It’s no secret that corduroy had a massive resurgence this season. From blazers and matching mini skirts to shirts and trousers, both cropped and flared, the high street and our Instagram feeds have been awash with this fabrication.
My love for corduroy began back in 2001. I’d just started secondary school and being able to wear black trousers of choice as part of the uniform, I opted for some low-rise, very flared black cord trousers from a hippy shop called Katze on Gloucester Road in Bristol. I loved them and continued to repurchase the same pair for years to come each time the hem became too ripped from dragging along the ground (oh, the noughties...). I also had a turquoise corduroy backpack that I wore to death/until it was covered in scribbled marker pen that it was time for a new one.
Fast forward the best part of two decades and corduroy slowly began to trickle back into my wardrobe and it's not surprising due to my love for seventies styling. From the Motel Rocks retro floral two-piece I wore to Paris Fashion Week in 2015 and a second hand Paul Smith cord bomber jacket to a pair of 70s Levi’s cord flares that I wore to LFW last year. My most recent corduroy acquisition is these ice blue cord trousers by Jigsaw. I have worn them non-stop this winter, shot a ton of photos in them and yet never shared them on this blog. So, I thought I would share my three favourite looks in a classic ‘three ways to wear’ type post – it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these!
First up is an outfit that I wore towards the end of autumn when the weather was still quite mild. I paired the light blue corduroy flares with a rust orange turtleneck top to showcase one of my favourite colour combinations of all time - blue and orange. This retro colour pairing lent itself perfectly to the whole seventies feel of the look so I ran with it and vamped it up a notch with my 70s blue vinyl coat. A marmite piece, which I certainly adore, the coat adds another blue hue to the look - you'll see later on (or you'll already know by now) how much I champion colour block dressing. I finished off the look with my Coach saddle bag whose burgundy shade goes perfectly with the orange yet clashes brilliantly with the ice blue cord trousers. The white patent boots continued the sheen theme of the vinyl coat well but if I was to restyle this look, I think I would swap in my Miista tan boots to match with the turtleneck.
For the second look, I paired the blue corduroy flares with this knit I bought from a secondhand shop in Göteborg. I was actually wearing the cords at the time so I knew instantly that they styled well together. The jumper really reminds me of something & Other Stories would do - the pointelle detailing, the candy cane colours, the scallop stripe - making this a very trend-led look. I really love the colours of the jumper - the pale pink and cream lend themselves well to pastel blue hue of the cords while the rust brown shade clashes in a similar way as the orange turtleneck in the previous look. I finished off the look with my white patent boots (again, I would now opt for my Miista boots), my Coach saddle bag and threw on my shearling coat for added warmth.
Shot at the weekend, after a week of snow and plummeting temperatures, this is how I’m wearing my blue corduroy flares right now. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I love colour blocking, whether that be matching hues or differing shades, so this combination was too good to miss. An almost identical ice blue, this faux fur teddy coat is one of the cosiest pieces I own and I love how its A-line and oversized shape looks with the flares. Layered over a cream & Other Stories knit - the ultimate way to style these trousers I've now decided - this is my favourite of the three looks. I finished off this very blue outfit with some brown accents. I'm not usually that into brown but I do think it can look really nice with blue. The boots are new from Miista - they are the ultimate 70s-style platform boot I have been searching for and go so well with the trousers. I added the leopard print faux fur hat initially for warmth but I actually really like the print, texture and colour clash it brings to the look.
So there are my three ways to wear blue corduroy flares for winter. Unfortunately, I think these trousers are now sold out (check in store maybe?) but these styling tips can translate easily to a simple pair of light blue denim flares. I'd love to hear which was your favourite outfit and if you like this kind of post - I've really enjoyed putting it together, reflecting on my outfit choices and showing how versatile items can be. X
