A little info
Corduroy is a classic material, made into suits, jackets and trousers it can be worn for any and every occasion.
Corduroy is still very popular, especially among academics and doctors. You will always see a professor at a University in a Corduroy Jacket. However it is becoming harder to find in the high street stores, and corduroy suits are now also rare online.
Traditionally Corduroy is considered to be a casual fabric, corduroy trousers worn with nice mandarin collar dress shirt, or the jacket with chinos. But this is now not the case, it can be worn as smart or casual, it’s all down to how to dress it and which Corduroy you buy.
Quick Tip: Style or Smart?
It is believed that elbow patches are all a style feature, added to give a jacket characteristic or to give it an aged look. However there is a valid reason for the adding of these extra patches to the jackets.
Corduroy looks better the older it gets, however it does shed and when the elbows wear thin and the rest of the jacket still looks fantastic, patches were added to prolong the life and add new character.
Which Corduroy?
Corduroy is known by its vertical ribs or Wales (this is Anglo-Saxon and means “to mark with stripes”). These Wales vary in thickness depending on the Corduroy.
16 ribs or Wales is known as pinwale or fine Corduroy, this is great for suits as the thinner cord brings a sleeker and thinner look.
8 ribs or wales is known as a wide wale or jumbo Corduroy, this is great for suits or trousers.
The thicker the wale, the more casual the item will look, the colour also tends to be richer in the thicker Cords, but that doesn’t mean the fine Corduroy is dull (it’s not our Rupert The Tailor fine Corduroys are stunning!)
Also, the thicker the man the thinner the Corduroy should be, Jumbo Corduroy adds volume whilst Needle Corduroy slims. A skinnier guy might prefer the Jumbo Corduroy to add that extra big of umpf.
Quick Tip: Washing
Remember to always wash your Corduroy on the wrong side!
What to wear when?
For the smart look…
A Needle Corduroy makes a fantastic suit; its soft look is perfect with a shirt and having it in a mole or tan will make you stand out against the black, greys and charcoals.
Take a look at our Rupert The Tailor Morar Needle Corduroy Suit
For the in-between smart and casual look…
A casual Needle or Jumbo Corduroy jacket is perfect, matched with a smart shirt and chinos to complete the outfit.
Our Rupert The Tailor Kinloch 8 Wale Corduroy Jacket is perfect for this.
For the casual look…
A pair of comfy Corduroy trousers teamed with a casual shirt is the perfect outfit for those family events.
Quick Tip: Cord or Velvet?
Velvet is basically Corduroy without the wales, so don’t forget that a black Needle Corduroy blazer could be mistaken for a black velvet sports jacket, to stop this choose navy or a thicker wale.
If you have any other questions about Corduory or any of the other products available please don’t hesitate to contact us by email here, call us on 01335 361287 or use the online chat available on the site.