Mister Freedom® “Liquette Manouche”, GYPSY BLUES mfsc Spring 2017

Manitas De Plata, French Gitan, checking out a Manouche.

Mister Freedom® “Liquette Manouche”, printed cotton poplin.
GYPSY BLUES mfsc collection Spring 2017.
Made in Japan.

For our GYPSY BLUES collection we are releasing two specific mens shirt designs, both with somewhat of a bohemian vibe.
First number up in our string swing venture is the Liquette Manouche, a shirt pattern inspired by a vintage 1930’s-40’s French pull-over garment from the MF® archives, introduced in two color options.

This model features a col requin (shark-fin-shaped open collar, later to be associated with casual 1950’s European sportswear style shirting), a two-button front half placket, shirred back yoke, and classic early EU tailoring arrowhead-shaped side gussets, precursor of the now-common ‘heritage’ workwear design  gimmick.

Liquette is old French argot (slang) term simply designating a man’s shirt. A Manouche is a person of Western European Romani ancestry. Belgium-born Django Reinhardt, mastermind of the world-renowned musical style Jazz Manouche in the 1930’s, is one of the most illustrious French Manouche.

The base fabric we opted for is a fancy tightly-woven 100% cotton poplin. With a crisp hand, it features a polka-dot pattern printed with a bleed-through technique. We could not find any better dots than the Polka variety to give our Liquette Manouche its Bohemian vibe.
Polka, with its humble folk origin in early 1830’s Czechoslovakia, might not be a predominant influence for burgeoning artists performing on their Youtube channel today, but it predates Justin Bieber’s impact on popular music, and will likely outlast him. Granted, Polka music is an acquired taste. So is yodeling.

Back on Gypsy style. Along with their 2000-year-old traditions and lifestyle rooted in India, West-bound Romani groups also hauled their indiennes flamboyant garb on the nomadic journey they started in the 14th century.
In popular culture today, close to reality or not, a repeat of small ‘flowery’ motifs often carries that ‘Bohemian’ style vibe.
Anecdotally, authentic India-designed prints could be considered as precursors of the quintessentially-British Liberty London style, as they were originally available from Arthur Liberty’s first retail venture in London (England), a bazar he had appropriately named ‘East India House’ in 1875, specializing in imported Oriental goods. He went on to opt for local production and designs, with great success.

The MF® Liquette Manouche is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in Japan by Sugar cane Co.

SPECS:
FABRIC:
Fine 4 Oz. printed 100% cotton poplin, bleed-through technique, in two color options.
Milled and printed in Japan.

DETAILS:
* Inspired by 1930’s French shirting and vintage bohemian style.
* Pull-over style, two button placket.
* ‘Col Requin’ style open collar.
* Amber color corrozzo wood buttons.
* Shirred back yoke and cuffs.
* Early-type arrowhead side gussets.
* Contrasting front/back shirt tail.
* Original mfsc Gypsy Blues woven rayon label.
* Made in Japan.

SIZING/FIT:
The MF® Liquette Manouche comes raw/unwashed.
Follow the usual initial method before wearing: cold soak for 30mn, spin dry and line dry.
This shirt is true-to-size and we recommend getting your normal mfsc size. I often wear a Medium in mfsc shirts and i opted for a comfortable Medium in the Liquette Manouche.

Please refer to chart to figure which size works for you. If still confused, email sales@misterfreedom.com

CARE:
Low maintenance. Machine wash on delicate when needed, cold water, eco-friendly detergent. Hang dry.

Available raw/unwashed.
Sizes
Small
Medium
Large
X-Large
XX-Large
Retail:
Blue poplin or Red poplin: $349.95

Now 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®
©2017

Mister Freedom® MFSC Fall 2012 (Part 4): The “RENO Shirt”

Logan Cristian Lamp Mister Freedom® Cory Piehowicz ©2012

Mister Freedom® MFSC ‘Reno Shirt’
‘Men of the Frontier’ Collection, Fall 2012

Trailing right along, let us introduce the 4th installment of our Fall 2012 endeavor:  The Reno Shirt.

Taking it’s moniker from the original title of a 1956 movie “The Reno Brothers” (better known as “Love Me Tender” and featuring a young artist bound to alter musical History and Pop culture, like something solid), this garment draws inspiration from early homesteader shirting and Western Cinemascope imagery.
We combined early Frontier garb ‘home made’ feel with fancy imported fabrics and trims one could get his hands on at the local dry goods store. We used a then popular pull-over style, giving it our own treatment and an original MFSC pattern.
One of the inspirational pieces for our Reno was a rare vintage early obscure ‘ethnic’ man’s blouse, roughly made from homespun woven textile. It featured a one piece collar band and pleated front and back, with ‘primitive’ construction.
We used original 1920’s glass buttons, a New Old Stock found in France during a wild goose chase buying trip.

Because easy has yet to do it around here we chose to develop three very different original fabrics for the Reno options. Selected from our textiles archives, all three have a vintage 1900-1930’s European origin and were expertly milled in Japan on narrow shuttle loom machines:
a) BLACK SNOW CALICO: We used the traditional and tedious ‘discharge’ print method for both calico options. Again, the motif is not a ‘print’ per se, but a ‘bleached out’ section. For a glimpse of the technical aspect of that process, read the first 48 pages of this book.
(insert DOW)
Instead of the poplin base we have used for our previous calico printed shirts, we have chosen to use cotton twill this season. This ‘snow’ option has a brushed back, giving it a warm, soft feel. This was a fabric of choice for winter workman shirts in France, as seen on vintage pieces.
b) INDIGO DOT CALICO: Same ‘discharge’ technique on this one, but with un-brushed back. Vintage photography attests that small tiny printed shirting fabrics were not the ‘girly’ thing associated with it later on in post 1950’s Fashion. From hairy lumberjacks, to coaled faced train conductors, to fierce American Indian warriors, to 1800s Texas Rangers, such patterns were quite the Man’s man’s favorite.
c) INDIGO TICKING: A woven indigo/white pin stripe fabric, popular workwear fabric in the late 1800’s France. Very slubby, it has a desirable homespun aspect.

Designed in California by Mister Freedom® and crafted in limited edition by Sugar Cane Co in Japan for our collaboration MFSC collection.

SPECS:

PATTERN: An all original MFSC® pattern, inspired by early American pioneer wear and its Cinemascope renditions.

FABRICS: Three options
a) Black Snow Calico:  Selvedge 100% cotton 6 oz. twill with brushed back, discharge print.
b) Indigo Dot Calico: Selvedge 100% cotton 6 oz. twill, discharge print.
c) Indigo Ticking: Selvedge 100% cotton 4.5 oz. indigo woven pin stripe.

DETAILS:
* An original MFSC pattern, pull-over style, inspired by early Old West imagery.
* One piece collar.
* Double top buttons.
* Button placket facing with indigo dyed cotton poplin.
* Double expansion chest pleats on back and front panels.
* Original vintage French NOS 1920’s glass buttons.
* Longer ‘square’ back tail, contrasting with front curved shorter panel.
* Original side gussets, indigo dyed cotton poplin.
* Original MFSC woven rayon label on bottom of the button placket, early European Henley shirts style.
* Narrow-width side chainstitch and single needle machine construction.
* 100% cotton thread contrast stitching, high count.
PACKAGING: Sturdy cardboard box with MF® original ‘finer than frog hair’ artwork 😉 Please re-use.

SHRINKAGE/SIZING: All three fabric options come raw/unwashed.
After shrinkage, all fabrics will approximately shrink to the same specs. I am a 38/medium/15½ in MFSC shirting, and I wear a 15½ in the Reno Shirt.

Reno Shirts Sizing chart

We recommend an original cold soak and line dry. Subsequent washing should be done with turning the shirts inside out, gentle cycle and eco-friendly mild detergent. Line dry is preferred.
Some bleeding is expected with the indigo dyed fabric and yarns, due to the nature of indigo dyed textiles.

Available RAW/unwashed

Sizes
14½ (small)
15½ (medium)
16½ (large)
17½ (xlarge)
18½ (xxlarge)

Retail $399.95

Call 323-653-2014 or mail sales@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. We ship internationally to select Countries. Thank you again for the continuing support, friends.