Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
In today's video, we discuss corduroy, corduroy pants, suits, jackets, the history of it,
how you should wear it, what you can do, how it got its name and anything else you want
to know about this wonderful fabric.
So first of all, what is corduroy?
It's also known as poor man's velvet because the fabric of velvet and corduroy is actually
quite similar.
The only difference is, there are twisted yarns that create this ribbed structure as
you can see here.
Also, velvet used to be made exclusively out of silk which was quite expensive whereas
corduroy was made out of cotton which was less expensive hence, poor man's velvet.
Corduroy is a very soft yet durable fabric, and it is made out of cotton, either a hundred
percent or a cotton blend, better qualities are a hundred percent cotton blend.
Traditionally, it's popular for hunting apparel or winter apparel, hiking apparel, and anything
related to cold weather.
Personally, I like to wear it during the fall and winter when it's cold outside because
it's extra warm and extremely comfortable.
Yet, it is more stylish than a pair of jeans or sweatpants.
So now let's talk about the interesting history of corduroy.
Corduroy is basically in the family of fustian fabrics, and it includes moleskins.
Fustian dates back to the year 200, and it got its name from the Egyptian city of Fustat
which is near Cairo.
The city had a vibrant marketplace and was known for its cotton exportation.
Later on, it made its way to Europe, especially to France.
At the court of the French king, it was actually an apparel that was given to the staff of
the king for hunting.
The king himself would wear fine silk, brocade garments but they were too expensive for the
staff, so they got the less expensive cotton alternative that was very comfortable and
especially durable.
As far as the name corduroy goes, there are different theories.
One is that it comes from Corde Du Roi which means as much as cloth of the king.
Now, if you think about it, the king never actually wore it but just his staff, I have
my doubts about this theory.
Other people argue that it comes from Cour Du Roi which means as much as court of the
king, I think this is more likely, but at the end of the day, we'll never know for sure
and if you want to learn more about the rich history of corduroy, please check out our
in-depth guide on our website, here.
Who can wear corduroy and how can you wear it?
Basically, it's not just for old, stodgy professors.
It's even a modern thing that every gentleman can wear.
I think it's a great idea to have at least one pair of corduroy pants in your wardrobe
because they are soft, they are durable, they are warm and extremely comfortable.
They also don't wrinkle a lot and come in a beautiful range of colors.
When you start, I suggest you go with something in either brown or tan because they're very
versatile and you can wear them with all kinds of sport coats which is an ideal companion
to them.
Alternatively, you can also get a corduroy suit which is a matching pair of jacket and
pants.
Now, while the look may remind you of 70's or 80's characters, the good thing about it
is, you don't have to wear them at the same time.
You can either dress wearing the pants with something else or just the jacket with a pair
of chinos or even jeans.Of course, a proper cut will eliminate any 70's or 80's reference.
That being said, corduroy doesn't drape as well as wool; it's thicker, but it gives a
very special crinkly look, and you have to like that.
So if you're not sure, start with a pair of pants then either add a suit or add a jacket.
Once you have the basic colors of either brown and tan, you can extend it to olive green
or black.
Personally, I also like burgundy and navy because they're versatile and different and
can add a pop of color to your outfit.
Some people also wear lime green, bright red, or pink corduroys; personally, I think that's
a bit over the top and difficult to combine but if you can pull it off, good for you.
If you don't like olive green, I think a dark green is very elegant yet unusual alternative.
Because corduroys are rather inexpensive and they last for a long time, it gives you a
longer life span for your other garments because instead of wearing out your suit pants, you
can now pair it with a pair of corduroys and get more wear out of it.
Also, you up the number of combinations you can come up with.
Now, when it comes to washing them, I wash all my corduroys in a washing machine.
Or you have to bring it to the dry cleaner.
Personally, the kind of used, washed out look can be quite British, but you have to like
it.
When you look at corduroy, you can see the ribs have different sizes, and that's referred
to as wale.
The wale is defined as how many ribs you have per inch which is 2.54 cm.
Fine wale corduroy will have as many as 16-18 ribs whereas a regular will have about 10-12
ribs.
You can also find corduroy which is 6-8 ribs which is very wide ribbed and a very unique
look.
The lower the wale number, the thicker the corduroys will be.
What I'm wearing here right now is a house jacket, they have a very high wale count and
very thin cord corduroy.
On the other hand, the pants here are a nine wale count which means it's a medium sized
corduroy which is very timeless and classic.
Just like with most things in classic menswear, you want to avoid the extremes with corduroy
as well.
That means, neither go with a very fine cord nor go with a very wide cord because they
may go in and out of fashion very quickly.
Instead, opt for about 8-10 wale cord because you can wear that at all times and it will
never go out of style.
That being said, corduroy certainly had its ups and downs over the years.
If you want to go with a very thick corduroy with wide ribs and low wale count, I suggest
you keep it more in your pants.
If you want a jacket, you can go with finer ones.
In terms of quality, you can find two major classes.
One is the Genoa back; the other one is the tabby back.
The Genoa back basically has the same twill structure on the front side and the back side.
Generally, the Genoa back is considered to be the higher quality version which is usually
heavier but also more comfortable to wear.
The less expensive version is the one you can see here with the so-called tabby back
where you have a flat surface on the inside.
Most corduroys you will find on the market today are tabby backs and they 're still very
comfortable but if you ever come across a genoa back, know what it is, appreciate it,
and get your hands on it.
How do you wear corduroy?
Basically, it's a very three-dimensional fabric, and so you don't want to combine it with velvet
because it's too close.
Personally, I really like to combine it with tweed or wool.
For example, the tweed jacket that I'm wearing here right now with the tie and the shirt
would go perfectly with the blue or navy corduroy.
It would pick up colors in my tie and in my jacket, and overall, have a very relaxed,
positive, casual character.
If I go on in the evening to a neighborhood Italian restaurant, I sometimes combine black
corduroy with maybe a burgundy vest and a different kind of gray tweed jacket.
Green, brown, and tan corduroys likewise go well with any kind of vest as long as there
are some amount of contrast.
For shoes, I suggest you check out our how to wear brown shoe guide because that's really
the best shoe color for this fabric unless you go with black of course.
That being said, I love to wear tan boots with corduroys because that gives a strong
contrast and a casual look that is unusual.
if you want to learn more about corduroy, please check out our in-depth guide on our
website here.
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Thank you.