Mister Freedom® Liquette M35 (Book: Gazette Des Uniformes HS #21 “Les Equipages des Chars de Combat Français 1935/1940”)
Mister Freedom® Liquette M35, Indigo Linen and Pin Stripe Ticking. FW2019 mfsc “Pioupiou” Collection. Made in Japan.
The Mister Freedom® x Sugar Cane Co Liquette M35 is the next installment of the mfsc “PIOUPIOU” collection, recently introduced with this post. We are tapping into the Interwar period for this number, as the inspiration for our liquette (obsolete French colloquialism for men’s shirt) is the Chemise Modèle 1935, a pull-over shirt part of the French Army uniform, issued to soldiers during WW2. If our loose interpretation is not a straight-up replica, we still must give all tailoring credits to the anonymous designer commissioned by the Ministère de la Guerre at the time. The specific collar pointy shape is known as “col Aiglon“, a design marking the beginnings of shirts showing under the tunic. The collar, designed to be complimented by a tie, is secured by three buttons, and features an attractive arcuate shape in the back. The pull-over pattern of the M35 has seen several modifications through the years, and if we opted-out of the epaulettes of the 1941 model, we incorporated the front expansion pleat of the 1940 model.
Those into nerding out on this stuff can refer to the excellent books released by Histoires & Collections, such as the out-of-print “1940 Le Soldat Français” by Olivier Bellec (2010).
Our shirt features the two box-pleat flap front chest pockets of the original M35 military shirt, a pocket pattern known as “Pli Watteau” (Watteau fold), a contemporary reference to the back pleats of the Robe à la Française of the 18th Century, an extravagant fashion detail French painter Antoine Watteau often featured in his work.
The side gussets are the small patch style typical of French shirting of the period, and are featured both on the shirt tails and cuff slits. Front and rear tails are of contrasting shapes and length, and we left them a bit longer that contemporary un-tucked fashion dictates, as a period reference.
We opted for two fabric options for our 2019 version of the M35. The first is an old mfsc classic, an indigo stripe ticking previously featured on the Reno shirt of our Men of The Frontier days in 2012. Although stiff and crispy at first, this fabric ages beautifully and softens rapidly with wear. The original ticking we had milled at the time for our early western-wear shirt was actually duplicated from a vintage pair of WW1 French military private-purchase oddball jodhpurs from the MF® archives, still on display at the HQ, not too far from a genuine Pantalon Garance specimen.
The second fabric option has absolutely no place in a Fall/Winter selection, but it was too beautiful to pass when it came up during fabric sourcing R&D. It is an indigo-dyed lightweight 100% linen plain weave shirting fabric with the attractive slub, crisp and drape typical of natural fiber linen. This gives the MF® M35 a very elegant touch, somewhat of an Italian fashion meets safari & military. This is an unintentional geographical reference as Il Duce was to bet on the wrong horse in WW2… As did Japan for that matter.
Note that this indigo linen textile is quite light sensitive so the indigo linen M35 should be stored away from the sunlight. With normal wear and regular home laundry cycles, both options will evolve into an interesting palette of blues.
The MF® Liquette M35 is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS: PATTERN: A pattern inspired by 1930’s French military uniform shirts.
FABRICS: Two distinct options: a) Indigo pin stripe ticking, 100% cotton, selvedge, 4.5 Oz, milled in Japan.
b) Indigo-dyed plain weave, 100% linen, lightweight with a slight sheer, milled in Japan.
DETAILS: * Pull-over type, with front expansion pleat.
* Button-down pointy collar “Col Aiglon”, with rear arcuate shape.
* Two box pleat “Pli Watteau” chest pockets.
* Inside reinforcement patches for side gusset and cuff slit.
* Shirring on cuffs.
* Rounded front shirt tail and extended square back tail.
* Painted metal buttons. * Original mfsc “Pioupiou” woven rayon label. * Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT: Both fabric options of the MF® Liquette M35 come raw/un-rinsed.
We recommend the usual protocol before wearing: * Cold soak for about 30-40mn, with occasional hand agitation.
* Spin dry and line dry.
* Wear briefly before fully-dry to set creases (does not apply to the indigo linen model), then hang until fully dry.
Both versions will fit approximately the same following the above procedure. Both indigo linen and indigo pin stripe ticking fabrics are so distinct in texture, weight and drape that they will feel completely different, but technically fit the same.
I am usually a Medium (15½) in mfsc shirting, and I opted for a comfortable Medium in both fabric options. The fit picture features a Medium M35 in both fabrics after one cold soak/line dry, and a bit more shrinkage and fabric torque/puckering is to be expected down the line.
CARE: Launder when needed. a) Indigo pin stripe ticking model: Treat as a denim shirt. We recommend turning indigo blue/denim garments inside out to avoid marbling during laundering. Machine wash, cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry. b) Indigo linen model: Treat as a delicate fancy shirt. Un-button collar before laundering. Hand wash or machine wash on gentle cycle, cold water, minimum eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry.
Attractive patina will potentially develop according to activities and frequency of wear. Please note that indigo might cause color transfer, and potentially “bleed” on light-colored garments, furniture, and skin. The indigo dye of the linen M35 model is particularly light-sensitive and the shirt should be stored away from sunlight.
Mister Freedom® “Liquette Tzigane”, indigo cotton/wool herringbone twill. GYPSY BLUES mfsc collection Fall 2017. Made in Japan.
The grand finale of our Hot Jazz opus, the mfsc “Gypsy Blues” 2017 collection, a venture into the world of ‘swing manouche‘, wraps-up with a Fall iteration of the Liquette Tzigane. The pattern of this garment is inspired by several vintage 1920’s-30’s fancy shirt specimen, twisted à-la MF®.
Liquette is an old French argot (slang) term designating a man’s shirt, as-in the recently released Liquette Manouche. The word Tzigane (or Tsigane) can be used to designate a person of Eastern European Romani ancestry, although the term hints at a specific culture within the Gypsy world (often with a musical connotation) rather than a geographic origin. Sounds of lamenting violins playing “Les Yeux Noirs” around the campfire, with a string of caravans in the background, come to mind.
Initially released in a fine indigo calico discharge-printed cotton popeline, our Spring 2017 take on the vintage Hungarian folk textile family called Kékfestés, the colder-months’ counterpart of the Liquette Tzigane comes in a 9.5 Oz. indigo yarn-dyed cotton-wool blend. With the 70% cotton content, this handsome fabric feels quite ‘dry’ to the touch, without any itchiness. It has a very dark navy blue tone, anecdotally reminiscent of vintage US Navy wool CPO shirts.
The Liquette Tzigane indigo HBT is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in Japan by Sugar cane Co.
Musical Note: I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Samy Daussat this summer, during the 2017 Los Angeles Django Festival. A knowledgeable Gypsy Jazz aficionado and talented guitar player, Samy is also blessed with teaching skills. Attendees to his master class held during the two-day event attested to that.
For those interested in this traditional Gypsy Swing style of playing guitar, Samy does a great job at deciphering and making sense of some of the specifics of Django Reinhardt’s improvising genius. His YouTube tutorials are in French, but any international guitar slinger with a Hot Club de France inclination will get the point. And classes are free!
The 2017 LA Django Festival was organized by Mr. Tommy Davy, himself expert on everything manouche guitar-related and a skilled musician. For vintage Selmer-Maccaferri-type guitar urges, browse through Tommy’s inventory of Django-style goodness, and listen to his own recorded musical prowess. Tommy also draws on traditional gypsy folk music to fuel his Trio Dinicu slavic and Tzigane-flavored repertoire.
And, to dismiss the cliche that all that jazz is just a dude thing, do check out what Christelle Caillot is bringing to the manouche guitar table.
SPECS: FABRIC: 9.5 Oz. cotton-wool blend, indigo yarn-dyed herringbone twill weave. Milled in Japan.
DETAILS: * Inspired by 1920’s-1930’s fancy shirting. * Versatile collar pattern with double button tab, fashionable as a classic open collar, cutaway style or high-buttoned. * Original MF® pocketing (from the 2012 MF® Prairie Shirt). * Indigo poplin button placket facing. * Early shirting curvy tails. * Side gussets. * Corozo wood buttons, indigo blue color. * Shirred back yoke and cuffs. * High-count stitching, early shirting narrow chainstitch construction. * Original mfsc Gypsy Blues woven rayon label. * Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT: The MF® Liquette Tzigane indigo HBT comes raw/unwashed. Follow the usual initial method before wearing: cold soak for 30mn, spin dry and line dry. Unlike its Spring 2017 Kékfestés version for which we advised to size-up, the Liquette Tzigane indigo cotton-wool HBT is pretty much true to size, and actually features a rather generous fit allowing winter layering. I opted for a size Medium in this shirt, with a comfortable fit when worn with a classic chambray shirt, Saint-Malo jersey etc…
Please refer to chart to figure out which size works for you. “Rinsed” means soaked for 30mn in cold water, spin dry and hang dry. When in doubt, email sales@misterfreedom.com for sizing advice.
CARE: This garment is made from is a cotton-wool blend fabric. Do not wash in hot water or boil to avoid excessive shrinkage and damage to the fabric. 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: $349.95
Mister Freedom® “Liquette Manouche”, double calico indigo discharge print. GYPSY BLUES mfsc collection Fall 2017. Made in Japan.
We have previously introduced two specific mens shirt designs during the opening chapter of our GYPSY BLUES collection, both with somewhat of a bohemian vibe: the SS2017 Liquette Manoucheand Liquette Tzigane.
The pattern of the Liquette Manouche was inspired by a vintage 1930’s-40’s French pull-over garment from the MF® archives. This shirt 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 an 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. Etymologically, the term “Gypsy” finds its roots in the word “Egyptian”, as the mysterious nomads were originally believed to have migrated from Egypt. It is commonly accepted today that their journey originated from India, sometime in the 14th century. These West-bound Romani travelers hauled along traditions, lifestyle and costumes. Their India-rooted Bohemian style tends to be associated today with flamboyant garb and vibrant indiennes prints.
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.
For Fall 2017, we figured we’d chalenge our friends at Toyo Enterprises with a new puzzling favor: a double discharge-printed calico fabric! Inspired by a rare French 1930’s vintage garment, we had been contemplating the idea for some years, and thought it was time to mail an R&D package across the Pacific, attention Toyo’s Textile Lab. We then resumed our daily tasks and assignments, mostly consisting of chasing Pokémon around the office. We opted for a black, crisp cotton twill as the base fabric, and painstakingly selected two distinctive traditional calico patterns from antique textiles and swatches collected over the years. For production, the two subtlety-contrasting calico patterns are discharge-printed, on both the face and reverse of the fabric (i.e. “bleached-out” with low bleed-through), and then printed with actual indigo ink.
How this technically works is actually still quite puzzling to us savvy experts of the MF® HQ Team of Pikachu Specialists, but the resulting double-sided fabric is quite outstanding. We can thank and congratulate our Sugar Cane friends for delivering such a beautiful and original textile.
Please note that, although attractive both inside and out, this garment is not reversible, therefore not optimal for the French shower.
The MF® Liquette Manouche is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in Japan by Sugar cane Co.
SPECS: FABRIC: A crisp 5 Oz. 100% cotton twill, double-printed in indigo with two specific calico patterns on face and reverse, using a discharge-print technique.
Milled and printed in Japan exclusively for mfsc.
DETAILS: * Inspired by 1930’s French shirting and vintage bohemian style. * Pull-over style, two button placket. * ‘Col Requin’ style open collar. * Corozo 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 in double calico comes raw/unwashed. Follow the usual recommended 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: Machine wash on delicate when needed, cold water, eco-friendly detergent. Hang dry.
Available raw/unwashed. Sizes Small Medium Large X-Large XX-Large
MF® Liquette Tzigane, old Kékfestés printing blocks and a vintage Hungarian folkwear indigo skirt with a red Kelsch patch.
Unfit pic.
Mister Freedom® “Liquette Tzigane”, fine cotton poplin, Kékfestés-style indigo print. GYPSY BLUES mfsc collection Spring 2017. Made in Japan.
In our Spring 2017 mfsc lookbook, we introduced two specific mens shirt designs for our GYPSY BLUES collection, both with somewhat of a bohemian vibe. First up was the Liquette Manouche, a polka-dot print pull-over type shirt released in two color options. Next number up is the long-awaited “Liquette Tzigane”.
You already know that Liquette is an old French argot (slang) term designating a man’s shirt. The word Tzigane (or Tsigane) can be used to designate a person of Eastern European Romani ancestry, although the term hints at a specific culture within the Gypsy world (often with a musical connotation) rather than a geographic origin. Sounds of lamenting violins playing “Les Yeux Noirs” around the fire camp, with a string of caravans in the background, come to mind.
The shirt pattern of the Liquette Tzigane is inspired by several vintage 1920’s-30’s fancy specimen, twisted à-la MF®. To give our shirt its Tzigane bohemian vibe, we tapped into the little-known indigo world of Kékfestés, literally “blue-dyeing”, a traditional centuries-old Hungarian textile-dyeing technique producing beautiful indigo resist-dyed fabrics. Sometimes referred to in France as Bettelkelsch, the motifs are somewhat reminiscent of Old West indigo discharge-print calicoes popular with American workwear aficionados today, and sporadically featured in MF® collections, such as the popular “Les Apaches” Chemise Calico from 2011.
A few vintage Kékfestés folkwear pieces at the MF® ol’ pile o’ rags.
If the specific calico motif design of the Mister Freedom® Liquette Tzigane is shamelessly lifted from a rare 1930’s folkwear skirt from our vintage textile archives (featured in one of the photos), we decided against the traditional wood block resist paste technique for production, for obvious cost considerations. Technically, the fabric of our shirt, initially white, is printed with two shades of indigo (a very dark and deep hue -almost black- for the background, and a cadet blue for the larger dots) using a silkscreen bleed-through method. The tiny white dots show the original color of the fabric, unprinted. In the repeat motif, these groups of four dots are unevenly spaced, to convey the organic wood block hand-printed feel of Kékfestő.
Voila, you now know that the word Kékfestés does not refer to a tropical disease transmitted by water buffaloes.
Those interested in textile and costume history will visit the Pápai Kékfestő Múzeum when around Budapest, Hungary, for more accurate info. The Musée Alsacien de Strasbourg also sounds like a good place to spend an afternoon to learn about heritage and fashion, when traveling to North Eastern France.
The Liquette Tzigane is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in Japan by Sugar cane Co.
SPECS: FABRIC: Fine and crispy 4 Oz. 100% cotton poplin, indigo-printed with a bleed-through technique.
Milled and printed in Japan.
DETAILS:
* Inspired by 1920’s-1930’s fancy shirting, and vintage Kékfestés Hungarian folk textiles for a ’Tzigane’ bohemian twist.
* Versatile collar pattern with double button tab, fashionable as a classic open collar, cutaway style or high-buttoned.
* Original MF® pocketing (from the 2012 MF® Prairie Shirt).
* Indigo poplin button placket facing.
* Early shirting curvy tails.
* Side gussets.
* Corozo wood buttons, indigo blue color. * Shirred back yoke and cuffs. * High-count stitching, early shirting narrow chainstitch construction. * Original mfsc Gypsy Blues woven rayon label. * Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT: The MF® Liquette Tzigane comes raw/unwashed. Follow the usual initial method before wearing: cold soak for 30mn, spin dry and line dry.
Because there’s never a dull moment in the mfsc Fit Dept., ?, we recommend sizing UP on the Liquette Tzigane. I usually wear a Medium in mfsc shirts, and went with a Large with this shirt, for a comfortable fit. The fine 4 Oz. poplin drapes nicely, so the extra fabric doesn’t bother me, giving the shirt a bit of a ‘blousy’ bohemian feel.
Stylish petite ladies will find the Liquette Tzigane in size Small quite an attractive addition to their discerning closet.
Please refer to chart to figure out which size works for you. “Rinsed” means soaked for 30mn in cold water, spin dry and hang dry.
If still confused, email sales@misterfreedom.com
CARE: 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: $349.95
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 indiennesflamboyant 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