What’s Old is New Again

Corduroy is back in a big way for fall. Itā€™s one of those fabrics you either love or hate. Me? Iā€™m on the fence. It’s been called the poor man’s velvet which may be why Iā€™ve never embraced it. I never found velvet lacking and thought corduroy was better for men. My memories of corduroy are of a stiff, unforgiving fabric that binds when you sit down.

navy corduroy jacket from J.Crew on A Well Styled Life
Corduroy Blazer

Corduroy is different this fall. Many of the fabrics have stretch woven in which gives it an all-new softness and comfort factor. I love the punch of red on the collar back on this blazer. Here’s the matching pant so you can wear them as a suit. They also comes in blush pink which takes it as far away from men’s wear as you can get.

Wearing texture near your face reduces the appearance of wrinkles which makes a corduroy jacket a great choice. If you opt for corduroy pants, pair them with a textured or patterned top for balance. Talbots pink corduroy pants on A Well Styled Life

high rise Corduroy pants

Buttoned Skirt
buttoned corduroy skirt

 

This Long and Lean Jacket would be great over jeans or casual pants all winter. You could even wear it as a suit with these pants. I haven’t embraced cropped flares but the tall version has a 29″ inseam which is full length for me.

these corduroy booties are a fun

Booties and shoes are a non-preppy way to inject some corduroy into your look.

corduroy shoulder bag
Shopping Tote

Handbags are popping up in corduroy too.

I’m looking to add corduroy to my wardrobe but will be easing into it easily. Is corduroy part of your wardrobe?

Thanks for reading and be sure to wear what makes you feel confident.

 

 

 

40 Comments

  1. I like uncut corduroy which is much like velvet, but sturdier and with shorter nap. I’m actually wearing a favourite pair of caramel coloured skinny uncut cord pants right now. I’ve had them for several years. They’re soft with plenty of stretch and very comfortable.

  2. I am on the fence as well but now that you said it detracts from wrinkles maybe it should be my new best friend. Great post as always!

  3. A couple years ago while in Myrtle Beach on vacation, I bought an off white corduroy blazer. It has stretch and is a very thin wale and I love it for spring and fall! It is very versatile!

  4. I fell in love with corduroy when I saw the Beatles wearing it in the cold, windy field in the movie, Help. I wore it in the winter all through college in New Hampshire and Vermont with matching flannel shirts and crew neck wool sweaters. And I still love corduroy, since I still live in Vermont, although I do prefer thin wale to wide wale. Carol in VT

    1. I Love both The Beatles and corduroy too, i know they are concepts that people think are from old but I the more I grab them
      And forgive my english, I’m from Spain!

  5. I love corduroy! Some of my favorite skirts and pants were corduroy. Currently I only have one corduroy shirt, but I may need to get another one in a soft baby wale. I will definitely be on the look out for some corduroy pants/ jeans, especially some with a slight stretch.
    I made a quick trip to Macyā€™s the other day to pick up a cardigan I ordered and take advantage of their shoe sale. I came home with two pairs of loafer type shoes. One pair is a leopard print and the other is a rust/ brick red suede. I did not have time to check any other departments or other stores. Another trip to the mall is slated for next week and corduroy items will be on my list.

  6. My favorite shirt for Fall is a lightweight corduroy from chicos from a few years back. It is a shade of green that should not work for me with cool coloring but it does. I think it works because my hair is all silver now and not the ash brown it was. I guess my skin color also changed as I got older. I am tempted by those two matching pieces.

  7. I hv always felt that corduroy adds visual weight which I do not need. It tends to be stiff and gets wrinkled then argues with the iron about releasing those wrinkles. So, no for me. Jennifer, do
    U wear blazers? I hv broad shoulders and never find a blazer that works

    1. I do wear blazers. Steaming is the way to go with corduroy!

  8. Mini Lynn says:

    I love corduroy! I have several petite jackets from Christopher and Banks. I receive compliments whenever I wear one.

    I usually wear the jacket with a matching tee or sweater and accessorize with a scarf or silver pin. They are the perfect weight for Northern California, where wool is just too warm for most Fall or Winter days.

  9. I am over the fencing and running in my corduroy. Love it and have been wearing it all along. Feel itā€™s a step up from jeans, a bit dressier. Much warmer in winter. (Iā€™m in Ohio).

  10. Well, this is a timely post. I bought a pair of brown corduroy pants yesterday. So bored with jeans. I don’t know if I will wear them or not. They were thrifted, $2.50, so worth the fashion “experiment”.

  11. Corduroy is so sporty! Or…as my parents generation of Germans would say, ā€œsportlich elegantā€. I happily wore a lot of corduroy growing up in NYC where it was cold and it came in more colors than denim.

    I have not worn corduroy living in San Diego or Palo Alto. Corduroy doesnā€™t feel right in most parts of California and I didnā€™t see much of it in stores.

    But now Iā€™m in Northern California and Iā€™m looking forward to widening my casual wardrobe with corduroy. It adds a whole new dimension! Color! Texture! And itā€™s soft and is perfect for sporty elegant soft dressing!

    Yay corduroy!!!

  12. Like others who live where winters are cold, I love corduroy pants for their warmth. I do prefer pinwale – feels less bulky on my 5ā€™ frame.

    1. Great point about the width of the wale. The wider ones seem softer to me, but this new crop may be different. I’ll be checking it out.

  13. I have never really been happy with corduroy. And now with never-ending hot flashes (thanks menopause!) I would never wear it!

  14. Have always loved corduroy so am pleased about its revival and feel it is a plus that it is now available in a stretch-woven blend. Also; IMO regardless that it is considered a casual fabric it can even look great with a dressy silk.

    Re handbags sewn in it (or that of another cloth including ‘faux’ suede); tip — for stain prevention one might consider spraying it with an Upholstery Fabric Protector but always color test first in an inconspicuous place by applying some to a q-tip then dab. (I even do this with my shoes.) -Brenda-

  15. Remember the swish when walking in corduroy pants? Corduroy is fine when the wales are thin. Last year Talbot’s sold very nice corduroy pants. I have black and royal blue that I love wearing in the Chicago cold. I also own a dark brown corduroy jean jacket from a while back. I love wearing it. Happy Monday!

  16. I wore tight fitting corduroy jeans when I was much much younger but donā€™t feel the need to embrace the style now. I much prefer my skinny denim jeans and moto jackets for a go to cool weather look.

  17. I have never heard the phrase ā€œpoor manā€™s velvetā€! I wouldnā€™t let a ridiculous name keep me from wearing it. Right now I donā€™t have any in my wardrobe having lived in hot climates. But I do like it in the smaller thin wale. It adds an interesting texture to the mix.

  18. I’m on the fence with corduroy also. My brothers had to wear salt and pepper corduroy pants to school so always felt they were for boys. But in high school we loved wearing tight corduroy jeans so I’m kind of over it now.

  19. Growing up in the midwest, I loved corduroy. It certainly kept me warm on those cold winter mornings. I am glad to see it coming back. I think it’s a nice casual option other than my jeans.

  20. I am trying to pull up the bright pink pants and keep getting the shopping tote! Where are the pants from? Thanks!

  21. I’ve never been a fan of corduroy pants. I hate the woosh woosh sound it makes when I walk. Maybe with the stretch woven in it would be better. We’ll see!

  22. I love the look and feel of cotton corduroy. For jackets I like anything from wide wale to pinwale. For pants I prefer a velvety pinwale, but even that adds bulk to my short frame. Still, I have a couple of pairs of corduroy jeans for walking the dog in the fall weather.

  23. I wear corduroy pants in the winter for the additional warmth it provides. I love Talbot’s corduroy jeans. They don’t look stuffy and do have some stretch in them. I don’t care for the wide wale version of corduroy.

  24. Debbie Davis says:

    Never a fan of corduroy!!

  25. Please help, where can I find the longer jean style tan jacket pictured in this article?

  26. Hi Jennifer, I like the new thinner wale, lightweight corduroy. It is the perfect “winter weight” for us in south Texas. I was wondering if there is a link to the tan barn jacket in the top picture? I would like to check it out. ?

  27. I had corduroy pants when I was much younger but I just do not like it now at all.

  28. Back in the day I was very into LLBean (I’m from Maine, so it follows). I had a burgundy corduroy skirt with a burgundy pinstripe Oxford shirt, and a lovely forest green corduroy skirt with a green pinstripe Oxford shirt. I wore those two out fits so often, and really hated to let them go when I did. Both skirts were a very thin wale that worked well on my small frame. I now own a great little red corduroy jacket from Talbots that I picked up at Goodwill. So fun to wear!

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