I find there are a lot of people with a Love/Hate relationship with corduroy. Mr CP? Hate. (Scarred by a corduroy Christmas gift around the age of eight.) Me, I’m neither love nor hate, but I have quite a few clients who LOOOOOVE the fabric of kings.
It’s interesting how from there it has become more of a workhorse fabric associated with the masses rather than royalty.
Or at least with college students and professors! (Corduroy was BIG in the 70’s.)
I have fond corduroy memories. My first work uniform, as a Teen Board Member at Boston Store back in the 1970’s, was a forest green corduroy suit–blazer, skirt and trousers, along with a coordinated shirt. I felt quite grown-up, or at the very least collegiate, in my corduroy trouser suit!
Who likes corduroy? Surprisingly, quite a few Style Archetypes! The most obvious is the Relaxed (or Natural) Style. It suits her casual and easy life and style. Anyone who is all about fabric feel can also be a corduroy fan; its soft ribbing and fuzzy texture is appealing, especially the fine wale. Wide wale corduroy has a more limited appeal and can feel stiff when new. (Wale is the measure of the number of ribs per inch. More ribs, the softer the fabric. Fewer ribs, less soft.) Classic Style archetypes will often gravitate to corduroy for casual wear, especially shirts, blazers and trousers. The Feminine Style, for whom softness is key, can also be a corduroy fan, as long it has a fine wale and that super soft feel and drape.
Find Yours!
Want to get some corduroy in your world? We’re seing it everywhere. You’ can get’ll find corduroy tops, bottoms, jackets and bags at Lands’ End. I saw one really sharp navy corduroy blazer and those cute ballet flats, as well as trousers and a skirt at Talbot’s. They’re stocking plenty of corduroy jeans at Target. You’ll find more corduroy jeans, ball caps and totes at Old Navy. I’m tempted by the pink corduroy ball cap… (I don’t even wear ball caps, but sometimes there’s no logic to our wants.)
How About You?
What’s your relationship with corduroy? Do you have corduroy memories? Fond or otherwise, I’d love to hear them…
Corduroy is made by weaving extra sets of fibre into the base fabric to form vertical ridges called wales. The wales are built so that clear lines can be seen when they are cut into pile.
Depending on the weight of the fabric, corduroy can be used in dresses, shirts, pants, coats, and upholstery. It is a particularly popular clothing fabric for the cooler months.
While it is usually made with cotton, corduroy can also be woven with blends of polyester and cotton or even full polyester. Textile producers also sometimes make corduroy with wool, but the ridges present on wool corduroy are not as visible as the ridges on corduroy made with other materials.
Corduroy (sometimes spelled corderoy) is a twill weave fabric, which means the threads are woven together in diagonal lines with thick vertical ribs. Corduroy is thick, durable, ridged, and cozy, and has the unique ability to look both dressed up and comfortable at the same time.
The lyrical content for "Corduroy" can be interpreted in many ways, but one common theory is that they are about the pressures of fame. In an interview, vocalist Eddie Vedder stated: It is about a relationship but not between two people. It's more one person's relationship with a million people.
Most fast-fashion retailers and sustainable brands have corduroy pants front and center in their winter collection. From Everlane's sustainable wide-leg corduroy pants to Free people's chocolate high-rise brown cotton corduroy pants, you will see this look everywhere you turn this winter 2024.
Various style authorities have hailed corduroy's return every autumn for the last few years. It was a staple of the Fall 2022 collections, featured by labels like 6397, Khaite and Rachel Comey, and continues to appear in the Fall 2023 collections including Kenzo and Lovechild 1979.
However, its modern journey began in 18th-century Europe, particularly in France and England, where it was known as "corde du roi" or "cord of the king." Its regal name spoke to its luxurious feel and was favoured by the aristocracy.
The type of corduroy is based on the number of ridges per inch, so a jumbo cord has less ridges per inch, the finest corduroy is Pin or Needle cord which has over 16 Wales per inch and is the finest corduroy out there. But a standard corduroy has around 11 Wales per inch.
Dark brown and dark green are the best colours to start with - like the brown at top, and the green shown above. Darker, more muted versions stand out less and are easier to wear. Navy seems appealing because it's such a staple menswear colour, but often it looks like a poor imitation of a worsted or flannel.
Having shaken off its associations with fusty academics and dusty old libraries, corduroy has well and truly come into its own in recent years, cementing itself as a versatile and durable fabric for autumn and winter.
The width of the wales defines the texture of the Corduroy. This is measured by the number of wales per square inch, e.g. 14-Wale. Corduroy with wider wales, such as 1.5, is often used on upholstery or hard wearing trousers, while a wale measurement of 14 will make for a finer garment.
In knitting. In knitting, a wale is a column of loops running lengthwise, corresponding to the warp of woven fabric; a course is a crosswise row of loops, corresponding to the filling.
The 8 wale refers to the number of cords or raised rows of velvet per inch, making this a heavy weight corduroy fabric. As such, it's perfect for garments that need a little extra structure and hold. Pre-wash this fabric before you sew so that it shrinks to fit and doesn't bleed in the wash.
The type of corduroy is based on the number of ridges per inch, so a jumbo cord has less ridges per inch, the finest corduroy is Pin or Needle cord which has over 16 Wales per inch and is the finest corduroy out there. But a standard corduroy has around 11 Wales per inch.
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