Corduroy - Oui ou Non pour Homme?




Origin:  Most think it is of French origin, "Cord du roi" which means cloth of the king, but it's actually English for a coarse fabric. Interesting enough a "corduroy bridge" is a bridge made with logs cut in half with the curved part showing.

Corduroy, moleskin and velveteen (velvet) all belong to a group know as fustians.  Fustians usually have a higher ratio of weft to warp (durability and makes it almost waterproof when the "wale" faces upwards).  Origins are hard, but hasn't changed much since the 18th Century.  They were originally made in the West Yorkshire region of England (Leeds, Bradford, etc.).  Of the original factories in England, only one remains.  As with most lux fabrics, the Italians have perfected it.  Cheaper versions are made all over the world.

Fabric itself:  Corduroy is a form of velvet, but with lines or "wales" (or "piles" or "ribs" or "races").  Picture a piece of velvet, now imagine weaving lines into the fabric (not shaving) - you end up with lines (wales) you see in the fabric.  Although the fabric is considered durable, which it is, the the wales wear out on the knees and elbows, as you can see in the Woody Allen picture.  This isn't a bad thing, of course, it can give an outfit some dimension and depth.  But to wear in lieu of tailored clothing?  No way.

Measurement: "wale per inch" or number of lines per inch, which can go from about 1 1/2 to about 20.  The higher the number, the more luxurious and soft (and expensive) the fabric (because there's more weaving involved). 

Types:

• Printed/dyed - just what it means
• Regular - just the way it is, most common is an 11-wale cord
• Pincord - most expensive, super soft, light and luxurious high wale count (above 16).  For example an 8-wale cord is 315 grams per square metre (gsm) whereas a 16-wale cord would be 190 gsm.

Fashion:

Corduroy is a durable fabric because of the extra weaving involved when it comes to making the wales. But, the thinner the wales, the more particular the fabric as well.

Wider wale fabric is used in trousers and thinner can be used even in shirts.

In the 30s the "pin" cord was developed became very popular because it was lightweight and could be worn in the summer.  It was known as an Ivy League fabric and Brooks Brothers had it as a staple in their stores.

Rod Stewart re-started the cord craze and it became more popular in the late 60s into the 70s during the same time denims made their debut.  But cords are not as easy to wear as denim.  In the 90s, it made a quick comeback as well but more as baggy and fuller trouser.

Being in 2010 and for Fall 2011, to get it at the right price for mass production, the corduroy is going to come in at a higher wale per inch, which in turn makes the fabric harder and thicker.  Many still think of their "father's corduroy jacket" from the 70s.

The Italians have perfected what the British started out with, creating an ultra luxurious pincord.   This has attracted stars like Keanu Reeves, Chris Rock, Wes Anderson and Aidren Brody.  But there is a price to pay for it.  A Michael Bastian corduroy suit comes in at $2,400.  I'm working with Florence-based "Pontoglio" on a pincord leisure suit for sportswear.
 


My Personal Opinion

As much as one can try, because of the way the fabric is made and it being 100% cotton, it doesn't respond well to tailored clothing as a wool.  Even though Wes Anderson (above) looks wonderful wearing a nice cardigan and tie with his corduroy suit, he still looks frumpy.  As a comfortable wearing-around-the-house type item, that is different.  Also, if is isn't a pincord, the fabric becomes harder and heavier - making it look cheap.