Basic Considerations — How to Wear Corduroy

Forget all the tired tropes about corduroy and its loose association with geography teachers; this fabric is sumptuous and should be treated with the same age-old affection as its cousin denim. 

Corduroy is essentially a ribbed velvet – which explains its lovely lustre. Championed in recent collections by designers from Prada to Grace Wales Bonner, it’s now been embraced by the high street, meaning there’s a wealth of choice available for the autumn-winter season.

It can conjure images of elegant elderly men of the countryside in a deep khaki wale trouser, or Jarvis Cocker in a fine mustard three-piece suit. But that shouldn’t dissuade you – quite the opposite! Retro nostalgia isn’t always the order of the day, though, so to temper its somewhat fusty reputation we love it paired with crisp cotton blouses or a chic cashmere knit.

Basic Browns
Wood Wood Althea Trousers, £175 woodwood.com; Dries Van Noten Trousers AW17, mytheresa.com; Prada AW17 via vogue.co.uk, Zara Corduroy Trousers, £39.99 zara.com.

Easy Neutrals
Ganni Stretch Corduroy Pants £180, ganni.com; Lacausa Trousers via NYC Bambi, lacausaclothing.com; Monki Belted Corduroy Jacket £50, monki.com; Monki Corduroy Jacket £50, monki.com; MiH High-Rise Corduroy Trousers £255, matchesfashion.com.

Bright Thinking
Isabel Marant Corduroy Trousers matchesfashion.com; Paloma Wool Wadi Pant $155 lisasaysgah.com; Zara Corduroy Trousers £69.99 zara.com;  Staud Hayley Jacket staud.clothing.

Classic Navy
Isabel Marant Corduroy Wide Leg Trousers $480 lagarconne.com; Acne Studios Corduroy Coat £750 acnestudios.com;  Re/Done Originals Stovepipe Corduroy Jeans £260 matchesfashion.com; Other Stories Wide Corduroy Trousers £69 stories.com.