How YOU strike the right tone for autumn with these stylish corduroy outfits, from floral shirts to smart jackets
- Getting dressed during the dog days of fall can be quite a challenge for some
- It’s not cold enough to break out opaque, but bare legs feel freezing and wrong
- So hooray for the corduroy revival – the perfect transitional solution
Getting dressed in the dog days of fall before the clocks go back can be a challenge. It’s not quite cold enough to break out the opaques yet, but bare legs and floral dresses feel freezing and look fake.
So hooray for the corduroy revival – the perfect transitional solution. Made from cotton in this versatile fabric, the pieces allow your skin to breathe but feel cozy and can be paired with t-shirts, turtlenecks or cardigans.
When I was a young girl, my favorite skirt was a Laura Ashley pincord skirt. With that nostalgic in mind, I just invested in a pink pin corduroy dress from Boden. It’s just as wearable as my beloved children’s skirt, but given a grown-up touch with smocked cuffs and a tie belt.
dress, £290, cefinn.com; Dishes, £279, lkbennett. com; earrings, £32, susancaplan.co.uk; bracelet, £69, ottomanhands.com; Ring (worn throughout), £22, orelia.co.uk
Left: Corduroy floral shirt £110, corduroy floral jeans £120 and leather trainers £110, jigsawonline.com; Bag, £425, kaai.eu. Right: Cardigan, £29.99, hm. com; Jeans, £230, Frame store. com; Boots, £35.99, Mango. com; Bag, £365, demellier london.com
Left: corduroy jacket, £280, waistcoat, £145 and trousers, £155, yolke.co. United Kingdom; Loafers, £229, fenwick.co.uk. Right: Corduroy blazer, £49.99 and trousers, £35.99, reserved. com; Loafers, £250, mean and em.com
Left: Trench coat, £180, cos. com; Boots, £120, river island.com; Bag, £390, demellier london.com; Earrings, £45, jigsawonline.com. Right: Sweater, £210, essentielantwerp.com; Corduroy bib skirt, £130, Anthropologie. com; Boots, £499, lkbennett.com
This sums up the reinvention of the cord. It has left its long association with geography teacher’s jackets and is now supple enough to be slipped into an elasticated bracelet, puffed out at the shoulders, or draped gently down to the calves in a midi dress.
Cefinn’s scarlet dress (£290) is a case in point and versatile enough to take you from work meetings to weddings. As you might have guessed, beige is out. The new Cord is all about jewel-toned pieces and floral prints.
Forget the flapping, unstructured bell bottoms of 50 years ago, the wide-leg drawstring pants of 2022 have smooth trumpet legs and elastane to let the fabric move with your body and most importantly, keep your butt looking good.
Capable of going from head to toe? Try on a pant suit like Yolke’s statement three-piece suit in cobalt.