If the thought of corduroy trousers makes you think of your stuffy college professor or hideously dated, baggy pairs of pants, think again. In fact, today’s Style Suggestion here on the blog is going to tell you all about how to upgrade your corduroys in a big, big way this season. Perhaps you’ve already got a pair of slim corduroy pants in your closet, which is all well and good. And if you don’t, allow me to point you toward your new favorite pair of corduroys — seriously. The key, as with most #menswear challenges we dive into at The Style Guide, revolves around reaching for a pair with a more modern cut and a sharp color. Think a pair that’s more like black jeans than old-school corduroys. That way, you can wear them to the office and to happy hour afterward without missing a beat (or feeling out of place). Whic is to say, the Citizens of Humanity Bowery Standard Jeans are the way to go, what with a tailored fit and a dark shale color. We’ll show you how to wear ’em below. Don’t let the name fool you — these feature the cut of denim and the traditional texture of a stylish pair of corduroy pants. And y’know what’s even better? They match up handsomely with all kinds of men’s fall style essentials, from a slim cotton sweater to rugged suede boots. Have questions? Get in touch with me on Twitter. Happy fall!
The Corduroys: Citizens of Humanity Bowery Standard Jeans in Shale — $198
Cut like a jean and packed with the serious style of a great pair of corduroys.
The Sweater: BANKS River Knit Sweater in Desert Mist — $70
A fall-ready sweater with neat layering potential from BANKS.
Your top layer here is really what’s going to set this outfit apart. A
stylish striped cotton sweater such as the
BANKS River Knit Sweater has plenty going for it, from the fall-ready color and rich red stripes to the classic crewneck silhouette. At least to your Style Guide author, that means you can layer it under a navy blazer at the office or throw it on underneath a tough,
classic denim jacket. As luck would have it, we’ve got an option for you coming up.
The Shirt: Line of Trade Oxford in Light Blue — $70
An easy-to-style option for any situation — especially with slim corduroys this fall.
With a pair of
slim corduroys and a
classic crewneck sweater, your shirting options are plentiful. You could reach for a slim chambray shirt for more rugged appeal, or throw on the
Line of Trade Oxford Shirt for style that’s just a bit more office-ready. And if you follow this site, you know that we previously recommended
Line of Trade in our guide on
how to wear an Oxford shirt — so the styling options for this
classic Oxford are certainly abundant this season.
The Jacket: Taylor Stitch Long Haul Jacket in ’68 Cone Mills Selvage — $188
The perfect fall jacket — rugged, easy to layer and ready to break in with slim corduroys.
Promised you we’d get to a
rugged denim jacket in this style suggestion, right? Again, outerwear makes a big difference when styling corduoy pants. A
tough denim jacket from the master menswear purveyors at
Taylor Stitch adds a touch of rugged appeal to this ensemble — it’s suitable to wear to the office on a casual Friday, or to head out to grab brews at your favorite bar. And the thing with the
Long Haul Jacket is that it only gets better the more it’s worn.
The Boots: Wolverine Original 1000 Mile Boots in Roughout Suede — $299.98
A knockout pair of boots from Wolverine.
Folks, these might just be
your new go-to fall boots. Whether you wear these
rugged fall boots with your
Citizens of Humanity corduroys as mentioned above or wear ’em with anything else in your closet, the
Wolverine Original 1000 Mile Boots are going to stand out quite stylishly. Particularly with this outfit, the
1000 Mile Boots add fall-ready texture and a nice contrast to the dark corduroy pants; they’ll work at the office on a laidback fall day, and they’re surely
ready for your next tailgate.
The Watch: Farer Kingsley Watch — $357.50
A sleek watch that offsets the rugged nature of this ensemble.
Ahh, yes — just what the doctor ordered. A refined, versatile and supremely
stylish leather watch from
Farer. Your watch is yet another area that can make or break an outfit — given the
rugged denim jacket and tough
Wolverine suede boots, this outfit definitely leans more casual. And yet, the handsome
Farer Kingsley Watch adds a touch of minimal, sleek style. The 39.5mm case diameter also means the
Farer Kingsley Watch leans dressier while standing out quietly– all the better if you’re looking to wear this ensemble to the office.
The Socks: Necessary Anywhere Four Sock in Navy — $18
A distinctive pattern and a sharp color will help these socks pop nicely underneath your corduroys.
In the way of style upgrades,
stylish socks surely need to be on your mind — right? And that’s certainly the case when stepping out in slim corduroys this fall. These
Necessary Anywhere socks are just that: Necessary anywhere. Get it!? At any rate, the neat pattern is subtly stylish, while the blue color plays nicely off the darker color of the corduroys and the blue indigo
Taylor Stitch denim jacket. Ya feel me on that?
The perfect leather belt to stand up to tough suede boots and textured corduroys.
The Bag: Whipping Post Large Leather Messenger Bag — $310
The last messenger bag you’ll need to buy? Very likely. Very likely indeed.
Whether you wear your
Citizens of Humanity corduroys to the office or for a day hopping from bar to bar, you’re going to need a way to haul your everyday carry. And the Whipping Post Large Leather Messenger Bag delivers the goods — and then some. This ridiculously well-made, handsome and durable leather bag has more than enough space for office essentials, and it’s certainly got plenty of space for off-duty essentials.
As we covered above, the Citizens of Humanity corduroys are a neat way to upgrade your trousers this fall. These slim corduroys are closer to rock-inspired slim black denim than stuffy corduroys of years past, and that’s great news if you’re looking to team them with rugged outerwear like a Taylor Stitch denim jacket or durable fall boots (you certainly can’t go wrong with the Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots, right?). And the Citizens of Humanity corduroys give you plenty of layering options on your top half, from a versatile chambray shirt to a classic Oxford shirt and a stylish striped cotton sweater (preferably from BANKS). And if you want to offset all of those timeless pieces with a bit of a sleek edge, the remarkable Farer Kingsley Watch is the timepiece to throw on. Lastly, don’t forget patterned socks and a surprisingly stylish leather belt — both picks are going to work well this fall no matter how many times you wear corduroys.
So, I think that about covers it — any questions or comments? Let me know on The Style Guide Facebook page!
Thanks for reading,
-Beau
