Map Shirt, “MN denim twill” issue
“Sea Hunt” mfsc Fall 2014
Here is numéro trois in our Map Shirt trilogy, its pattern as always inspired by the M1953 Utility Shirt issued to the Marine Corps in the 1950’s. For those feeling we have sufficiently milked that cow, knowing this is the final addition will come as a relief.
Having reached my batrachian-related joke quota I will respectfully mention that “MN” refers to “Marine Nationale“, aka the French Navy.
Sometime in the 1960’s, denim twill dungarees replaced the set of linen work clothes originally issued to French seaman recruits. These linen work tops and bottoms came in both white and bleu chiné. Our Spring 2014 Crew Pants, the “MN” model in cotton/linen, was a reference to that heather blue 1950’s version the cols bleus (the “blue collars”, aka the men with the red pompom) had in their sea bag.
 Vintage “Marine Nationale” linen work uniforms The cotton denim the French opted for as the replacement fabric for the work uniform in the 1960’s was in no way comparable to its dark indigo blue US Navy dungaree counterpart. It was much lighter in color. The warp had a definite purplish tone. The weft gave an almost solid white aspect to the reverse side of the denim.
I have to admit that I was not a big fan of that denim when the French Government decided to tell me what to wear in the mid 1980’s. Mostly embracing American culture courtesy of Hollywood at the time, sporting denim shorts (the summer issue of the work pants) and leather Hoh-Chi-Minh sandals, was quite the brutal departure from “The Wild One”, in my eyes. For years, I relegated that tenue n°105bis to squaresville. Until…
 
This denim eventually grew on me, as its own thing with its own History, to the point where it was no longer a pale version of something else.
Still referred to as bleu chiné in Naval circles, the contemporary Marine Nationale version of this work-clothes fabric is today made of a 65% poly and 35% cotton blend.
My fondness is limited to its earlier 100% cotton version.
The textile experts at Sugar Cane Co did an amazing job at instructing their factory in milling this “MN denim twill” from the authentic vintage swatches we had supplied. To be honest, the first fabric sample roll lacked the purplish hue and was too grey, but this production batch is spot on!
We chose to have it milled on shuttle looms, a costly process, opting for a solid white selvedge ID.
The result is an exclusive mfsc 9.4 oz. denim twill I am quite found of and proud to introduce for our “Sea Hunt” Fall 2014 chapter.
In our “Map Shirt” grouping, the pattern for the “MN” issue is shared with its “Cavalry Twill” sister, displaying the twill fabric selvedge on the front panel fold and on the button hole placket (only visible on the inside of the shirt).
For the batrachian-inclined, the frog skin version of our Map Shirt is discussed here and available there.
The “MN” Map Shirt is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
Fabric milled in Japan.
SPECS
FABRIC:
9.4 oz. denim twill, 100% cotton, solid white selvedge ID.
DETAILS:
* Pattern inspired my 1950’s UMSC-issued utility shirts.
* Comfortable over-shirt fit.
* USN-type chambray accents (collar facing, wrist gussets, pocket flap facing, inside pockets)
* Two chest pockets with flap closure.
* Concealed button front closure.
* Selvedge button hole placket and front panel fold.
* One large map inside pocket, side opening.
* One concealed chest pocket, top opening.
* White corozo buttons (these buttons are wood, NOT plastic).
* Side slits.
* Flat-felled seam construction.
* Tonal 100% cotton thread stitching.
* Made in Japan.
WASHING/SIZING:
This garment comes raw/unwashed and will shrink to tagged size after an original cold soak/line dry.
I soak mine, spun dry and wore it damp to shape it. It fully dried on a hanger overnight and was crispy and ready to wear in the morning. Do not be alarmed if the fabric wrinkles, this is normal and not a defect.
Our Map Shirt is intended to be quite a comfortable fitting garment, easy to wear over a chambray shirt, a Tshirt… If you are a Medium in mfsc jackets/shirts, you are a Medium in the “MN” Map Shirt.
Maximum shrinkage to be expected with the use of hot water and heat dryer, but is NOT recommended, as unnecessary loss of color and unattractive marbling will occur.
This “MN” denim twill will eventually fade a bit with normal wear and subsequent washing, but the contrasts will not be as gratifying as the honeycomb-obsessed dream about.
When cleaning is required, we recommend hand washing in cold water with mild detergent and line dry.
Please refer to sizing chart for raw/rinsed measurements.
Available Raw/unwashed.
Sizes S, M, L, XL, XXL
Retail $349.95
Available from www.misterfreedom.com
Please call 323-653-2014 or email sales@misterfreedom.com with any questions not answered above.
As always, thank you sincerely for your support
Map Shirt, Indigo ‘Cavalry Twill’ issue
“Sea Hunt” mfsc Fall 2014
Here is numéro deux in our Map Shirt family, its pattern still inspired by the M1953 “Gomer Pyle” Utility Shirt issued to the Marine Corps in the 1950’s.
This time nothing to do with frogs, if not for the fact that ‘Cavalry Twill’ shares its origin with tricotine, a double twill the French came up with around 1886.
After handing over to our friends at Sugar Cane a small swatch of vintage indigo cavalry twill from the Mister Freedom® textile archives, all we had to do around here was sit quietly and wait for DHL to deliver a sample of the new milled fabric… What came out of the Japanese mill tasked with duplicating our swatch was this obscure and dark selvedged denim-like twill…
  
It kind of looked like denim but was not technically denim, i was told. Someone started to technically explain me what made the indigo warp over the double weft a specific twill, in japanese, but I mentioned I had a 06:30 to get a tattoo.
If the resulting fabric looked more blackish-grey than indigo blue, a simple wash test settled all doubts we had a new ‘awsome‘ fabric for Fall 2014.
 My awsome tattoo Back to our Map Shirt. The overall pattern is similar to its ‘frog skin’ sister, with a few adaptations, such as the use of the twill fabric selvedge on the two front panel folds and on the buttonhole placket. But only you will know.
The Cavalry twill Map Shirt is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co. Fabric milled in Japan.
SPECS
FABRIC:
100% cotton indigo ‘Cavalry twill’, 9.7 oz., solid white selvedge ID.
DETAILS:
* Pattern inspired my 1950’s UMSC-issued utility shirts.
* Comfortable over-shirt fit.
* USN-type chambray accents (collar facing, wrist gussets, pocket flap facing, inside pockets)
* Two chest pockets with flap closure.
* Concealed button front closure.
* Selvedge button hole placket and front panel fold.
* One large map inside pocket, side opening.
* One concealed chest pocket, top opening.
* Light brown corozo buttons.
* Flat-felled seam construction.
* Tonal 100% cotton thread stitching.
* Made in Japan.
WASHING/SIZING:
This garment comes raw/unwashed and will shrink to tagged size after an original cold soak/line dry.
I soak mine, spun dry and wore it damp to shape it, just because it is still 105 in California. It fully dried on a hanger overnight and was crispy in the morning. Poifect.
Our Map Shirt is intended to be quite a comfortable fitting top, easy to wear over a chambray shirt, a Tshirt, or a Batman costume when it’s that time of the year.
If you are a Medium in mfsc jackets/shirts, you are a Medium in the Map Shirt.
Maximum shrinkage to be expected with the use of hot water and heat dryer, but is NOT recommended, as unnecessary loss of indigo dye and unattractive color marbling will occur.
This indigo cavalry twill fabric should be treated like premium indigo denim, as it will bleed, shrink/stretch, and fade with normal wear and subsequent washing.
When needed, hand wash in cold water with mild detergent and line dry.
Please refer to sizing chart for raw/rinsed measurements.
Available Raw/unwashed
Sizes S,M,L,XL,XXL
Retail $349.95
Available from www.misterfreedom.com
Please call 323-653-2014 or email sales@misterfreedom.com with any questions not answered above.
As always, thank you sincerely for your support
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Lobby card courtesy of Andrew “Yesterday’s Heroes Vintage” Pruill
-
-
“Bullfrog & the Frog Skins” rehearsal
-
-
Don’t ask…
-
-
You taulkin to me?
-
-
Rooaaaah roooaaaah
Map Shirt, “frog skin” issue
“Sea Hunt” mfsc Fall 2014
Following the landing of our enigmatic blue shirt, here is the second drop of our “Sea Hunt” 2014 Fall chapter.
Our map shirt gets its name from the large concealed chest pocket designed to hold the funny papers, aka topographic maps. Please note that it is not necessary to bring a map of the Sahara on any of the major Pacific islands.
As usual, we did not ask the US Army for permission to borrow the design of its M1953 utility shirt (M stands for model, P for pattern). The M1953 was originally issued to the US Marine Corps in the mid 1950’s. Early models were cut from OD herringbone twill, to be replaced in 1956 by a sage green cotton sateen version… The M1953 is the basic pattern of our Map Shirt.
Since our map shirt is no replica, we figured we’d give that “Gomer Pile” pattern a few MF® twists. It is available in three different fabrics for Fall 2014, and the first to be released is a camouflage version.
Italians are not only famous for having invented entertaining football in 2006, but also for coming up with the “telo mimetico” in 1929. That original ‘simulating fabric’ is known to be the first printed camouflage to be issued to troops. It came in the form of a half-shelter tent. This revolutionary concept beat any previous attempts from the French to hand paint foliage concealment on issued gear.
Little did the Italians know that camouflage would eventually be put to better use decades later, making it to Pitti Uomo, living rooms and closets.
   
Our map shirt showcases a type of camouflage known as “frog skin”, “duck hunter” or M1942 US camo.
We specifically chose this one for two reasons:
1) It fell off the Buzz Rickson’s truck and we know Sgt. Bilko.
2) Because of an inspiring photo found in the book “Les Papous Coupeurs de Têtes“ (Tony Saulnier, 1961), based on the Oscar-winning film “Le Ciel et la Boue“, a documentary we mentioned when introducing the “Sea Hunt” watchman jacket. In an epic capture, one of the member of that 1959 expedition, a shirtless Gérard “machete” Delloye is seen wading through a New Guinea river carrying a military surplus USMC-issued frog skin jacket.
A fine example of how we seek the help of professional fashion forecasting services before launching new garments.
 Gerard Delloye 1959 (Photo courtesy of Tony Saulnier) Most of you are by now familiar with the camouflage pattern of our Map Shirt. Frog skin military replicas and fashion items have been available for some time.
And now, a few words for the History buffs…
With its origins in the early days of WW2, the P1942 frog skin camouflage fabric is considered to be the first printed camouflage issued to American Armed Forces.
It is well documented that early tests for tropical warfare fatigues have been conducted around 1940, but most scholars still dispute the fact that field studies have involved Martha Vickers. We have R&D documents.
 
Tasked with providing US Marine Raiders with proper concealment in Pacific islands jungles, the US Army Corps of Engineers came up with a reversible fabric around 1942, printed with a green-dominant jungle side and brown-dominant beach side.
It eventually proved to be less efficient than hoped for by General McArthur’s fighting troops, and was mostly abandoned by the end of 1944, when its similarity with some Wehrmacht units camouflage attracted friendly fire in Normandy, France.
-
-
1943 Fall Fashion
-
-
Raiders training, Courtesy Dept of Defense
-
-
US Marines, Okinawa 1945
-
-
Navajo Code Talkers, Saipan 1944
-
-
USMC Raider, Courtesy Dept of Defense
-
-
The P1942 OG
Meanwhile, back in this jungle…
Surprisingly, the 100% cotton base fabric is originally… white. Yes! After the HBT textile is milled, it is printed on each side with two different patterns, involving several screens and a total of five different colors. This double-sided printing process was a type of complicated silkscreen/roller set-up with partial bleed-through effect, and quite the novelty in the early 40’s.
Please note our P1942 camo fabric was printed using traditional methods, not computers. The keen eye will notice some pinhead-size white dots on our fabric. This is due to the slub of the yarn and also the lint specs present on the raw/unwashed white fabric at the time of printing. The lint gets printed as the top layer, leaving a white dot when brushed off. If you get a white spot the shape of a fly, that’s a collector.
To clarify, our Map Shirt is not reversible. However, the fashion-forward will know to suavely roll the sleeves and display the ‘beach’ side at any given moment, triggering instant admiration and generating envy from peers.
We have added a touch of blue with concealed cotton chambray accents, for no other reason that we found the combo visually pleasing.
If this shirt can be worn tucked-in, as the original M1953 shirts were intended to, we have added side slits to compliment an un-tucked look. Anyone reading this is old enough to not be told how to wear their shirt anyways.
The “Sea Hunt” Map Shirt is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS
FABRIC:
100% cotton Herringbone Twill (HBT), P1942 “frog skin” camouflage, double sided printing. Fabric milled in Japan for Buzz Rickson’s.
DETAILS:
* Pattern inspired my 1950’s UMSC-issued utility shirts.
* Comfortable over-shirt fit.
* Non-reversible.
* USN-type chambray accents (collar facing, wrist gussets, pocket flap facing, inside pockets)
* Two chest pockets, concealed button flaps.
* One large map inside pocket, side opening.
* One concealed chest pocket, top opening.
* Concealed button-hole tape placket.
* Light brown corozo buttons.
* Flat-felled seam construction.
* OD 100% cotton thread stitching.
* Made in Japan.
WASHING/SIZING:
This garment comes raw/unwashed and will shrink to tagged size after an original cold soak/line dry. Further shrinkage to be expected with the use of hot water and heat dryer.
It is intended to be a comfortable fitting shirt, easy to wear over a chambray shirt or Tshirt.
If you are a Medium in mfsc jackets/shirts, you are a Medium in the Map Shirt.
Because the base HBT fabric is white before being printed, toning down of colors will naturally occur. This fading should not be considered a quest or a defect, only the natural consequence of the wash/wear process over the years.
Please refer to sizing chart for raw/rinsed measurements.
(Please note that if we do our best to scientifically measure garments, the Art of measuring seems to be a subjective concept we are working on to master.)
CHART
Available Raw/Unwashed
Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, XX-Large
Retail: $379.95
Soon available from www.misterfreedom.com
Please call 323-653-2014 or email sales@misterfreedom.com with any questions not answered above.
As always, thank you sincerely for your support
🙂
Mister Freedom® Fall 2014 head-gear
The Watch Cap & Boonie Hat
New Old Stock Gov’t Issue surplus
Just because it appears I lost mine recently is a good reminder that you should protect yours.
So here is a selection of covers we’ve dug up for Fall 2014, some New Old Stock Mil-Specs surplus items.
CAP, KNIT, WATCH
Made in USA
We could have gone the DIY Mattel route but decided instead to acquire stock from the fine folks manufacturing them for the US Government.
Our wool caps are knitted on a circular knitting machine the size of Soyuz 19, and about as easy to operate I’ve heard.
 
Please note that our watchcaps are not reproductions of the original 1940’s A-4 type knit hats issued to USAAF mechanics, as there are already reputable companies offering these.
Our caps are following contemporary US military specs and standards, and are still available today from PX.
We’ve customized this standard issue a bit, adding an ID cloth label, as we had done in 2008 with our old school USN-style watch cap. Admittedly not as useful as a LED flashlight, our ID patch can be customized according to your preferences. This label is not intended as a billboard and is ‘strategically’ positioned on the tubular knit in order to be partially concealed when the cap is worn with the double fold method.
A wool hat won’t turn anyone into Steve McQueen or Jack ‘Bunny’ Nicholson, but will keep your head warm while you keep your cool.
According to how you sport this hat, it will go from ski hat to commando cover… to everything in between.
        
(Warm thanks to Sam Cox at WMM for sending above WW2 Seabees photo)
US Gov’t surplus, manufactured in the USA.
SPECS:
* Two ply worsted 100% wool.
* Dark navy blue or Olive Green.
* Circular knit (no side seam).
* Four darts crown.
* US Mil-specs.
WASHING:
Professional dry clean only. This is a wool item, do not machine wash or put in a heat dryer.
Hand washing with eco-friendly wool detergent (such as “Ecovert Delicate Wash”) is possible but might result with stretching or shrinking of the knit hat, to be done at your own risks.
MF® Wool Watchcap available UNISSUED
Color options: Dark navy blue or Olive Green
One Size fits all.
Retail $39.95
And now this one…
-
-
-
-
Fashion Tutorial #1
-
-
Fashion Tutorial #2
-
-
Fashion Statement Field Testing
HAT, SUN, HOT WEATHER
TYPE II
Made in USA
Sometimes you gotta love the military for not calling a spade a “spatulous device for abrading the surface of the soil” (Joseph Devlin, 1910).
An E-tool is an E-tool. There it is.
What we have here is a “HAT, SUN, HOT WEATHER”. You’d think there wouldn’t be much to add after this.
Watch me.
This hat finds its origin with the bush-worn felt hat popular with the British troops and Australian diggers in the early XXth Century. The British military replaced felt with cotton fabric around 1944 in order to provide a more practical and durable hot weather hat.
During the Indochina conflict, the chapeaux de brousse, a hat resembling a sort of quilted cowboy hat with a snapped brim, came out. These were often locally made from recycled uniform, parachute or tent camo fabric and favored by French colonial troops and their local VNA allies alike.
Following the (official) US involvement in Vietnam in 1965, an urgent need for proper tropical field equipment ensued. Around 1967, a new hat pattern was developed and adapted from its predecessors in the Natick labs of Massachusetts…
The “HAT, SUN, HOT WEATHER” was to become a US military standard issue, available in OD popeline, ERDL, multi cam… or pink camo, according to where you shop.
The overall design has not much changed today, and this hat is still issued to combat troops.
     
These covers are often referred to as boonies, because less common on Wall Street than the in boondocks.
In the 1960’s, they earned their stripes on US Special Forces incursions in humid South-East Asia jungles. I have read somewhere that on night patrols, the dome shape of the steel helmet left too much of a target silhouette for VC snipers. Floppy hats were thought to be a better option, as they blended more efficiently with the natural shapes of the jungle. To accentuate that effect, the brim was often chopped-off and the edges frayed, as many period photos show. These boonies were soon associated with LRRPs, RECONDOs… along with the rest of the salty in-Country crowd. The boonie hat was originally were a statement of bad-assness. They were also worn by ARVN troops and Australian units before being adopted by more branches of the military.
These hats were as popular with troops as they weren’t with the higher-highers, too floppy in appearance for the starch-obsessed.
But they worked, and Vietnam would prove out a fine theater for all kinds of liberties with outfits and behaviors.
The hatband was designed to hold branches or strips of fabrics for field concealment while on raid. That piece of tape also made a fine display for grenade rings, pins and other goodies, when you took your party hat to town.
The four mesh-screen eyelets on the crown allowed air circulation while preventing bugs to p*** you off any further while humping through rice paddies. The hat rolls up in a conic shape, making it easy to carry around in a bag pocket. The crown is shorter in front than in the back, which gives it a specific profile and ‘attitude’.
-
-
Darrell G Moe Elmore, Project DELTA Recon (May 1968)
-
-
Meanwhile, USO Show Vietnam tour (October 1968)
-
-
Party hat
-
-
Poetry
Photo on left courtesy of Darrell G Moe Elmore, Project Delta Recon (May 1968) via this forum. Regarding the bush hat he is wearing on the photo, Mr. Elmore mentioned “I lost it during the summer of 68 while we were fighting in the Saigon area with the ARVN 81st Airborne Rangers. I never got another to ‘break in’ like it”… Thank you for your service Sir, and for letting us feature this BA photo!
Other photos eBay/public forums.
But lets get back on point with the NOS model we are offering for Fall 2014. Our specimen here is an original Government issue, to the best of my knowledge, and I’ve been known to have my foot in my mouth up to the knee at times.
The fabric feels like NyCo (mil-specs 50% nylon/50% cotton). The camouflage is of the tiger stripe pattern family. I am quite uncertain about the actual vintage of this issue, as research based on the procurement label was more confusing than enlightening. A great deal of infos can be found here for the investigating kind, as well as in several books, such as “Les Paras Francais en Indochine“.
I am guessing these might be an older stock from the 1980’s? In any case, they are USA made, as opposed to the countless ‘imports’ available from most Army-Navy stores today.
We were lucky to score two good size options: 7 and 7 ¼
US Gov’t surplus, manufactured in the USA. Limited supply.
SPECS:
* Tiger stripe camo pattern
* Mil-specs NyCo rip stop fabric (50% nylon/50% cotton)
* 2 ½ ” wide brim
* Adjustable chin-strap, leather toggle
* Vent mesh-screen eyelets
* Foliage ring hatband.
* Made in USA
WASHING:
Hand wash when necessary, hang dry. Minimal to no shrinkage.
Available UNISSUED
Pattern: Tiger stripe
Sizes: 7 and 7¼
Retail $49.95
While stock lasts, both the watch cap and boonie hat are available from our Los Angeles store and online from www.misterfreedom.com
Call 323-653-2014 or email sales@misterfreedom.com with any question unanswered above.
Thank you for your patience and support 😉
 Louis XVI, in our elegant blue shirt.
 
Indeed, they come in different colors.
This one is blue.
Designed in California by Mister Freedom®, manufactured in Japan in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co. Fabric milled in Japan.
Available RAW/unwashed.
SIZES:
Small
Medium
Large
X-Large
XX-Large
Retail $384.95
Soon available from www.misterfreedom.com
Please call 323-653-2014 or email sales@misterfreedom.com with any questions not answered above.
Thank you sincerely for your support.
BREAKING NEWS!!!!
We can’t hold it any longer. The rumors of a Special Edition BS (Blue Shirt) are indeed TRUE.
Here is a preview.
And that’s just the outside.
To pre-order email audigier@monsterfreedom.com
(limit 5 blue shirts per customer)
|
