You might have noticed a larger assortment of corduroy items at retail over the last few seasons. We see corduroy skinnies every season, but at this point you’ll find corduroy pants, jackets, coats, skirts, hats, dresses, overalls, jumpsuits, bags and footwear too. Most of it is solid, but patterned corduroy is available too.
Here’s a range of corduroy items across many colours and styles.
Most of my clients wear corduroy skinnies because they are an excellent casual alternative to jeans. A very comfy, practical and cosy option. Corduroy bottoms tend to feel warmer and softer than jeans, and come in lots of colours. I find that corduroy tends to look richer in non-neutrals than denim, which is all about the texture of corduroy fabric. The wales create an iridescent effect in the light, and that’s visually interesting.
Some of my clients will wear just about any corduroy item. Some like to stick to corduroy pants and skirts. Others will throw on a corduroy jacket or coat. And some won’t touch corduroy at all.
I have a complicated relationship with corduroy for my own style. I’m not a huge fan, but it’s by no means poison eye either. I’m not overly fond of the casual integrity of the fabric, and the potential bagging out at the knees after you’ve crossed your legs. These things happen more frequently when the wales are very narrow, the corduroy is thin, and there’s a high stretch content in the fabric.
I DO like the ‘70s integrity of corduroy because I love the fashion era. I like the look of a tailored and crisp corduroy blazer in a thick, broad wale. I also like the look of wide crops and a midi skirt in a thick, broad wale. Combining corduroy with dressy fabrics like silk and cashmere appeals to me too. But invariably what happens is that I fit on a velvet blazer and bottoms – no textured wales! – and prefer that to corduroy because velvet is a dressier fabric. I LOVE my floral velvet blazer from Boden that I got last year. Maybe velvet is “my corduroy”.
Over to you. Do you like corduroy? If so, which items do you like to wear in corduroy.
