Why corduroy is this season’s must-have menswear fabric

If you buy one thing this season, make sure it’s cord

Friday 19 January 2018 12:34 EST

The classic fabric is no longer solely for geography teachers (AFP/Getty)

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An old-school fabric that was once the reserve of ponderous professors, corduroy has swiftly risen in the sartorial stakes with a full-scale menswear takeover.

Littered throughout popular culture, the kitschy-vintage trend has inadvertently given us a whole host of unlikely style icons, from Britpop star Jarvis Cocker to perhaps the most geography-teacher-esque politician there is, Jeremy Corbyn.

And, then there’s Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things, which decked what felt the entire cast in corduroy– from Dustin’s cargo pants to Lucas’s burnt orange shearling trimmed jacket.

But, more than anywhere else the durable vintage material stood out as the takeaway trend on the autumn/winter runways.

Here, the most literal take came from Prada where the clothes – both male and female – came infused with a Seventies twist.

Riffing on simplicity and the trend for normcore, Miuccia Prada presented a collection dominated by ‘ordinary’ materials with everything from Harrington jackets and flared bottoms, to overcoats and three-piece-suits daubed in sepia tones of burnt orange, camel and brown.

Waterproof Vincent Cinnamon Wax, £209, Percival

Elsewhere, Marni re-worked the classic trouser with belted wide strides in eye-popping colour combinations and Giorgio Armani saw a relaxed, un-fussy take on tailoring including a grey corduroy zip-up hoodie.

And this is exactly how you should translate the fabric into your fashionable everyday life.

Charcoal Grey Skinny Corduroy Trousers, £35, Topman

The trick here is to opt for pieces that feel modern and streamlined like sharply cut suits, statement coats and jackets that will work to replace your denim version.

Updating your bottom half is fairly simple too, while corduroy trousers look great in a slim-fit, the heavier fabric also means that wider cuts will fall seamlessly too.