Mister Freedom® APPALOOSA Western Snap Shirt
NOS HBT stripe denim edition (2015) fabric evo
Made in USA
The Mister Freedom® APPALOOSA, introduced during Fall 2013, was our first traditional “western snap” shirt and has been released in a variety of denim-related fabrics.
Its fancier legacy is our Dude Rancher today, with elaborate pattern work, but the OG design — discussed here — blended more plebeian Roebuck denim snap shirts and utilitarian roots of vintage cowboy fashion.
After the initial 2013 goat rodeo of releasing the first batch in mixed yardages of NOS denims of unknown origins and specs, we cut the pattern in an unassuming NOS HBT stripe denim fabric in 2015, followed by a small batch of double indigo twill in 2016.
Fabric wise, classifying that 2015 release in the HBT/stripe family is a bit misleading. The vertical woven herringbone twill pattern is hardly noticeable to the untrained eye (it’s even hard to capture on camera!), and the weft pin stripe not as blatant as, say, classic workwear hickory stripes.
The “unassuming” part is because that specific fabric in its raw state looks like an average 2×1 denim, and will only reach full character after repeat wear/wash cycles.
We don’t resort to factory-distressed gimmicks to make our clothes more relevant to contemporary fashion, and more appealing to the average consumer, we let you do the hard work of breaking-in your own clothes. A “vintage wash”, in industry parlance, consists in mechanically abrading/sand-blasting/stone-washing/laser-burning/etc a perfectly fine garment, resulting in a fake patina that took 90% out of the life of said garment, and ultimately makes you look like a tool.
More on that here.
“Wear your clothes!”
A few pieces of the Appaloosa NOS HBT denim still 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®
©2024
Vintage Rodeo poster from www.lemagasin.eu
The “Appaloosa shirt”, double indigo cotton selvedge twill
Sportsman Spring 2016
We are adding a new sensation to our Appaloosa family this Spring. Originally released in several traditional blue denim options, a batch was later issued in a stripe denim twill.
While fabric hunting sometime last year, we came across a handsome indigo-dyed twill we couldn’t resist. A double indigo (indigo warp and indigo weft), with white selvedge ID, 8 oz, milled in Japan, perfect for an iteration of the Appaloosa. We often refer to this kind of twill as ‘midnight’, but that’s just us with an inclination for fancy verbiage.
The Appaloosa shirt’s design stays the same. It combines 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 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 top collar button is the metal debossed mfsc type we often use for our Sportsman line.
You’ll notice we went full Zorro on this 2016 edition, opting for a subdued look. The metal snaps are painted black and the stitching is tonal, ie. dark navy.
The Sportsman ‘Appaloosa Shirt’ is designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
(Vintage Rodeo poster from our friend Damien at www.lemagasin.eu)
SPECS:
PATTERN: An original mfsc pattern, inspired by vintage workwear and western shirting.
FABRIC:
Dark indigo warp x indigo weft twill, 100% cotton, white selvedge ID, 8 Oz., milled in Japan.
DETAILS:
* Slim ‘western shirt’ type silhouette and fit.
* Painted metal DOT snaps. The black 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.
* Tonal 100% cotton stitching, high stitch count.
* Double chainstitch construction with green color thread “Sportsman” inside signature.
* Selvedge side gusset, chainstitch run offs.
* Original mfsc “The Sportsman” woven rayon label.
* Made in USA
SIZING/FIT:
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 wear a comfortable MEDIUM in this double indigo twill Appaloosa release.
Please note that the initial cold soak of the Appaloosa shirt I am breaking in resulted in very minimal shrinkage. I expect more shrinkage with subsequent washing and am OK with the extra slack seen on the fit picture for now.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements to see what works for you. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
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CARE:
Launder when hygiene dictates and common sense prevails.
Machine wash. Cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry. We recommend turning indigo blue/denim garments inside out to avoid marbling from the washing cycles.
Patina will develop according to activities and frequency of wear.
WARNING: As with most dark indigo-dyed garments, color croaking is to be expected. Indigo rubs on light color undergarments will wash off over time, but beware of sofas and car seats as they might be trickier to clean up.
Available RAW/unwashed.
SIZES:
14½ (Small)
15½ (Medium)
16½ (Large)
17½ (X-Large)
18½ (XX-Large)
RETAIL $279.95
Soon 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® 2016
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Acadian wedding formal wear.
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Sure you can’t pull ’em britches up any higher?
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.
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The what tux?
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Baby The Rain Must Fall (1964)
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“O Sole Mio…”
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Hey pal, can you sing “Down The Street Around The Corner”? You do it so well.
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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
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, such as “Why aren’t those half-selvedge Buckaroos half price?!?”
Thank you for your support.
The “APPALOOSA” Denim Shirt
mfsc Sportsman Fall 2013
The Appaloosa, the ‘spotted horse’, has always fascinated me as a kid. Indians rode them in the western movies, how cool is that.
Because Appaloosa horses were scarce where I grew up however, I settled for local alternatives.
Please note that there is absolutely no evidence of the above anecdote, due to its pre-smartphone era when meals and daily footwear choices went undocumented.
Oh, wait…
What does all this have to do with a denim shirt? Not much indeed. So. Take two.
A denim shirt was a wardrobe staple for many of the usual cool suspects back in the days, on or off set. Hud, Henry Thomas… you name ’em.
We have issued a few denim shirts in the past at Mister Freedom®. The “Utility Shirt” and “CPO Shirt, Liberty Issue” in our early Naval days, the “Prairie Shirt” in our Frontier days…
But we do not have one yet in our ‘The Sportsman’ catalog. So let’s introduce the “APPALOOSA” Denim Shirt, an addition for Fall 2013.
It’s moniker has been scientifically approached above, so we’re good. For the design, we have combined several details of vintage western and work shirts, trying to stay clear from the ‘traditional’ cowboy cut denim western yoke shirt, aka the Wrangler shirt, denim shirt ol’ timer.
As previously with our Sportsman printed flannel shirts, we shamelessly borrowed their painted metal snaps from 50’s Ranchcraft or Blue Bell shirts. Our front yoke is of a vintage ‘Roebuck’ type rather than the usual western arcuate style, its seam also locking the pocket flaps.
The Appaloosa also combines two stitching colors, yellow and orange, in what appears to be a random pattern. The idea here being to emulate old school work wear, during days when a pressed for time factory often used what was on hand to fill an order. That is fabric and thread used.
With workwear and sportswear manufacturing, consistency seems to be somewhat of a modern concept, considering the many examples of ‘craftsmanship funkiness’ seen in (real) vintage clothing. Unintentional mismatched fabric panels (different dye lots, sometimes different fabrics) or odd stitch lines are just a few challenging points to the ‘clothes were better made back then’ usual theory.
It might sound a bit silly to go the extra mile nowadays to ‘mimic’ the manufacturing mistakes of the past, but there is to me definitely beauty in flaws. 侘 寂 some call it…
Along these lines of charming inconsistency, and because we know better than to make it simple, we have selected four different New Old Stock (NOS) rolls of 2×1 denim from our stock to get cut and sewn into Appaloosa shirts.
Similar in weight and appearance, all four denim have their own specifics and subtle differences:
* Lot A: Approx 9 Oz. Random ‘snowy’ spotted appearance. No, I don’t mean 80’s acid wash, that’s next year’s collection. Rather, a slub quality due to fluctuations of the weft spun yarn gage. Blackish dark navy, white selvedge with yellow line.
* Lot C: Approx 9 Oz. Bluish shade. White selvedge ID with red line.
* Lot D: Approx 8 Oz. Purplish sheen. White selvedge ID with double red line.
* Lot E: Similar to Lot C but solid white selvedge ID.
Now I know you have some important questions you want to ask:
1) What happened to LOT B? We’re looking for it.
2) Do they shrink the same? Pretty close.
3) What’s your favorite? A, C, D, E, in no particular order.
Designed and made in California, USA, by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An original mfsc pattern, inspired by vintage workwear and western shirting.
FABRIC:
Four options of New Old Stock 100% cotton selvedge 2 x 1 denim twill, with limited size availability for each.
* Lot A: About 9 Oz. Random ‘snowy’ spotted appearance. No, I don’t mean 80’s acid wash, that’s next year’s collection. Rather, a slub quality due to fluctuations of the weft spun yarn gage. Blackish dark navy, white selvedge with yellow line.
* Lot C: About 9 Oz. Bluer shade. White selvedge ID with red line.
* Lot D: About 8 Oz. Purple sheen. White selvedge ID with double red line.
* Lot E: Similar to Lot C but solid white selvedge ID.
Please note that, due to limited yardage of each NOS denim, we were not able to cut a full size scale in each Lot.
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.
* Selvedge ID on button front facing panels.
* Double snap cuffs.
* Orange and yellow 100% cotton stitching combination.
* Double chainstitch construction with green color thread “Sportsman” inside signature.
* Selvedge ID side gussets, chainstitch run offs.
* Original mfsc “The Sportsman” woven rayon label.
* Made in USA
SIZING/WASHING:
All four denim options come RAW/Un-washed and will shrink to tagged size. We recommend an original 20-30mn cold soak, machine spin dry then line dry.
I wear a Medium in mfsc shirting and am a tight Medium a LARGE in the ‘Appaloosa’ denim shirt. I might have once been a medium, but life happens…
The Appaloosa shirt fits very snug, more ‘Hud’ than ‘Hip Hop’. It might not accommodate all body types, see measurements.
For the hardcore denim aficionados, wear the shirt briefly when still damp to shape it and set creases in, then hang back to fully dry. When using this method, the shirt will feel stiff when fully dried, due to the starch still in the fibers. This is normal/expected and the fabric will soften up with normal wear.
Please note that the demand/need for ‘soft’ denim garments led to the stone-wash plague of the 1980’s. Talk about creating a monster…
Subsequent washing when needed: Shirt turned inside out, hand wash or very gentle cycle with cold water and minimal environmentally friendly detergent. Line dry.
Please refer to sizing chart for raw/rinsed measurements (soaked/dried according to our recommended method).
Size Chart Lot A-C
Size Chart Lot D-E
Available RAW/Un-washed
Sizes S, M, L, XL, XXL
Retail $289.95
Soon available from our Los Angeles store and online from www.misterfreedom.com
Thank you for your support.
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