Corduroy Round Up: Fall Fabric Focus

What linen is to summer, what flannel is to winter, corduroy is to fall. Arguably the quintessential fall fabric, corduroy has been ubiquitously worn throughout the season as long as it’s been around.

This textured, traditionally cotton fabric is characterized by its vertical ridges (known as “wales”) of varying widths. Soft-yet-strong and relatively heavy in weight, corduroy is ideal for blocking out breezes, insulating warmth, and retaining a particular drape, especially useful when used for tailoring.

From sports jackets to accessories and more, these are just some of the ways we’ll be wearing corduroy over the months to come.

A corduroy sports jacket elegantly walks the line between professional and playful. The classic tailored silhouette and design lend it the ability to be dressed up while corduroy’s casual nature ensures it isn’t taken too seriously. Due to its robust, hard-wearing quality and versatility, this is a look preferred by icons of film like Wes Anderson and Woody Allen.

These days, an overshirt is the natural alternative to the sports jacket, and unsurprisingly, corduroy is great for these as well. Overshirts are typically unstructured and unlined, meaning they require a fabric with enough character to hold its own and create shape. Wear this look to work or on the weekend; you’ll fit in essentially everywhere.

For outer layers, thicker, heavier corduroy offers a better structure to garments that need it. Like traditional shirting fabrics, however, lighter weight corduroy, which often features thinner wales much closer together, is better suited to button-ups.

Equipped with a softer hand feel and naturally less warm than thicker corduroy, shirts made from lightweight corduroy offer visual interest and intriguing texture where one might not expect it. We like pairing corduroy shirts with other hard-wearing natural materials like denim, suede, and flannel wool.

Corduroy is maybe most commonly used for pants and tailored trousers, and it’s easy to see why. The robust, long-lasting nature of the fabric means friction caused from walking, sitting, and moving leaves a relatively low impact compared to other fabrics, and the wind-resistant nature of corduroy means they’ll keep your legs feeling warm in colder weather.

While browns and khakis are popular colours for corduroy pants, we like experimenting with others like white, navy, grey, and more. For that classic Ivy League look, we like wearing our corduroy pants with loafers, leather boots, or even boat shoes earlier in the season.

Don’t think corduroy is only good for clothing; this versatile fabric lends itself well to accessories as well! From bags to hats, corduroy’s resilient strength and structure – despite its velvety soft hand feel – make it great for hard use and adventure.