So, it’s another bitingly cold winter day. You haul your aching bones out of bed, shiver your way half awake to the café on the corner, and decide—what the hell—you deserve a damn treat. “Not my regular today, my man,” you declare to the barista, as if he has any idea who you are. “I’d like a mocha.” And man oh man, that mocha! You haven’t had one since college, when you were still tricking yourself into liking coffee, and it’s rich and warm and fills your whole body with joy, and you’re immediately ready to head out there and own the day. Men's corduroy pants are the mochas of the style world—only they don’t cost quadruple the price of an Americano, so you can afford to wear them everyday.
The rest of that very dumb analogy holds true, though: cords are an absolute heavenly treat for your lower half. Cozier than your jeans, miles more comfortable than your wool trousers, and a worthy substitute for either of those staples. And right this moment, there’s an excess of shiny, hardy, easy-wearing corduroy pants out there to get excited about pulling on everyday from now till June. If you’ve got legs and any semblance of style, here are 22 pairs of men's corduroy pants to consider copping right away.
The Best Everyday Corduroy Pants
Alex Mill—the New York label that’s functionally a reunion tour for the team behind J.Crew’s #menswear golden age—is all about making everyday staples so intuitively wearable you could get dressed in the dark and still emerge looking pretty darn good. Their signature trousers are probably the most fully realized representation of that goal: with a subtle single pleat and a slightly relaxed fit, they feel very 2021 and totally timeless all at once. This latest iteration, done up in hardy medium-weight corduroy, is easily the handsomest and most versatile they've dropped yet.
The Best Colossal Corduroy Pants
We're living in an age of BIG pants, and everything about this pair is larger than life. The wales are wider than the Mississippi, and the silhouette is so voluminous it's practically bordering on JNCO territory. That might sound a tad clownish on paper, but in person they're irrefutably beautiful and surprisingly elegant—proof that more sometimes really is more. Tuck in a simple T-shirt or cashmere sweater, then sit back and let the pants do all the talking.
The Best Dadly Corduroy Pants
You think cords, you probably think pants like these: simple, hardy, straight-leg joints that your dad likely ordered from a catalog he got in the mail. They're still as sensible and handsome as ever, and if you can steal your pops's well-worn pair from way back when, all the better. If that's not an option, don't fret: thanks to L.L.Bean's sale, you can nab some right now for the positively 1995-esque price of $25.
The Best Workwear Corduroy Pants
At this stage, we really shouldn't really have to explain the merits of work pants to you anymore. They're affordable, universally beloved. What's not to love? Our only real wish was that they came in a wider range of fabrics—and, well, now they do. Thanks to Carhartt's streetwear-inflected sub-label WIP, their classic fit carpenter pants have been decked out in a wide-wale cord, bringing a welcome touch of softness and texture to the toughest pants around.
The Best Office-Ready Corduroy Pants
Whether you're back in the office full-time already or just trying to bring some more professional energy to your WFH life, this flat-front pair from everyman menswear god Todd Snyder is the way to go: a slick, tailored dress pant silhouette cut from rich, glossy corduroy, in a handful of colors that all look swell with a navy blazer.
The Best Corduroy Pants for Denim Lovers
So, you're a denim guy. We hear you. But if you're looking to test the waters outside of jeans, these Flint and Tinder cords will keep you from feeling denim withdrawal. They've got all the usual five-pocket details you're used to, but are made from corduroy instead of denim. See? Not so scary. The corduroy itself is pretty great, too: beefy but broken-in and available in a grip of tasty colors, including a navy that's pretty close to indigo.
16 More Pairs of Cords We Love
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