Corduroy trousers for men were big business on the AW17 Menswear runways, where brands like Giorgio Armani and E. Tautz delivered a contemporary take on the style. This was a far cry from the mismatched suits worn by Bill Murray’s Raleigh St. Clair in The Royal Tenenbaums, though.
Instead designers took a polished approach to reviving the rich history of this particular textile, a history that spans back to use in ancient Egyptian textiles, though the corduroy trend has seen many incarnations since.
From the fabric of choice for 18th-century royals to a 19th-century working-class uniform, corduroy would later belong to the domain of sports and military wear and in the 1960s become synonymous with a spirit of rebellion. In contemporary collections that sense of rebellion still prevails. Giorgio Armani, for example, relaxed the fabric even further with slouchier proportions for AW17, proving there isn’t just one way of wearing corduroy trousers now.
In fact, your personal take on the fabric could be informed by any number of historic cord-lovers and style icons: the likes of Serge Gainsbourg, Paul Newman or Robert Redford. Each of these men became renowned for their own take on corduroy and, looking to them now, it seems their individual approaches are still as relevant as ever. Perhaps it’s something about that devil-may-care attitude they share, but it seems fair to say that cord trousers aren’t exactly for the faint of heart.
The Serge Gainsbourg slim
He comes back to me as a ghost in his corduroy coat', said Serge Gainsbourg’s muse and lover Jane Birkin after his death. Such was his love affair with the fabric that it added texture to many of the singer’s most iconic looks. In general, this quintessential Frenchman tended towards a lighter colour palette when it came to the corduroy trend, favouring worn-out baby blues or crisp whites, for example.
Suffice to say that the winter-proof fabric was on high rotation in this particular style icon’s wardrobe and Gainsbourg certainly would have appreciated the slim tailoring of corduroy trousers for men on the runways, especially the Officine Generale trousers presented for AW17. Here you could consider employing the brand’s monochromatic approach, for instance, and opt for a white pair like those worn by Gainsbourg. Then all it takes is a matching white sweater, a neck scarf and a pair of Versace shoes to complete the look.
The Paul Newman slack
As the story goes, it was during the 1990s when Paul Newman’s assistant reported he had made a 'bonfire of the tuxedos' and was 'down to just a few pairs of slacks and cords, a few shirts and sweaters'. Decades earlier in the 1970s, though, the actor solidified his penchant for corduroy with his role playing Butch Cassidy. As the ultimate anti-hero, this favoured fabrication of his quickly became synonymous with a certain air of anti-establishment. Not least of all because the material was decidedly less rigid than other offerings for men.
For AW17 it was the E. Tautz collection that felt most Newman-esque. Here, designer Patrick Grant slackened traditional tailoring and, instead, debuted relaxed cord trousers in deep, dark navy. The result was one of deliberate nonchalance; a sort of soft power suiting. This informality would have been right up Paul Newman’s alley given that he, too, was a fan of the slightly slouchier fit. The actor was known to team his own pair of relaxed corduroys with a light sports jacket and a languid pair of loafers. In this way, he was ever the picture of insouciance.
The Robert Redford suit
If anyone made a case for the cord suit rendered in earthy tones, it was Mr Robert Redford. The look became something of a signature for the actor and cropped up time and time again in many of his most notable roles. Take All the President’s Men, in which Redford plays Watergate reporter Bob Woodward – intellectual and yet informal, his mustard-coloured corduroy, also showcased at Marni AW17, radically redefined workwear.
A belt can be a great way to sharpen this look for the work day, as seen on both the runway at Marni and on Redford himself in the film. With the jacket to match, you will be well poised for business meetings, but can always toss the jacket and wear your trousers out beyond clock-off hour. Refreshingly, designers are presenting a multitude of different ways to wear corduroy trousers for men now, which means that you can embrace this velvety fibre in whichever way you please, just like all the most stylish men that came before.