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Steve McQueen showing off his liberty cuffs
in the movie The Sand Pebbles
(tailored by Mr. Loo in Taipei)
Tattoo Navy Lowbrow Liberty Cuffs
Description:
One set of two Vintage Mermaid Liberty Cuffs. So, what exactly are Liberty Cuffs?
"Cuffs on his blue jumper unbuttoned and rolled back one turn, so his 'liberty cuffs'
stood out like port n' starboard running lights."
Liberty Cuffs are embroidered patches that were sewn inside the cuffs of Navy
dress blue uniforms. These uniforms are worn by Navy enlisted men, pay
grades E-2 through E-6. The embroidered patches were non-regulation "illegal"
and often resulted in sailors, if caught (usually by the Shore Patrol personnel),
having their liberty cancelled and being sent back to their ship or shore station.
The liberty cuff patches were sewn using a hidden stitch, which resulted in a
regulation looking uniform when the cuffs were safely hidden and buttoned, but
once the sailor was on liberty, he unbuttoned and rolled the cuff up just one roll
in order to display the fancy embroidered designs. Any type of embroidery on the
inside of the cuff's was always "unauthorized" and wearing the uniform with the
sleeves rolled up was likewise unauthorized.
sailors have always been the most creatively artistic of all the branches
of the military, what with their tattoos, scrimshaw carving, sea shell art and ships
built inside bottles, they even took up embroidery and sewing to pass the time while
on board ship.
Eventually there was no limit to what they could stitch into their uniforms and the
more daring sailors would even completely rip apart their uniform and tailor it back
together from scratch. Eventually tailor-mades had exaggerated bell-bottoms with
fully embroidered lining which would fit so snugly that they could not even be taken
off over the head. They had a hidden zipper that went up the side (like a woman's dress
from the 1940s and 1950s). In order not to ruin the effect, the sailor carried his
wallet slung over his waistband and everything else was tucked inside his socks i.e.
cigarettes, flask, lighter, etc. Who knew sailors were extreme crafters?
The oldest versions of liberty cuffs dates back to the late 1800s. it didn't really
catch on until around the early 1930s, and mass machine developed liberty cuffs really
began to catch on in the late 1950s. It was around that time that companies like Gemsco
produced and packaged many different designs which were sold near the navy bases in all the
big port cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, etc.
Around the 1970s, liberty cuffs became less prevalent and eventually this time honored
sea faring ritual began to dissappear.
Order by ITEM# Vintage-240
PRICE: $34.95
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