# Corduroy Rules



## DPC3 (Jun 15, 2009)

I would like to add some corduroy pants to my wardrobe. I see they are currently on sale from BB. I have never owned a pair before, and I would like to know what purpose the serve in a collection of clothing. I am operating under the premise that they serve a purpose similar to chinos. My first guess would be that they should or could be worn with sports shirts which contrast them. I also believe they could be paired with boat shoes. I have considerably more polo shirts than sports shirts in my wardrobe, but they do not seem appropriate with this type of pants - is this correct? Another question is what sort of coat should one wear with them? I would like to know how to coordinate them before I make a purchase. Please be specific as to the type of shirt, shoes, and coat one would wear with them. I assume that most corduroys come in autumn colors or at least they seem to. 
-DPC3


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

I am operating under the premise that they serve a purpose similar to chinos. 

*That is correct. You can wear them (pretty much) anytime you'd wear chinos.*

My first guess would be that they should or could be worn with sports shirts which contrast them. I also believe they could be paired with boat shoes. 

*Yes...in both cases*

I have considerably more polo shirts than sports shirts in my wardrobe, but they do not seem appropriate with this type of pants - is this correct? 

*Others may disagree, but I don't think polos should be worn with cords. Polos are warm weather clothing. Cords are for fall/winter.*

Another question is what sort of coat should one wear with them? 

*A heavy tweed or camel hair sportcoat, possibly even a navy flannel blazer (if the cloth is heavy enough). For an overcoat...pretty much anything that compliments the color fo the trousers. *

Please be specific as to the type of shirt, shoes, and coat one would wear with them. 

*I would say oxford cloth or flannel...finer fabrics are too refined for casual trousers like cords. Pretty much any casual shoe "goes" with cords, though I've never been a fan of sneakers with them.*

I assume that most corduroys come in autumn colors or at least they seem to. 

*Yes.*


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## Mr. Tweed (Apr 9, 2009)

*Some corduroy inspiration*

Dear DPC3,

I think TMMKC gave you all the correct answers. I would just like to add that corduroys do belong to the British country style tradition just as tattersall shirts, sturdy brouges and tweedy jackets. There is of course no need to follow this tradition all the way, but if you would like some inspiration have a look at the pictures below.

Yours,
Mr. Tweed


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## KCKclassic (Jul 27, 2009)

I might be totally wrong, but....

A friend once told me that corduroy was originally a fabric used primarily for hunting/ outdoor clothing. That seems in line with what Mr. Tweed posted above. My fellow Kansas City poster also broke down some "rules" very well, though I admit to breaking many of them regardless of what any think, but that's because I think, ahem CORDUROY RULES!


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## Mad Hatter (Jul 13, 2008)

Mr. Tweed, that is a handsome ensemble. Really like the boots, as well.

Re:corduroy-You could get by with a long-sleeve polo, but I agree not a short-sleeve. In lieu of a long-sleeve polo, a crewneck sweater. Viyella shirts in warm solids or plaids/tattersalls/windowpanes.

Jackets; anything from Harringtons to field jackets to odd jackets like Mr.T's tweed.

Shoes; agree with something brogued or "most any" casual shoe. Longwings. Suede. Wellingtons/chukkas for boots.


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## mfs (Mar 1, 2009)

*Cord jacket*

What color trouser goes with an olive cord jacket


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## London380sl (Apr 17, 2009)

I have to disagree about the boat shoes. I would think penny loafers would be more appropriate.
.
Up here in the Great White North cords are seen as a fall or spring pair of pants but are frowned upon in the winter as snow has a tendancy to stick to them.


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## Mad Hatter (Jul 13, 2008)

mfs said:


> What color trouser goes with an olive cord jacket


Brown, camel/tan/stone, rust. Possibly grays with the right shirt/tie colors helping tie it all together.


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## deanayer (Mar 30, 2008)

If you are in Minnesota then consider chords as the chinos of fall and winter. Boat shoes wont really work well as mentioned but any slip-on or loafer shoe works well, chukka boots in suede, brownish brogues or wingtips would look very good as well.

Chords go great with heavier wool jackets, sweaters, etc. Chords are heavy on texture so they tend to work very well with other mixed textures.

They are good in burgundy, hunter green, brown etc. but I would avoid black and navy blue since they really say "country" more than "city" they are also the equivalent of a wearable lint brush so avoid the cat and dog while wearing them.


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## Leather man (Mar 11, 2007)

I definitely agree that cords ought to be worn with a good pair of heavy weight brogued shoes or boots. These are the quintessential style to wear with cords - needle cord can be worn with a slightly lighter weight shoe but still needs to be traditional.

The shirt must be, IMO, of a commensurate weight - ie oxford cloth or flannel as already stated.

I don't like cord on cord so I wear tweed jackets with cord trousers but that's a personal thing. If you do go for the head to toe cord look I'd advise against the cord suit look ( needle cord excepted) and wear contrasting colours. So with navy cords I wear the Islip tweed jacket from Pakeman Catto and Carter , with green or brown cords I wear a charcoal herringbone tweed..............oh when will Autumn come?!


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## De-Boj (Jul 5, 2009)

*Better than jeans*

I agree with most of what has been said here, but I don't wear boat shoes with cords. IMHO I think that would look a little strange.


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## DCLawyer68 (Jun 1, 2009)

De-Boj said:


> I agree with most of what has been said here, but I don't wear boat shoes with cords. IMHO I think that would look a little strange.


I think of cords as country wear for fall/winter and boat shoes as spring summer.


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## From Vancouver (May 24, 2009)

Just wear them like a pair of jeans!


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## Mongo (May 9, 2008)

I never wear cords, and this thread has made me think about why.

I have nothing against them per se, but I'm a really big man, and I feel like cords or other highly textured fabrics (e.g. - heavy tweeds) emphasize that to my detriment.

What do others think regarding the appropriateness of these fabrics to particular body types. Am I totally out to lunch on this?


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## KCKclassic (Jul 27, 2009)

I think the bulky appearance of corduroy varies according to the whale of the fabric. Pin-whale being less bulky than something wider. Cut is a consideration also, since there are more standard trouser styles (on seam pockets) and pairs more like jeans, which I wear frequently.
I've come across pants with cuffs also, which is too much for me, since even lightweight cord seems too bulky for that.

just my 1.99 cents


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## De-Boj (Jul 5, 2009)

Mongo said:


> I never wear cords, and this thread has made me think about why.
> 
> I have nothing against them per se, but I'm a really big man, and I feel like cords or other highly textured fabrics (e.g. - heavy tweeds) emphasize that to my detriment.
> 
> What do others think regarding the appropriateness of these fabrics to particular body types. Am I totally out to lunch on this?


I am 6'4" 145 LBS, and I wear them all winter long. Granted I am not the biggest guy, but I think they look pretty good. At least my wife hasn't told me it looks bad. She is usually brutaly honest.


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## pkprd869 (Jul 7, 2009)

I'm with TMMKC except with the boat shoes. Posters above have mentioned, cords are hunting, boat shoes are for sailing. The two activities seem to clash for me. I believe the preferred whale is bigger on top and smaller whale on the bottom. But I would just stick with whatever whale is proportional to your build.


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## Mongo (May 9, 2008)

De-Boj said:


> I am 6'4" 145 LBS, and I wear them all winter long. Granted I am not the biggest guy, but I think they look pretty good. At least my wife hasn't told me it looks bad. She is usually brutaly honest.


I'm 6'2", and 270 - 275 lbs. 48L w 40" waist.

My concern is not height, but breadth.


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## De-Boj (Jul 5, 2009)

*Thust me, I know where you are coming from...*



Mongo said:


> I'm 6'2", and 270 - 275 lbs. 48L w 40" waist.
> 
> My concern is not height, but breadth.


I recently lost some weight to get down to 245 from 280. I was wearing cords the whole time they are wide whale from Brooks Bros. I think they just fit my body really well. I was living in New Hampshire at the time, so the cords were my go to pants when off work. Have you tried to compare how thin vs. Wide whales look on you?


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## Mongo (May 9, 2008)

De-Boj said:


> I recently lost some weight to get down to 245 from 280. I was wearing cords the whole time they are wide whale from Brooks Bros. I think they just fit my body really well. I was living in New Hampshire at the time, so the cords were my go to pants when off work. Have you tried to compare how thin vs. Wide whales look on you?


In fairness, no. I stopped wearing cords while still a teenager (a long, long time ago). This thread has made me reexamine my bias. I wouldn't mind having an alternative to chinos, especially outside of the summer months.


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## From Vancouver (May 24, 2009)

Go upscale boys - cashmere corduroy fabrics from Dormeuil is superlative.

Dream big - Go for the corduroy suit.


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## ajo (Oct 22, 2007)

Contemplated the corduroy suit about 16 years ago, in the end couldn't bring my self to do it, but times change so if the right suit came along who knows?. 

I have just order a pair of the tobacco corduroy trousers depicted in Mr Tweeds post. Can hardly wait to receive them, just the antidote for a long draw out winter.

Save the Wale.:icon_smile_big:


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## PatentLawyerNYC (Sep 21, 2007)

Mr. Tweed--Details on these boots, please?


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## rsmeyer (May 14, 2006)

_Cord du roi_ = cloth of the king. I would not wear a corduroy suit, but the slacks can certainly be worn with a tweed sport coat. Corduroy sport coats were popular for campus wear in the late 50's-early 60's.


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## PJC in NoVa (Jan 23, 2005)

Mongo said:


> I never wear cords, and this thread has made me think about why.
> 
> I have nothing against them per se, but I'm a really big man, and I feel like cords or other highly textured fabrics (e.g. - heavy tweeds) emphasize that to my detriment.
> 
> What do others think regarding the appropriateness of these fabrics to particular body types. Am I totally out to lunch on this?


I don't think you're out to lunch. I'm not a huge corduroy fan either. I have nothing against the fabric, but since I quit wearing fine-wale Levi's cords after college, I've never been able to find a pair of corduroy trousers that I didn't feel made me look like an unmade bed. FWIW, I've had much the same experience with cotton moleskins. For casual wear I prefer cotton twills, and for semi-casual, wool flannels or worsteds.


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

My best advice, and I don't mean to be flip, is wear them however you want to wear them, and if they don't look good to your eye, don't wear them. Of course, they are not business dress, but other than that, there are no rulebooks about corduroy trousers. I wear mine with polo shirts frequently, and I have corduroys in summer colors, but they tend to be the very narrow wale variety.


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## Mr. Tweed (Apr 9, 2009)

PatentLawyerNYC said:


> Mr. Tweed--Details on these boots, please?


Dear PatentLawyerNYC,

The boots are made by Tricker´s in Northampton, England. The style is called Stow. You are welcome to .

Yours,
Mr. Tweed


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## Kingstonian (Dec 23, 2007)

Leather man said:


> I don't like cord on cord so I wear tweed jackets with cord trousers but that's a personal thing. If you do go for the head to toe cord look I'd advise against the cord suit look


Agreed. To me cord suit does not so much say 'geography teacher' as 'cheap geography teacher'.


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## PatentLawyerNYC (Sep 21, 2007)

Thanks so much. They are lookers indeed.......



Mr. Tweed said:


> Dear PatentLawyerNYC,
> 
> The boots are made by Tricker´s in Northampton, England. The style is called Stow. You are welcome to .
> 
> ...


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## ajo (Oct 22, 2007)

Kingstonian said:


> Agreed. To me cord suit does not so much say 'geography teacher' as 'cheap geography teacher'.


Geography? I would have thought English Lit Lecturer.


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