4 Ways To Wear Corduroy, The Fashion Comeback Of The Year

On the surface, corduroy might conjure up images of uncool teachers in ill-fitting jackets but look a little closer and you'll find cultural moments littered with the retro fabric. Think The Graduate, in which Dustin Hoffman throws a cord blazer over his unbuttoned shirt, or Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, who is still a sartorial pin-up for men everywhere thanks to his penchant for jewel-toned corduroy jackets over flamboyant shirts.

But the textured fabric is no longer the preserve of traditional menswear and this season we'll be donning it via everything from flared trousers and blazers to baker boy caps. So why is corduroy having such a comeback? One flick through the show images from February's AW17 collections and you'll see how designers revitalised the fabric for autumn. Marc Jacobs presented outerwear with shearling-trimmed cord jackets in taupes and maroons, perhaps taking inspiration from Stranger Things' Jonathan Byers. Prada gave us the perfect two-piece, made of brown corduroy with mixed fabric pockets, while Isabel Marant presented sweet workwear jackets with puckered shoulders and balloon sleeves in salmon pink. Gucci gave us cord in the only way Gucci could: bright blue and sprayed with ditsy yellow flowers.

Of course, the fabric will always have its traditional connotations but styled the right way – whether that's through bold colour ways, sharp cuts or an oversized fit – it can be as contemporary as you like. Our favourite place to look for inspiration? The streets of fashion month.

Click through to see our favourite four ways the style set is wearing corduroy, and the pieces to bag to nail the look yourself.