For the F/W09 MFSC collection, Mister Freedom decided to switch things up a gear and let all the people tapping into the Naval Tailor concept (some even going as far as directly copying MF's prints and hangtags. Bad Form!) bite dust by stepping away from the Naval Tailor storyline and going for something new.

This seasons story, in Christophe his own words:

“SPEED SAFE CLOTHING for MODERN RIDERS”

In late 2008, as I was driving around and lost my way in a run down neighborhood in Los Angeles, I stopped in front of an old boarded up store.
The sidewalk had puddles of dried up oil…past traces of leaking engines.
On the store facade, all that was left from the heydays was a crooked rusty tin sign…The brick building seemed to have been abandoned for years.
The sign read: “Speed Safe Clothing for Modern Riders”…

Inside were the real gems: stacks of merchandise covered with 40 year old dust and walls filled with old photos retracing five decades of motorcycle riding…

This was the discovery of an incredible story, that of a Southern California family of three brothers: Lino, a local prize fighter and trouble maker, Marlon, an Army trained airplane mechanic turned hill climber and Eddie, the artist with tailoring skills.

All devoted cycle riders, they opened a Los Angeles Club House/garage in the 1920’s. It became a spot to hang out if you needed tools or spares for your cycle, or just wanted to cool off and talk ‘pistons ‘n broads’.

At the time, motor-cycling was a newborn method of transportation, and riders had to settle for military or workwear clothes and make the best of them.
Feeling the need for specific motorcycle riding gear, Eddie started designing and making clothes all the brothers could wear, on and off their bikes.
Lino, Marlon and Eddie road tested each and every clothing prototype and modified it until it worked. Due to friend’s demand, small production runs were made and sold at the Club House, which turned into a full blown store in the 1930s. It closed its doors in the late 1960s.

For the production, military hardware, close out fabrics and trims were used in the manufacturing. The port of Los Angeles was a busy place and anything was available for who knew where to look. Lino did.
The clothes were purposely designed, sturdy and durable: a riding jacket, work shirt or dungarees had to last you a good chunk of years and help you “keep the rubber down”, focused on the road and not your back.

For Fall 2009 MF x S/c offers a selection of the three Brothers’ Favorite gear, as they were found in that abandoned Club House. The exclusive original designs span from the early 1930s to the late 1960’s. The quantities are again limited, of course…

This Fall 2009 season includes:
* Lino’s “Mulholland Master” riding coat and leather “Greaser” cap.
* Marlon’s leather “Bronco Champ” racing jacket, “Mechanic Shirt”, “Mechanic Sweat shirt” and “Mechanic Cap”.
* Eddie’s denim “Rambler Pack”.
* The brothers’ favorite denim “Rider’s Dungarees” and “Club Shirts”.

First, the Mechanic Shirt:



(Note that the colour between all these pictures differs quite a bit, I found it really hard to capture the true colour of the piece. The indigo is super dark blue, but gets lighter because of the salt-&-pepper nature of the fabric. Under certain light the shirt almost seems to be a deep purple.)


Sizing, soaking and shrinkage:
As the fit is similar to the other MFSC shirts I own (a bit roomier throughout than the 645 Utility chambray but smaller than the "Liberty Issue" CPO) I went with my regular raw Large which, after shrinking, ends up exactly as a Medium.
I threw it in the tub with the hottest water from the tap, left it in for about and hour and hung it to dry afterwards.
Soaking softened the fabric up quite a bit as it got rid of excess starch still in the garment.
The shirt fits a little looser than the Utility chambray and easily fits a thermal under it but still looks great worn under a tight sweater.
It is again fairly long but this allows it to be tucked in no problem!
(While typing this I realize I should have included a pictured of how it looks tucked in...)


The curve of the back yoke returns in the clever solution for an elbow reinforcement, as seen on the right.


(L)Triple stitched throughout the biggest part of the garment
(R) Chainstitch run-off and the fabric's selvedge which is solid indigo, finished with a "salt & pepper" ply yarn ID.

(L) Rayon label with stamped the items name and size. I personally was a bit sad to see the Naval Tailor labels go as they allowed for great customization, might have to add a name tag myself... This picture also shows how dark the collar facing is.
(R) Union ticket and a closer look at the painted metal buttons, here still shiny and new.

(L) The collar facing vs the buttons facing. While the latter is the same indigo cotton as previously used on the chambray's, the fabric used for the collar is an indigo, 1920's deadstock French popeline that promises to fade down to a purplish black/blue. That second button hole on the tab is actually quite clever as it allows for the shirt to be fully buttoned up without being uncomfortably tight.
(R) The popeline on the button facing, here seen side by side with the facing on my chambray, worn daily since January. The off-white piece of fabric seen on the mechanic shirt serves as reinforcement behind the pocket opening.

(L) Subtly used exposed selvedge on the chest pockets. The offset pocket flap still allows for you to reach into the pocket and get things out,
but prevents things from flying out. Smart!
(R) The button facing popeline returns to reinforce both the buttonhole and the fabric the small white shirt button itself is sewn unto.


The fabric itself, a "light" (roughly 8oz) covert cloth, is also quite something. Developed specifically for MF it was based on a swatch from a 1920's French shop-coat.
Covert cloth has been around since the late 1800's but hardly get's any love these days. It is a twill, but unlike denim which traditionally has an indigo warp and a white weft, covert cloth has a twisted "ply yarn" warp, one of which is white, giving it it's distinct "salt & pepper" look.
The weft is indigo.
(L) Even on this close-up of the fabric it isn't easy to make out, but as the charming knot of "loomchatter" kindly illustrates the weft is indeed all indigo.
(R)This bit of yarn, plucked from a buttonhole clearly shows what exactly is going on with the warp.


Up next: the Riders Dungarees.