Striking Cords

Corduroy rides on the coattails of denim’s revitalization

Denim isn’t the only fabric that has gotten a fashion makeover of late. This season, corduroy shares the spotlight too. In fact, manufacturers and designers are applying similar innovations to a growing range of corduroy styles.

And it’s been a long time coming. Corduroy has been around since 17th century France, where it was called corde du roi which translates to “rope of the king.” Despite its name, royals weren’t wearing the fabric, but rather it was worn by their household staff, presumably because it looked like velvet, but this strong, ribbed weave fabric is much more durable. Corduroy is as much a workhorse fabric as all-American denim. (It’s believed that a precursor to American denim was actually invented in France, sometime in the 16th or 17th century, and was called serge de Nimes.)

But corduroy has been in a bit of a time warp. In the ’70s, corduroy pants in earth-tone colors were a decade favorite with students of all ages. Cords were also a staple with preppies in the ’80s, and then rediscovered by the grunge set in the early ’90s. But you’d be hard pressed to call any of its incarnations fashion – until now that is.

And the timing couldn’t be better. According to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™, 56% of women feel it is important to keep their wardrobe updated, which is up 11.4 percentage points over the same period last year. And topping the list of must-haves for winter is corduroy in all its many variations.

Now when designers work with corduroy in earthy colors, they do so in completely novel ways. Take for example, what designers have done with this season’s trendiest item – the duster.

The fall catalog, “Live A Little” from Saks Fifth Avenue, features a jeanswear inspired duster – in a russet-colored corduroy from Earl Jean. New York-based designer Kevin Johnn’s wide-wale duster in a moss color, taps the fabric’s couture potential by ingeniously piecing the coat together by running the wales horizontally instead of vertically, creating a subtle diamond pattern. And the fashion house Etro goes for baroque with its coat in an otherwise ordinary tan cord, cleverly adorned with black paisley-style cotton velvet appliqués.

Corduroy jeans are not only back, but they’ve also taken a few lessons from their denim counterparts. Several different washes, details and silhouettes such as frayed edges, creases (“whiskering”) and, of course, the ubiquitous lowrise that have been applied to denim are upping the hip quotient for corduroy.

You know corduroy has arrived when it’s reported in Vogue’s “Scoop” that Drew Barrymore is spotted buying eighteen pairs of Juicy Couture’s “groovy” tie-dyed cords. Juicy Couture’s encore will be a new treatment – a “burnout” effect that will debut in fall 2002.

Some effects, like printing patterns on the fabric, work particularly well on corduroy. For example, Hanna & Gracie offerings include paisleys on pinwale cords. Even toiles, which were a popular novelty in twills this past summer, have been reinterpreted in corduroy jeans from companies such as Womyn and Work Order.

Corduroy is also gaining popularity in the accessories market, particularly with handbags and hats, which are found in a range of fun colors and styles. And it is also been discovered in the high-end footwear market – Dolce & Gabbana and Sigerson Morrison, for example, have created exquisite shoes and boots out of the ribbed fabric. Just as denim before it, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the accessories market exploits corduroy’s potential.

And let’s not forget eveningwear. In fact, corduroy has become a signature of couturier Kenth Andersson. He masterfully drapes the wales to accentuate a woman’s curves and often crosstitches metallic threads to create moiré-like details. While Andersson’s dresses are formal, because they are made of corduroy, they are as comfortable as the most casual of clothes.

The importance of comfort to women is worth underscoring. According to the Monitor, 62% of women are not willing to sacrifice comfort for fashion. As a result, women are also becoming more discriminating about which fabric they will wear. Sixty percent believe that it’s important to check the fabric content before buying an item.

Corduroy has become a signature of couturier Kenth Andersson

Not surprisingly, the number-one reason women avoid certain fabrics, such as wool and polyester, reports the Monitor, is that they find them uncomfortable.

Companies such as J. Jill even pre-wash their wide-wale corduroy to give the fabric more drapability and a softer feel, which makes bulkier styles such as an “illustrator’s” jacket or sweatshirt feel more lightweight.

Truly lightweight corduroy is the pinwale – the very narrowly ribbed fabric, which can range from 16 to 23 wales to the inch. They are perfect in warmer weather.

Cotton Incorporated’s fashion forecasters report that corduroy capris in colors such as lemon yellow and baby blue are the trendy item in Sydney, Australia. In Japan, pinwales with flower prints are the latest rage. But American women don’t need to travel abroad for such styles. Lilly Pulitzer has reinvigorated some classic preppy patterns – whales, crickets and palm trees – embroidered on bright colored pinwale cords. The story of corduroy is, after all, what’s old is truly new again.