You CAN do cord without putting on half a stone
HOW TO DRESS LIKE A GROWN UP
Here’S a hot tip for anyone looking for an instant fashion upgrade: go cord! Sometimes a fabric has a moment, so just by being corduroy, things look right this autumn.
So, if you have some cord jeans, a cord jacket, or cord anything languishing in the back of your wardrobe, dig it out and give it a whirl.
To get the trend spot-on though, you’ll need to hit the high Street and buy yourself one of the updated cord classics.
If you’re buying only one thing this autumn, make it a corduroy blazer — bold shouldered, a bit oversized (long enough to cover your bottom), to give your jeans and skirts a new lease of life.
You know to pay attention when Saint Laurent does a jacket that’s not black velvet, but corduroy. But if you can’t stretch to £1,710, And Other Stories does a great doublebreasted version in navy blue (£85, stories.com).
Cord in its current incarnation is chic, not casual. You’re wearing it to sharpen up your look and add interest: new texture, some colour, a lot of flair.
It turns out cord is the ultimate smart-casual fabric — smarter than denim, more versatile than velvet, sexier than wool. And it really lends itself to tailoring.
The big hits on Instagram during London Fashion Week were cord trouser-suits, in particular a double-breasted blush pink one from Mango (blazer, £89.99, trousers, £59.99, mango.com), which also comes in sand.
And Other Stories does trousers to match its ink-blue blazer (£59), Zara has a masculine double-breasted suit that comes in dark tangerine (trousers, £39.99, jacket, £79.99) or fuchsia (£29.99 and £69.99, zara.com), while Topshop does a great three-button, lipstick-red cord suit (jacket, £65, trousers, £40, topshop.com).
You may be noticing a theme here. There’s plenty of black and rust-coloured cord around for autumn, but also sky-blue and yellow and strawberry. Cord has bags of character, and, oddly, it makes colours you would never dream of wearing in winter look cool.
h&M’s sky-blue cord jacket is currently a huge hit with the fashion girls (£59.99, hm.com).
Something about cord adds a dash of toughened-up swagger, which means you can branch out into pretty shades without feeling too girly.
The cord trouser-suit is this season’s easy statement piece: glam it up with a leopard-print shirt, dress it down with a turtleneck. Or leave the jacket at home — a classic pair of cord trousers never fails.
Black or navy needlecord trousers are a no-brainer this autumn. If you’re tired of jeans or want something smart for the evening that isn’t velvet — needlecord is the new go-to.
Again, And Other Stories has the perfect midnight-blue pair (£69): high-waisted (key with cords now), wide-legged and fitted on the hips. Otherwise, cords are best worn long
and lean (£55, urbanoutfitters.
com), straight and roomy (£59.99, mango.com) or wide and cropped (£35, marksand spencer.com).
You might fancy yourself in a jumpsuit similar to M.i.h’s rust-coloured design (£295,
mih-jeans.com). I do, but I’d have to drop a couple of sizes.
That’s the thing about cord, it is flattering, providing you stick to the soft, light variety and keep it simple. A jumbocord belted coat will add 7 lb, so I would give that a swerve.
For the non-trouser-wearers among us, this is, naturally, a big cord skirt moment, too.
Uniqlo has a high-waisted, button-through raspberry skirt (£24.90, uniqlo.com) while And Other Stories does a slit-front red skirt (£59) that would look great with boots and a skinny polo-neck (very grown-up Seventies).
Too long or gathered, and cord skirts can look like tents, so opt for narrow shapes, button-throughs and splits.
The fabric comes in every shape and form this autumn, from trench coats to shirt dresses, but trust us . . . these are the styles you will wear and fall in love with.