Oi Polloi

Pica~Picks: Cords

Published: Fri Nov 04 2016

We’re always going on about corduroy… and we’re not about to buck the trend — here’s some of our favourite cord trousers at the moment.

Honourable mentions include these ones from A Kind of Guise, and these beauties from Margaret HowellUp first, we’ve got these 107 Ivy Fit Cords from the Japanese history boys at orSlow. These are based on the old 1960s white tab Levi’s cords, so they’ve got a proper sharp 'Antony Perkins-esque' fit that demands respect. It’s also worth knowing that they were made in Japan using the sort of old-time machinery that Fred Dibnah might have made a television program about.

Surely any cords that make us think of both Antony Perkins and Fred Dibnah have got to be pretty special?Talking of white tab Levi’s cords… here’s the real thing. These babies come in pretty much the ideal shade of corduroy — a shade we’d call Harvest Gold. Think of Neil Young, autumn days, wood panelled station wagons and all that stuff and you get the picture. There also available in a more rambunctious maroon shade… particularly good for those prone to spilling red wine.Cord pedants may not be happy about this… but sod it. These 519 Beford Pants from Levi’s Vintage aren’t made from actual corduroy. Instead, they’re made of something called Bedford cord, and that’s good enough for us. This Bedford cord stuff is a tough fabric that’s favoured by carpenters. It also looks a bit like Shreddies. Cereal fans take note.Most of the cords here have been of the classic 5-pocket, jean-esque style… not these though. These Baby Cord Trousers from Folk are something different entirely. They’re the sort of cords we’d imagine people who lived on a space-station might wear. No idea what baby cord is though?  And to round all this off, here’s some more of those Bedford cord things that aren’t real cords, this time from Lee. These days the lines have been blurred and categories and pigeonholes and labels just don’t matter anymore. Cords that aren’t cords? Who cares? One life, live it. Don’t just push the boundaries, break down the boundaries. The rhythm is the bass and the bass is the treble. Or something.

See more cord stuff here.