Corduroy Trousers
Men's Corduroy Trousers
Styling corduroy trousers
Which shirts, jumpers and shoes go with corduroy? Five combinations with pictures and advice on colours.
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What makes good corduroy trousers?
Corduroy is a cotton fabric with a cut pile. The ribs, known as wales, are cut open after weaving and stand on the ground weave as soft ridges. This makes the fabric warm, tactile and hard-wearing: dressier than jeans, more relaxed than flannel trousers, and so the natural choice of trousers for autumn and winter.
Good corduroy is 100% cotton. Added elastane makes the fabric stretchy, but the fibre ages: washing, wear and time tire it, and the fabric loses its shape. Pure cotton has no such expiry date. Density matters too: tightly woven corduroy lasts longer and becomes softer with wear. Check the pile with your hand and against the light. It should stand evenly, with a fine sheen and no patchy areas. Wide-wale corduroy has few, wide ribs and a pronounced relief; needlecord has many narrow ribs and a finer surface. For trousers, wide-wale corduroy is the classic choice.
Construction: what matters on the inside
The inside shows whether a pair of trousers is well made. These features distinguish a carefully made pair from a basic one:
- Split waistband with extra fabric. The waistband is split at the back, with extra fabric in the seam. This allows a tailor to let the trousers out or take them in by about one size. With a continuous waistband, this is hardly possible.
- Waistband lining. A separate lining is set in on the inside and covers the seams. On jeans, by contrast, the waistband is simply a folded strip of the outer fabric.
- Sewn-in belt loops. The loops are sewn into the waistband at the bottom, not just stitched on top.
- Zip into the waistband. It does not end below the waistband but runs into it.
- Crotch lining. Cotton is set in on the inside where the seams take the most strain.
- Cut with the nap. All pieces lie with the pile running in the same direction. Otherwise the trouser legs catch the light differently.
Our corduroy trousers are made from Brisbane Moss 8-wale heavy corduroy: 100% cotton, 460 g/m², Made in Portugal. They have all the features listed above, plus a pleat, turn-ups, two slanted side pockets and a mid rise. They come in a classic cut in short, regular and long sizes.
→ More about the fabric and its origin on the page Brisbane Moss Cord
→ Colours, tops and shoes in the guide How to style corduroy trousers














