The “Appaloosa shirt”, HBT stripe denim NOS
Sportsman Fall 2015
We hope your are having an amazing summer. About that time of the year when Fall drops for us.
First installment of Fall 2015 in our growing ‘The Sportsman’ catalog is a shirt pattern introduced during Fall 2013, the Appaloosa, an internet sensation in the Acadian tux community.
The what tux?
Baby The Rain Must Fall (1964)
“O Sole Mio…”
Hey pal, can you sing “Down The Street Around The Corner”? You do it so well.
Be nice.
After a cup of smart juice, we settled on ONE denim lot this time around, not four. That New Old Stock denim is also an old acquaintance for us, as we already used part of that lot for the Spring 2015 ‘Workman Shirt’. This fabric is a dark pinstripe herringbone twill 2×1 denim of about 8 oz., with an initial raw fabric sheen. The HBT pattern is more clearly visible on the inside of the fabric. The pinstripes on the face are very subtle. Although blackish/grayish-looking when brand new, this fabric will naturally fade to blue with repeat wash-wear cycles.
For the design, we have combined several details of vintage western and work shirts, diverting a bit from the traditional cowboy cut denim western yoke numbers. As introduced a few years back with the Sportsman printed flannel Camp Shirts, our Appaloosa Shirt features painted metal snaps, reminiscent of 50’s Ranchcraft or Blue Bell shirts. Our front yoke is of a vintage ‘Roebuck’ type rather than the usual western arcuate style. The pocket flaps are locked in the yoke.
The Appaloosa also combines two stitching colors, yellow and orange, in what appears to be a random pattern. The top collar button on this edition is the metal debossed mfsc type we often use for our Sportsman line.
The Sportsman ‘Appaloosa Shirt’ is designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An original mfsc pattern, inspired by vintage workwear and western shirting.
FABRIC: HBT stripe denim: 100% cotton herringbone twill denim, subtle vertical stripe design, dark indigo color, about 8 Oz. Origin USA.
DETAILS:
* Slim ‘western shirt’ type silhouette and fit.
* Painted metal DOT snaps. The white paint will chip with age.
* Vintage ‘Roebuck’ type front yoke
* Western style back yoke.
* Two chest pockets, snap flaps, locked into yoke construction.
* Double snap cuffs.
* Orange and yellow 100% cotton stitching combination, high stitch count.
* Double chainstitch construction with green color thread “Sportsman” inside signature.
* Olive green cotton popeline side gusset, chainstitch run offs.
* Original mfsc “The Sportsman” woven rayon label.
* Made in USA
SIZING/WASHING:
This shirt comes RAW/Un-washed and will shrink to tagged size. We recommend an original 20-30mn cold soak, machine spin dry then line dry.
I usually wear a Medium in mfsc shirting and I am a comfortable MEDIUM in this ‘Appaloosa’ HBT stripe denim shirt. I had to size up to a Large with the original Fall 2013 edition of the Appaloosa Shirt, but this one is true-to-size.
Please refer to sizing chart for raw/rinsed measurements. We fully washed and partially machine dried these samples, so our measurements reflect the maximum shrinkage that can be expected.
Appaloosa HBT Sizing Chart
Available RAW/Un-washed
Sizes S, M, L, XL, XXL
Retail $279.95
Mister Freedom® Black Road Champ (BRC) engineer boot.
Made in USA
We have always looked forward to the day we would reply “Yes!” to the formidable “Do they come in black?”
Obstinacy be praised, that day has come, the champs are back, and they’re back in black.
We understand some of you on the Road Champs waiting list have been beyond patient (I hear some put their name for a specific size two years ago!). Sincerely grateful for the support, we truly apologize for the frustration. Thankfully, there are today more options than when we first introduced our vintage-inspired RC engineer boot, sometime around 2008. Several quality contemporary brands are now offering similar flat toe profiles and BRMC Brando-style models, in a range of colors and leathers. Reviews of what’s out there today can be found on John V’s Vintage Engineer Boots blog, along with valuable info, knowledge, facts and myths around this specific style of work boots. Don’t forget to check John’s leather crafting skills on his VEB store.
Manufacturing the Road Champs in the USA has always been a real challenge for us, a very long chain of events that involves many ‘special’ people, each one a crucial link. At the end of the high-end footwear manufacturing journey, QC (Quality Control) must be unforgiving. As with the rest of what we do, we don’t claim to do it best, just trying to do it right.
As a result, we are a bit behind with our Mister Freedom® footwear output… One of the many reasons production has been backed-up is raw material issues. Faced with color inconsistency in our stock of RC uncut vegetable tanned hides, custom ordered from Horween Leather for the past eight years, we decided to make lemonade with lemons. We had a batch of Road Champ brown hides professionally hand-dyed to a beautiful and rich shade of black. After this treatment, the black-dyed cowhides went through the painstaking boot-making process… all the way to the QC verdict.
We just received the first small batch of these special edition Black Road Champs, and I have to admit I was quite disappointed… not to see my size!
🙂 The BRC look mighty sweet in person, if I may say. The underlying brown tones will resurface with normal wear, creating an attractive natural patina over time. You too will then develop an urge to take photos of your feet several times a day, mesmerizing your friends on Instagram.
For the BRC, we are also updating the sole option by mounting vintage New Old Stock rubber soles and heels. We were fortunate to find some limited stock of Nitrene which, from experience with the MF® Trooper Boots, have proved to be a bit longer-lasting on asphalt than Cat’s Paws. These old Nitrene half soles boast a “Non Marking – Oil Resistant – Long Wearing” quality. I am not one to believe any kind of advertising, but rubber is definitely less slippery than the leather soles of the original RC.
The last, pattern, MF® signature green top, sizing, price of the BRC all remain the same as the original RC.
The production of the RC has always been trickling slowly, and it is likely not to change as we continue to be regarding and selective with what bears our name. These new Mister Freedom® engineer boots will continue to be made in very small batches, and size availability will continue to be limited. This is not a marketing strategy on our part, nor a way to aggravate customers, just the result of us keeping quality standards.
In this golden age of disposable wares, cheap imports and consumerism, we’re just happy there still is footwear manufacturing activity in the USA.
This first batch of BRC will be dispatched according to the current waiting list, for those interested in a black version of our Road Champ boot. It is possible that more original brown Road Champs be available in the future, but we do not have a timeline for that.
Brigitte Bardot & Alain Delon wearing a winner (on Eric Tabarly’s boat, Saint-Tropez, 1968) Photo Courtesy of Getty Images)
“Aventure Beach Trunks”, made in USA. Sportsman Summer 2015
A proper introduction to our “Aventure Beach Trunks” will require the assistance of the action-packed movie provider of your choice. Put a little umbrella in your drink, and indulge in “L’Aventure c’est l’Aventure” (Claude Lelouch, 1972).
Spoiler alert, you might not learn much about jungle guerrilla warfare, but the art of working the beach will no longer hold secrets for you.
Aldo, Lino, Charlot, Jacquo… pick yourself a winner.
The “Aventure Beach Trunks” borrow the general pattern of our classic Sportsman Board Shorts, the original indigo version or “Saigon Cowboy” tiger stripe model, and feature Velcro closure, side pocket, cord waist adjustment… Please note that the tiger stripe option of the “Aventure Beach Trunk” is not made from Buzz Rickson’s gold tiger stripes, but from NOS selvedge camo fabric.
We have carefully selected vintage selvedge cotton fabric from our vault for this project. These NOS sixties/seventies novelty print textiles have been purchased over the course of many years, some collected as far back as during MF® early trials under the name Cricri Le Matelot in the early 2000’s.
Each pair had to be cut individually, a time-consuming requisite when using all different width of fabrics that cannot be stacked under one cutting marker. With very limited yardage of these fabrics, each design only yielded a few waist sizes. When possible, the selvedge was used on the inner part of the waistband.
For your beachcombing pleasure, we have made dozens of assorted eye-pleasing combinations, emulating what an old 1970’s Californian beach shack on the Venice Boardwalk might have offered during its hippy days. Due to variations in vintage fabric weight and texture, some options might be better suited for strolling on hot sand than coming out of chilly water. For the sake of your friends, and your reputation, we recommend testing at home.
Rumor has it that there is an embarrassing video on the interwebs highlighting the unforgiving fit of our beach trunks… but I wouldn’t know anything about that.
The classy “Aventure Beach Trunks” are designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®. Limited edition.
SPECS:
FABRICS:
Made from assorted NOS (New Old Stock) vintage novelty print cotton fabrics, canvas or twill. Designs, weight and texture vary.
DETAILS: * Late 60’s to 1970’s style
* Cord/eyelet waist closure system.
* Velcro® fly closure.
* Selvedge waistband when feasible.
* Side pocket with Velcro® closure flap.
* Rear concealed pocket.
* Poly-cotton contrast stitching.
* Few of a kind, limited edition.
* Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT:
All of the vintage fabrics were pre-washed prior to the cut/sew process, to even out the shrinkage across the board. Each pair of finished trunks was subsequently cold-rinsed and tumble-dried again. With very slight variations, all models tagged with the same size will fit the same, some fabrics featuring more mechanical stretch than others. Each pair was size stamped after the rinse/dry process, so if your waist actually measures 32”, you would wear a tagged 32.
The eyelet waist closure system allows for about ½ inch adjustment.
CHART
CARE:
Low maintenance, machine wash when needed, cold and delicate cycle.
Available from www.misterfreedom.com. The full selection of options can be seen in our Los Angeles ol’ pile o’ rags, aka the brick & mortar store.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support.
