FALL / WINTER 2016 TREND | CORDUROY COUTURE

With its vertical cords, earth-deep front pockets, tassels and colours like deep aubergine, musty brown and white, corduroys have never had much fashion ambition to begin with. At one point expecting more than the obvious from the corduroy was like expecting Woody Allen to look like Woody Harrelson. So why has corduroy come into the limelight of winter fashion?

Corduroy is back again

According to Chennai-based designer and owner of Hangar Atelier Siddharth Shashankan, “Corduroy has come into trend in the past and, like all other trends, faded away too. 2015 saw the return of the corduroy trend and, this too, shall get its time in the limelight till the next trend takes over.” True story! Even though its status as a fashion statement has remained questionable for some time, yet, corduroy has crept up the legs in the form of pants and embraced the torso in the form of a jacket. This way corduroys have managed to stay like a consistent ‘comfortable blur’ in our frequently broadening vision.

Take a cue from fashion icon Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and pair corduroy flares with a black turtleneck- a classic combination 

Corduroy and season’s ‘it’ fabric

Season’s ramps have also been bathed in the velvet-y softness of the corduroy. Propelling the year’s hottest theme of bringing the retro sexy back are some of the leading names of the fashion frat. Corduroy was cut and revered in utilitarian jumpsuits, sharp suits, dresses and jackets. Designer MSGM’s pink corduroy trousers, with subtle bottom flares, have made people sit up and notice like never before. At New York Fashion Week, Frame Denim corduroys, with flares as wide as one’s vision, took the cake. With ASOS’s wide-legged jumpsuit, Maison Margiela’s, Miu Miu’s corduroy skirt and cropped trousers by Acne Studios, good old corduroy is pinching itself back into belief.

How best to wear corduroy

From virtually living in them to opting to look ‘different’, corduroy has given many leggie lasses days of amazing style.

Taking a cue from fashion icon Carolyn Bessette Kennedy (who lived through the 90s in her flared corduroys) you can pair your corduroy flares with black turtleneck (a classic) or give them a contemporary twist with a white t-shirt and black denim jacket.

Kate Moss’s corduroys have had their moment in the sun too, with the supermodel wearing the hell out of them during the 80s. Picking up from where the diva left, you can wear a red corduroy jacket or camel corduroy cropped jacket over a denim dress and ankle booties.

Mila Kunis from ‘That 70s Show’ gave us many ideas on how to wear corduroys. Taking inspiration from her, you can pair your corduroy minis with striped t-shirts or update it with a corduroy midi skirt in earthy shades (say Marsala) worn with a turtleneck fitted top in green. Wrap a tube scarf around your neck for that added effect.

French siren Jane Birkin is another stunner to have found in corduroys something that many others had failed to see. In that sense, corduroys have a sort of cult following – where a niche and utterly fashion conscious group accepted it as an extension of themselves.

So in the end what makes corduroy really tick | Siddharth exposes the blueprint of the fabric and says, “Corduroy can be made from cotton, rayon or other fabrics and comes in many weights and sizes, solid colors and patterns. Therefore, it has very wide scope of usage in the form of skirts, trousers and jackets. Corduroy absorbs and releases moisture quickly and comes under the category of “breathable fabrics”. Needless to say, it’s also warm and durable.”

Now when you look at it that way, does it get any better?