I find myself curiously drawn to corduroy. Cord jeans were a thing when I was a teenager. There was the great early 80s elephant cord scare… Since then, nothing. Suddenly, I fancy some black cord jeans, or a battered pale brown cord jacket (the like of which I might have worn to 6th form). What is happening?
Corduroy
by 43 Comments
I’m afraid the 80s elephant cord scare came and went without me noticing. In the previous decade I used to “rock” a pair of mustard-coloured elephant cord hipsters. Also a Take 6 slate-grey corduroy suit with flared strides.
If anyone now wryly links a YouTube clip of a certain Nineties Acid Jazz band’s cover of Motorhead, I will scream
They’re still going; new album, Return of the Fabric Four, out earlier this year. It sounds just like they used to (i.e. like it was recorded in 1968). Still great live.
Ooo, thanks for the tip Steve
Strange synchronicity.
A few months back I bought a grey thin denim shirt from an Amazon seller. On my FB feed about a week ago there was an advert for corduroy shirts from the same seller.
And now here we are in Afterwordland talking Cord. Is this the start of the Corduroy Renaissance?
Should I be worried?
Love cords. I got measured at the weekend for a salmon pink pair to go with my brown pair.
You honour us with your presence Mister Portillo.
Haha… and they will be worn at the Test match in Galle next week… with a panama.
White cords were the thing in the mid 60s. Brian Jones, Jimi, even Brian Wilson wore them. I had a pretty-cool-for-the-time navy corduroy jacket back in the 70s. The last pair of trooz I had were elephant cords in a nice burgundy, sometime in the 90s.
I have 3 jean jackets in corduroy; Navy blue, chocolate brown and a sort of biscuit colour…I find they cover most non-formal jacketty needs.
I have a pale brown corduroy jacket (battered) somewhere. I will look it out and wear it at the weekend just so that I can be “on trend”, which will be a novelty!
🤢
Corduroy trousers are best in a mustard or a gravy colour, capacious in bottom and leg and with turn-ups. A matching suit, of course with waistcoat and leather patches on the elbows better still. A condition of marriage was that I threw my (mustard) suit away.
From a purely practical stand point most of my clothing is best in a gravy colour.
The trouble with corduroy jeans was the way the cord wore off the knees, leaving bald patches that looked rather awful.
You shouldn’t be so subservient, Carl. 😉
I’m nervously awaiting Voice of Tig on this question…
There comes a point in a person’s life when it really doesn’t matter what you wear. There are times when I fear looking like a dork, such as at work, but, mostly, I don’t give a monkeys.
I have my eye on some yellow stripey trainers. It won’t match any clothes I possess but I think I’ll buy them anyway.
You are a bit younger than me, I think. Corduroy might well suit you.
I had several pairs of Wrangler black cord jeans some years ago. Now, they’re much harder to find. Nothing wrong with a pair of cords.
I have a friend called Corduroy, but she tells me it is derived from the French for King Heart (Coeur du Roi) rather than the kegs. I used to sell the jumbo variety in my Saturday job at Huggy Bear’s boutique on Briggate, Leeds in 1979, but have no desire to get any now.
Always liked them. yes the uneven wear is a problem but not enough to put me off them. Just bought a few pairs at Costco. Does the UK have this American warehouse style retail/wholesaler?
Indeed, yes, the modish place to buy ill-fitting “Dad” jeans, roomy with a high waist and short leg, having made the mistake of thinking £9 a bargain.
mine are slim fit
Get you.
After a long search for a new casual jacket, I recently purchased a cool, collarless (think 60’s Beatles) navy blue number from a large store in Buchanan Street, Glasgow. It’s my first corduroy garment since the 70’s and has been drawing compliments, especially from my younger acquaintances. It’s from the Pretty Green stable. I’ve had a look at their website and they seem to take inspiration from the 60’s and 70’s. Liam Gallagher gets a mention in connection with his 2017 album release. So, the king of fabrics lives on!
Didn’t Gallagher the Younger start the label?
I believe you are correct. I scanned the Pretty Green website briefly and clocked his name and reference to his album. Must tell my impressionable chums I’m on trend. One thing I like about the jacket is that the PG label is really small and not at all obvious on the outside of the jacket.
Mrs. T tells me it is a la mode for the ladies this season!
As are trousers with rips in the knees. My footy-playing lad might finally be fashionable!
Probably not corduroy trousers.
Corduroy is everywhere right now. All the hipster-duffus’s are sporting variations on the stuff. It’s the one material I’ve never owned, but I have been eyeing up some swanky trews recently so that may be about to change…
I was there last time cord was “in”. Must have been end of ’60s-early ’70s.
I seem to recall having a light tan cord shirt with a button-down collar at one point and a few pairs of cord jeans in different colours. Bare knees and arse cheeks are indeed a problem with cord strides, as are bare elbows & cuffs with the shirts.
Bottle green cord flares at one point. Oh the horror!
This Top Tip is for all of you gentlemen sharing your concerns about when your cords start to wear at the arse/knees/elbows.
What you do is, you get rid of them as it’s a sign that they aren’t meant to be worn any longer 😉
I rather like the fact that the Swedish word for corduroy is ‘manchester’.
No – honestly, it is.
Whereas in an Australian department store, you will find the Manchester Department contains all your cotton sheets and the like, for obvious reasons.
Bobbins….
I recently bought a pair of light cords. They must therefore be waaaaay out of fashion.
A pair of black needle cord jeans.
Yep. I could definitely go for these.
Watch out, folks.
The Loon Pants revival will be next.
Bring it on!
Wait…. loons went out of fashion?
I had a blue corduroy jacket in the mid 60s – came from C&A I think – patch pockets….with a belt! I must have looked a right prat. I was rather proud of some greenish corduroy shoes which I purchased after spotting George Harrison wearing a pair, I think it was in Help! They weren’t very weatherproof.
Ah yes I had some corduroy shoes. Late 60s I think.