers and work dungarees.
FABRIC: Same fabric used for the Faro britches, waistcoat and sack coat.
“Gun Powder” black (between field grey and dark laurel green), wide HBT (herringbone twill), selvedge, 20% Cotton/80% Linen blend, 15 Oz. Woven in Japan.
Pocketing and waist Lining: Same fabric used for recently-released Sportsman Appaloosa shirt, New Old Stock HBT denim, 100% cotton herringbone twill denim, subtle vertical stripe design, origin USA.
DETAILS: * Vintage trousers-type construction. * “Cowboy” front pocket opening * Early type ‘donut’ metal waist button, brown corozo wood fly buttons. * Back welt pockets. * Side cinch straps, with NOS vintage French metal buckles. * Selvedge leg side seam. * Long inseam, overlocked bottom hem, for your cuffing preference (hemmed, double hemmed, rolled…) * Turn-of-the-century style flared waistband (narrower in back) * Slim belt loops (trousers style) * All cotton thread tonal stitching
SIZING/FIT:
The Sportsman Slacks come unwashed/raw. We recommend an original 20-30mn cold soak and line dry. These fit true-to-size and are tagged to reflect measurements after that initial process (about 2-5% shrinkage to be expected). If you are usually a 32 waist, get a tagged 32. The fit is comfortable yet quite flattering. Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
MF® Sportsman Slacks HBT Fall 2015
CARE: Subsequent cleaning should be done with the trousers flipped inside/out (to avoid marbling), gentle cycle, cold water, with minimal environmentally friendly detergent and line dry. Natural fading of this fabric is to be expected with normal repeat wash/wear cycles. NOTE: Full washing cycle in hot water and machine dry WILL result in maximum shrinkage and noticeable color loss. NOT recommended.
Available Raw/unwashed
Sizes (W stands for Waist)
W 28
W 29
W 30
W 31
W 32
W 33
W 34
W 36
W 38 Retail $309.95
“I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth or shapes it into a garment will starve in the process.” Benjamin Harrison, President of the U.S., 1889-1893
Bloudini at work
MF® Cowboy blue denim Jacket, NOS Cone, made in USA Sportsman Fall 2015
Those familiar with some of my private after-hour rants will confirm that I’m not too big on consumerism (“the concept that an ever-expanding consumption of goods is advantageous to the economy“), mass marketing, and wasting resources in general. I find the “Think/Own less/Pay more” motto quite convincing, and personally live in relative detachment from un-necessary material possessions, however subjective the concept of must-haves is. I do own more vintage records than I need.
If my disdain for the accumulation of ‘things’ is not necessarily evident to the visitor of the ol’ pile o’ rags at 7161 Beverly, these feelings hopefully transpire once in a while via my blog posts. Much to the consternation of the Mister Freedom® sales department, I’d rather confess to existential concerns in awkward write-ups than concoct the perfect sales pitch.
A moment of “relative detachment from un-necessary material possessions”…
The perfect sales pitch
I got da goods, wha ya need there, Nitz?
Whether shopping for groceries or auto parts, the amount of tantalizing junk and gadgets one sees sitting on store shelves and inside push carts never ceases to baffle me. Some of my fine Angeleno counterparts cruising while staring at their phone screen might not have fully noticed yet, but there is stuff eeeeeeeverywhere. Stuff, stuff, stuff… All that ‘stuff’ is getting to me, ‘Falling Down’ style, with Boris Vian rapping “La Complainte du Progrès” on the turntable.
So now, it never fails. With each Mister Freedom® garment release, a side of me sincerely feels guilty bringing yet another manufactured widget on the market. Besides the paycheck that helps relieve the angst, it has become quite challenging for me to intellectually balance a strong anti-consumerism inclination with a professional occupation that basically consists in relentlessly adding clothes to closets.
There’s not much to discuss in regards to the particular style of our accoutrement du jour. The Mister Freedom® blue denim Cowboy Jacket is another MF® twist on a classic, this time a ‘type III’ trucker jacket, a pattern briefly addressed with the release of its wheat recent predecessor.
MF® Cowboy Jacket in wheat denim
On the other hand, for those proclaiming a passion for denim like it’s the best thing since pizza, there’s always plenty to chew on regarding what manufacturing a pair of jeans involves. For instance, setting aside COO-related labor issues for a minute, our beloved blue jeans are not exactly Natures’s best friend when it comes to H2O… As compelling evidences of climate change keep pilling up, one doesn’t need to live in the Atacama Desert to realize the urgency to conserve and preserve water. This summer, complying California residents even had to refrain from hosing down the old SUV…
From the extensive industrial farming of the cotton crop, to the amount of water necessary for dye-houses to keep our rear ends wrapped in indigo, the tally appears to be around 2,900 gallons per pair. Add a few extra hundreds thanks to the combined efforts of an International band of geniuses who figured consumers would buy more jeans if only rigid denim was soft and distressed, and you can get that environmental footprint in super size. To complete the marketing ploy, the resulting stone-washed denim beauties tend to, surprise surprise, magically fall apart within a year, blown crotch and knees, and get dumped in landfills with no chance of being recycled. A vacuum for more demand has been created. All is well.
If MF®, as a small clothing brand, admits involvement in some stages of this not-so eco-friendly chain of events, just imagine what the garment-churning fashion giant conglomerates might have to confess…
Knowledge is out there, if you take the time to do a bit of research. Being aware of what goes on in your own closet, not just style-wise, can be depressing but is never a bad idea.
That is why I’m always grateful for documentaries and stories coming out of intelligent investigating journalism. If one can’t expect much from fashion publications, more preoccupied by not jeopardizing the flow of sponsors and advertisers than actually educating its audience, traditional news or entertainment media, on the other hand, do have scoops on the Garment Industry at times.
Randomly, Arte has some fine documentaries. Vice did an interesting bit a while back. The Guardian relaying this photo essay actually shed more light on Fashion than the latest issue of your favorite fashion magazine…
I recently came across an insightful Newsweek article, after watching a short French TV documentary mentioning the city of Tirupur, India. If you happen to wear clothes on a daily basis, that article is a must-read. Tirupur is better known as Knit City, playing a major role in feeding the avid consumer of fast-fashion with endless yardages of unbeatably-priced knitwear.
If someone you know owns a color T-shirt featuring a “Made in India” label, it was probably milled and dyed in Knit City, the reason why Wal-Mart could retail it for $10.00. The compulsive apparel bargain-hunter will find relief in learning that local farmers of that southern India region, as a motivation, have been enjoying the perks of purple-colored toxic rivers and invigorating water-borne diseases for decades.
Sorry ’bout that.
At this point, the aggravated consumer, claiming a limited budget, usually comes out with a quip along the lines of “But who the **** can afford a $70.00 T-shirt!?!”, to whom you can politely suggest that owning TWO instead of TWELVE might help.
Bottom line, most of you probably don’t need more clothes, let alone another denim jacket. And besides our commitment to supply fun projects to the small family-owned factory locally producing the Mister Freedom® Sportsman catalog, and a desire to keep our jobs in Los Angeles, we don’t even have much valid reasons for issuing one either.
So I thought I’d spare you the usual brand skit about how “awesome, superior, essential, authentic, second to none, blahh…” the Mister Freedom® blue denim Cowboy Jackets are, and leave you with the usual ‘vintage inspiration’ imagery instead.
Richard Widmark in Lee® (1958) Courtesy Getty Images.
EP in Levi’s® type III “Stay Away Joe” (1968) MGM
Brando in Lee® 101, Dick Cavett Show (1973)
Paul Zastupnevich’s costume design for Steve McQueen in “The Towering Inferno” (1974)
Bob in Lee®, (1976)
Life’s rough. Johnson Outboards ad (1975) “Skin Diver”
Above vintage photos are shown for educational purposes only. To the best of our knowledge, credits are as follows:
* Richard Widmark’s photo in “The Law and Jake Wade” (1958) and M. Brando on the Dick Cavett Show (1973) courtesy of Getty Images.
* McQueen’s wardrobe sketch by Paul Zastupnevich for “The Towering Inferno” (1974) courtesy of this website via that one.
* Robert Redford in 1976 courtesy of Rex Features.
Having said that, the MF® Cowboy Jacket is designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN:
Inspired by traditional trucker-type denim jackets, aka third-type jackets.
FABRIC:
Limited New Old Stock Cone Mills indigo blue denim, 12.5 Oz., white/red line selvedge ID, sanforized. Milled in the USA.
DETAILS:
* Fairly trim silhouette, sixties vibe.
* Fabric selvedge displayed on inside front panels.
* Original MF® slanted flap chest pockets.
* Original brass cast MF® branded buttons.
* MF® yellow “M” stitching on pockets.
* Orange and yellow stitch combination.
* Blue 2×1 denim pocket flap lining.
* All cotton thread chainstitch construction.
* Buttoned cinch-waist side tabs.
* Copper rivet backed by leather washers for pockets and sleeve placket reinforcements.
* Debossed leather MF® original patch.
* Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT:
The blue denim Cowboy Jacket comes UN-WASHED and cut so that the measurements match the labeling AFTER an initial cold soak/line dry. This specific denim shrinks quite significantly.
We recommend our usual method for raw blue denim garments:
* 30-40mn cold soak with intermittent hand agitation, in minimally-filled washing machine or bath tub.
* Spin dry cycle (if using a machine).
* Hang dry.
* As an optional step, wear the garment briefly when still not fully dry, in order to slightly shape it to your body and set creases. Hang and let fully dry.
When following this routine, the denim garment will dry quite stiff, due to the re-activated fabric starch contained in the cotton yarns. This is normal and will subside with normal wear.
I went for the Medium (38) in the blue denim Cowboy Jacket, my usual size in msfc garments, although I had opted to size down to a 36 with the wheat version.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
CARE: Wash when hygiene dictates and common sense prevails.
We recommend turning the jacket inside out to avoid marbling on the indigo side.
Hand washing can be a good option for those concerned with specific wear patterns and high-contrast colors fades. Otherwise, machine wash inside out with cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry.
Please note that the debossed graphic on the leather patch will naturally ‘flatten out’ when soaked in water.
Available RAW/unwashed
SIZES:
X-Small (34)
Small (36)
Medium (38)
Large (40)
X-Large (42)
XX-Large (44)
“I could use a jacket right now…” James Coburn (1968)
MF® Cowboy Jacket, NOS wheat denim, made in USA Sportsman Fall 2015
Introducing another finer than frog hair treat for the International Man of Action à laDerek Flint, a sensational bucking number, runway winner, the playboy’s choice and bruiser’s favorite, the much-anticipated Mister Freedom® Cowboy Jacket!
Kick it in wheat!
Relentlessly keeping our fingers on the pulse of the World of Fashion, you know us, we are quite ecstatic about adding a new denim jacket pattern to our Sportsman catalog this Fall. The Ranch Blouse now has a pardner.
With Labor Day long gone in the rear view mirror, we are doubling the euphoria by releasing a WHEAT denim version of this Cowboy Jacket, cut from a limited yardage of New Old Stock natural-colored selvedge denim.
A prevalent concern since 1894, sporting white garments in public between the first Monday of September and the last Monday of May has been deemed a style faux pas by the enlighten chosen few of the Fashion Taliban elite. This sounded like yet another mission for Mister Freedom®, so we teamed-up with an assembly of brain surjins surgeons to cook up a piece of accoutrement so adorable it is bound to muzzle that obsolete style diktat for at least an entire week.
Hear ye, hear ye, hello MF® wheat Cowboy Jacket, goodbye First World closet dilemmas.
Pushing the envelop even further, for a desirable Boogaloo Tuxedo effect, a nod to our talented and stylish friend CW Stoneking, may we recommend pairing your wheat Cowboy Jacket with a matching pair of wheat Californian Lot.74? May we? Mais oui, Johnny!
For the unconvinced, detailed tutorial on how to publicly embarrass your family is available here.
Papy’s gon’ boogaloo
Style-wise, our denim Cowboy Jacket is no stop-the-press type revolution, as it freely borrows from the familiar trucker-type denim jacket family of its legendary predecessors. Our specific pattern combines influences of several vintage iconic models, without doing a full literal cut/paste out of respect for the original long-established brands. The slanted yoke and chest pockets are a take on our Appaloosa Shirt, in turn influenced by 1950’s Sears & Roebuck denim ranchwear. The pocket flaps are adapted from our ‘classic’ denim Ranch Blouse. The cinch back strap was removed and replaced by buttoned cinch-waist tabs. The silhouette was trimmed for a more 60’s vibe.
“Suvenirs, suvenirs” with Johnny Hallyday (Los Angeles 1994)
The MF® Cowboy Jacket is designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN:
Inspired by traditional trucker-type denim jackets, aka third-type jackets.
FABRIC: Limited New Old Stock Cone Mills natural colored denim, 12.5 Oz., white/red line selvedge ID, sanforized. Milled in the USA.
DETAILS: * Fairly trim silhouette, sixties vibe. * Fabric selvedge displayed on inside front panels. * Original MF® slanted flap chest pockets. * Original brass cast MF® branded buttons. * MF® yellow “M” stitching on pockets. * Orange and yellow stitch combination. * Blue 2×1 denim pocket flap lining. * All cotton thread chainstitch construction. * Buttoned cinch-waist tabs.
* Copper rivet backed by leather washers for pockets and sleeve placket reinforcements. * Debossed leather MF® original patch. * Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT The wheat denim Cowboy Jacket comes UN-WASHED and cut so that the measurements match the labeling AFTER an initial cold soak/line dry. This specific denim is sanforized, and very minimal shrinkage is to be expected. I opted to size down from the Medium (38) I usually wear in msfc garments, and went for a Small (36) after deliberating a bit. The soaked/dry 36 fits tight and barely closes but i preferred it over the more roomy 38. What works is subjective and will depend on what silhouette one is comfortable and familiar with, as much as with the wearer’s body type.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
Cowboy Jacket fit 38
36 and 38 fits
Cowboy Jacket wheat sizing
CARE:
Wash when hygiene dictates and common sense prevails. Machine wash with cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry. Please note that the debossed graphic on the leather patch will naturally ‘flatten out’ when soaked in water. As devastating as it is, this is normal.
DISCLAIMER: Some color transfer from the the leather patch and pocket flap blue denim lining to the wheat denim might occur after laundry. This will recede with subsequent washing cycles, as light-colored garments require frequent cleaning. DO NOT use hot water as this will increase chances of color transfer.
Available RAW/unwashed SIZES:
X-Small (34)
Small (36)
Medium (38)
Large (40)
X-Large (42)
XX-Large (44)
And a free bowl of soup to the first reader who notices the upside down woven label on this early sample. Shipping not included.
Mister Freedom® HQ at 7161 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, USA. (Photo Tadashi Tawarayama 2015)
CDO Jacket, Melton wool x indigo cotton twill combo Saigon Cowboy Fall 2015
Following the recent release of the Mister Freedom® Caban Peacoat, and pushing further up the meanders of our Saigon Cowboy arroyos, here is a new number out of the bush: the ‘CDO Jacket’.
CDO stands for Commando, a respectful reference to Commandos Marine, the famed elite assault troops of the French Navy.
During France’s involvement in the Indochina War, mid-40’s to 1954, several Commandos Marine (Commando François, de Montfort, Jaubert, Tempête and Ouragan) joined forces with South Vietnamese troops on numerous operations from the Gulf of Siam to the Gulf of Tonkin. Whether navigating South China Sea waters, maneuvering Tonkin and Cochinchina waterways, or joining riverine operations around Annam deltas with the Divisons Navales d’Assaut (DINASSAUT), the Fusiliers Marins et Commandos (FUSCO) played a very active role from the early stages of the conflict. These commandos were composed of both supplétifs (enrolled pro-French Indochinese nationals) and CEFEO troops from continental France.
For units assigned to Fleuve (Brown-water Navy) or Mer (blue-water Navy), deployments involved all kinds of fun tropical aquatic activities such as exhilarating adventures in leech-infested and mosquito-ridden mangrove. Cruising aboard US-made landing craft vessels recycled from WW2, or rudimentary river patrol Swift Boat-type precursors, many of these French commandos never reached the end of their 18-month tour.
Due to field isolation, some of these units were left to their own fate and judgement, often pictured sporting eclectic outfits more adapted to local conditions and personal preferences than showing concern for strict military regulations.
For those with a yen for vivid military slang, brown-water French sailors, ‘marins en kaki’ in Indochina, were poetically nicknamed ‘chie dans l’eau” by their airborne or infantry counterparts. ‘Dans l’eau’ translates to ‘in the water’. The verb is for you to guess.
In subsequent years, in and about Vietnam’s 12,000 miles of coastal terrain, American soldiers would in turn be instructed to board all kinds of riverine crafts, some actually inherited from the French flotillas, and confront the same Viet Minh (Vietnamese independentists) enemy, relabelled Viet Cong (Vietnamese communists) to better celebrate the pursuit of the Cold War festivities…
Cdo Jaubert 1950 (Courtesy JY Seven)
CDO Montfort (1949-51) Courtesy Musiolik René
CDO Montfort 1951-53 (Courtesy O Walter)
CDO Montfort LEMONNIER Louis (Tonkin 1951) Courtesy Sélo
CDO Montfort MORVAN Joseph (Tonkin 1951-52)
CDO Montfort Sélo 1950-52 Courtesy MISPELAERE André
WW2 era LCVP, Dinassault crew in Indochina
PBR 9th Division My Tho River (1968 AP photo)
LST 97 Heavy Boat Company (1969) Courtesy Tom Poston 154th Transportation Company
Vintage photos courtesy of thisCommandos Marine homage website. Landing Ship Tank photo courtesy of this website.
Back on point.
Our ‘CDO Jacket’ is by no means a replica of 50’s French Indochina military gear, but instead a product of our questionable imagination. It mixes influences from different armies and periods, in order to create a wearable garment suitable for a peaceful 2015 bateau-mouche cruise. This jacket is the result of combining several vintage goodies in the MF® shaker: British Battledress, 1940’s US Army denim utility jacket, 1950’s French tenue de sortie (dress uniform) jackets, outdoor navy CPO-type civvy garments…
If the general pattern of the ‘CDO Jacket’ is adapted from our Spring 2015 denim Utility Jacket, the shell fabric we opted for is new to MFSC. This textured woven woolen fabric is reminiscent of 1960’s-70’s Melton wool CPO navy shirts, the common civilian kind we are all familiar with, featuring the classic black plastic anchor buttons. This fabric is different from the dense Kersey-type wool of early peacoats, or from the wool serge of typical 1940’s battledress/Ike jackets. It is more loosely woven, without the softer brushed finish, and with the woven pattern clearly visible from both sides.
Vintage Melton navy CPO shirt
1970’s wool CPO navy shirt
‘Black’ indigo is an important feature of Vietnam’s indigenous Degar People traditional attire, both men and women, in the form of dark loincloth, sarongs… Seemingly out of left field but as a subtle Montagnard reference , we have combined our navy blue woven wool fabric with the 16 Oz. indigo warp x black weft twill of our Caban Peacoat, in contrasting textures but blending colors. The two chest pockets, underarm gussets, and more importantly the collar top part, are all cut from that indigo cotton twill. The rest of the body is made of Melton-type wool. Those allergic to wool will appreciate the ‘CDO jacket’ collar not rubbing their neck.
To add another layer of historical references, our ‘CDO Jacket’ is fully lined with Buzz Rickson’s 100% cotton twill, printed with TSP (Tadpole Sparse Pattern) gold tiger stripe camouflage, the same fabric featured on the MF® Tiger Board Shorts.
Oh, and because we have way too much time on our hands, we also thought of hand-dyeing corozo wood buttons in our Mickey Mouse indigo vat, creating quite an impression in the neighborhood.
Loiron of Arabia
The fun begins when the strand breaks
The ‘CDO Jacket’ is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
FABRIC: Shell: Combination 100% wool, Melton-type, textured weave and 100% cotton twill, 16 Oz. indigo warp x black weft with white selvedge ID. Both fabrics are milled in Japan. Lining: Buzz Rickson’s 100% cotton twill, printed with TSP (Tadpole Sparse Pattern) gold tiger stripe camouflage. Made in Japan.
DETAILS:
* Revisited general pattern of the classic US Army M1941 HBT Utility jacket.
* Contrasting fabric texture combination, melton wool and indigo cotton twill.
* Battledress-type waist length.
* Side cinch straps, mil-specs metal sliders.
* Concealed inner chest pocket.
* Indigo cotton twill top collar for neck confort.
* Indigo twill selvedge visible on inside pocket fold.
* ‘Bat sleeve’ pattern with indigo twill gusset for arm hole comfort.
* Expanding box pleat chest pockets, indigo cotton twill.
* Indigo-dyed corozo wood buttons.
* Adjustable wrist cuffs.
* ‘Oxidized’ black 100% cotton thread stitching.
* MFSC ‘tailleur‘ woven label on the inside waistband.
* Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT: Our ‘CDO Jacket’ comes unwashed, is true to size, and meant to be professionally dry-cleaned.
However, for the adventurous few who like a bit of ‘torquing and roping’ in their fabrics, the jacket can be initially soaked in cold water for 20-30 mn, briefly hand agitated, and spun dry. Shape it a bit to your body by wearing it briefly before hanging and letting fully dry overnight. This process is not intended to shrink the jacket, but instead to ‘tone down’ the off-the-shelf look inherent to raw garments in general. The necessity of this step is left to everyone judgement and is merely a subjective suggestion.
Unlike its denim Utility Jacket predecessor I had opted to size down with, I wear a medium (38) in the CDO jacket.
Please refer to sizing chart for measurements.
CARE: Professional dry-cleaning or hand-wash and hang-dry. Do NOT use hot water or throw the jacket in a dryer.
Available RAW/unwashed SIZES:
Small (36)
Medium (38)
Large (40)
X-Large (42)
XX-Large (44)
