For men of a certain age, corduroy brings to mind only dads and grandads, librarians and geography teachers. For the longest time, it was the fuddy-duddy of fabrics, sober, square and academic. Not any more. That narrow view is increasingly out-of-date and designers are liberally using cord in their collections – on tailoring, shirts and trousers, but best of all, on corduroy jackets.

Forget what you’ve heard about shoes. The first thing people notice about your outfit is usually the jacket. That means outerwear is best placed to make the most of corduroy’s benefits – the tactile textile is enjoying some long-overdue recognition as a versatile fabric for autumn/winter, being luxe and hard-wearing at the same time.

Those dusty-bookshelf connotations are only half the story. In its time, corduroy was durable enough for mountaineers and regal enough for princes.

“Technically it’s an amazing weave,” says Chris Gove, founder of boutique menswear label Percival. “It’s brushed and cut like velvet but woven like heavy twill. The depth and texture of the fabric means it catches the light but without the bling effect of an Elton John performance.”

These days you can dress it up with tailoring or down with denim and workwear staples. It can be an eye-catching point of difference in an outfit, or part of a statement full-cord look. Either way, get one and it will be the hardest working jacket in your wardrobe.

How To Wear A Corduroy Jacket

“Styling corduroy depends on the cut and shape of the jacket,” says Gove. “We tend to favour unlined cropped jackets that can serve as both a mid-layer piece or an outerwear solution. As a mid-layer, over a sweat or shirt is a good office look, then for the evening stint, a melton car coat or sheepskin number looks great over the top.”

Ted Baker

You can pair a corduroy jacket with cord trousers if you’re brave enough. Brands like Brunello Cucinelli are selling corduroy suits and co-ord sets, but there is another way to use it in a formal look. Stylist Daniel Johnson says, “I think a corduroy blazer with a roll neck sweater gives an amazing 1970s reference, but with a shaped waist and wider lapel a blazer worn this way will be bang up to date.”