Capers in Cords
As a young boy, I loved corduroy pants. My mother had a friend who made me a pair of beautiful dark blue cords during my early childhood, and an aunt called me Corduroy due to my affinity for the fabric (and the book about the bear bearing its name). After second grade, however, corduroy fell out of my wardrobe for no good reason other than shifting trends. When it came time to buy new pants, I passed up cords in favor of chinos and jeans, a pattern that stuck for over 15 years.
Last fall, I bought a pair of thin-wale corduroy pants from J. Crew. I liked their chocolate brown color and trim, casual cut, but at a time when I was wearing raw denim almost every day, I didn’t rotate them in my wardrobe as much as they deserved. This fall has been a different story. I wear my cords so often that they’re starting to wear out and the wales are fading, which is the look I’m going for.
My love affair with corduroy was reignited on a laundry day when I scrambled to put together a presentable outfit for work. I needed something to go with a pair of sand suede chukka boots I had wanted to wear for a long time, so I threw on a Uniqlo oxford with my J. Crew cords and dashed out the door, quite pleased with the nonchalant spirit the outfit communicated. I’ve tried this ensemble with a couple more shirts (and different shoes) and I like it more each time I wear it.
The chocolate brown hue of the cords complement other fall Earth tones. Yesterday I paired them with my green Belstaff vest and cigar Red Wing Beckmans (which are breaking in nicely) and if it weren’t for the navy hue of my sweater and my bright blue Gitman Vintage chambray shirt, I would have blended in with Mother Nature quite well. It’s also a look that can go from city to country or office to dinner easily because it’s casual enough to not look stiff but refined enough to project old world noblesse, even if you’re the son of commoners.
Cords: J. Crew, Shirt: Gitman Vintage, Sweater: J. Crew, Vest: Belstaff, Boots: Red Wing Heritage, Sunglasses: Warby Parker