Our BARRACUDA is inspired by a vintage sportswear zip-up jacket from our archives, label unknown — maybe from “Sportclad” (JC Penney)? —, showing a classic 1930s “White Stag” ski-wear influence.
Unlined, clean taped seams inside, 1930s workwear/outdoors vibe, swing-back, rear cinch tabs, clever pocketing and streamlined design… perfect candidate for a Mister Freedom® makeover.
During R&D we modified the pointy collar to a rounded type (early naval vibe), adapted the fit, added a leather chin-strap, sourced an ideal shell fabric and period-plausible trims, …, and settled on calling it the BARRACUDA, a reference to a class of post-WW2 submarines.
The jacket is cut from a winter-weight 26 Oz. double-weave woolen material — blend of 90% wool and 10% nylon —, with a brushed soft hand. Not as hefty as our Hudson jacket 36 Oz. melton wool (the weight of vintage USN peacoats), but typical of period civvy outdoor garments and heavy CPO shirts, with good cold/wind resistant qualities. With its 90/10 yarn content blend, this fabric will develop an attractive heathered flecks patina over time, with normal wear and repeat exposure to the elements.
Matching the recent LOOKOUT Watch Cap twist, we also included a nod to an old US Navy tradition: non-regulation (but tolerated if kept concealed) customized crackerjacks with “liberty cuffs”, the naval heritage of tailor-made and personalized uniforms, briefly mentioned here, and at length here.
Concealed behind the cuffs of the BARRACUDA is a set of original MF® vintage-inspired rayon “Liberty cuffs.” These “Octopus vs. Mermaid” embroidered morale patches — initially designed for the 2016 Liberty CPO Shirt — were described by an irreverent writer at the time as:
“…featuring a groping octopus sporting a bachi (the French Navy cover with its famous red pompon) chasing an attractive mermaid in her birthday suit. Flash the Splash at your own discretion.
For the adventurous type, these cuff linings do have a purpose and can be used as concealed storage for an emergency sawbuck folded in four. While bar-hoping with the ship’s finest on exotic shores, and after noticing your wallet’s gone MIA at Suzy’s Red Dragon Den, this is a nice touch.”
For those paying attention to details as much as our Design Dept. is, the right and left cuffs are mirrored, with each mermaid sporting distinct hair/scales color combo, i.e. two different patches.
To add practicality and complement the slash hand-warmer front pockets, we mounted two concealed chest pockets for minimal storage (smart phone & passport size), cut from a contrast all-cotton 10 Oz. pincheck material inspired by the lining of a pair of vintage 1920s USN broadfall Undress Blues trousers. Some may remember this classic fabric as that of our FW2010 “Off Duty” CPO Shirt. It is also utilized as collar/cuffs facing, nicely complimenting the brushed double-weave wool, in both color and texture.
The side cinch leather tabs are typical of short 1930s~40s waist-length jackets, a style designed at the time to be paired with higher-waisted trousers, highlighting one’s natural waistline.
