The Vine: February 18, 2011
I am on a quest to find corduroy pants. Specifically, I’m looking for thin-wale, mid- to high-rise, straight-leg corduroy pants.
Unfortunately, I have so far failed in my quest to do this. I’ve tried J. Crew and their vintage matchstick cords: they satisfy two of the criteria, but are far too low-rise for me. Ditto for the Ann Taylor Loft variety, and Delia’s Morgan cords. I like to wear corduroys to work, and also not flash my co-workers, so too low of a rise is absolutely a deal-breaker for me. I’m almost ready to break out the sewing machine to learn pants-making, but my friend said that this would be a great question to pose to your readers.
Thank you!
Continuing on the pants quest…
Dear Pants,
I never, ever remember the name of the site that has the detailed questionnaire about jeans and helps you shop by rise preference and body type, so I hope one of the readers remembers it, but you might find that helpful — use it for jeans, then search whatever brands come up to see if they have analogous cords.
I’d also suggest Lands’ End Canvas and Boden. Boden has shifted into spring stock, but you can probably find a sweet deal or two in the sale section.
Readers? Fine-wale, straight-leg, crack-free cords. Hit it.
Tags: Ask The Readers retail
I have a couple pairs of cords I really like from L.L. Bean that I really like, but I think they don’t make those particular pants anymore (they were the Camden Pants). They do often have some kind of cords in the winter, though, so you might get lucky there, especially if you check the sale section, which you have to look at separately from the regular-price section. Their low-rise stuff is less frumpy than their usual waistlines, but definitely still modest. They don’t have a lot that looks like it fits your requirements right now, but they might have more if you check back towards the end of the summer.
I would look at Lands’ End or L.L. Bean; their women’s pants are often too high-waisted for me, so they might be a good bet.
There is a company called CAbi (Carol Anderson by invitation – http://www.cabionline.com/) that sells clothes like Tupperware (direct sales, I think it’s called?). Their clothes change 2x a year, but in the fall/winter season there was a pair of dark red cords (http://cabicanary.com/phtzbwvhohnfyvov.html?p=3634&m=2010&w=36) that sound like what you’re looking for. After the season is over, they sell their samples (which come in all sizes, not just 2s or 6s!). If you can track down a rep, they might either have a sample of them or know how to get ahold of one. I can vouch for their clothes in general, anyway. My mom got those cords & she really likes them. Good luck!
Ooh, if you are a size 8, here’s some on ebay!
http://cgi.ebay.com/CAbi-Ruby-Cords-Size-8-/290535460599
Ooh ooh, I know one!
I think the jeans site Sars mentioned is zafu.com.
Welllll…I’m a Kohl’s girl, and I’ve always found good cords there. Here’s a link just to get you started – there are a few brands that have the mid-rise and color, but i wasn’t sure if you wanted skinny-straight leg, or straight-up straight leg…(???)
http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/clearance/womens1/bottoms/PRD~639603/Gloria+Vanderbilt+Amanda+Tapered+Corduroy+Pants.jsp
Hope it helps…
Pam
Sars is thinking of zafu.com! Unfortunately, they’ve started charging for use of the site, but it’s pretty nominal (about 5 bucks for a 7-day trial, then 15 bucks for a year’s membership). I haven’t used it since they started charging, but only because the suggestions I got were so helpful that I haven’t needed to go back. They’ve added searches for several other kinds of clothing over the past few years, including pants and bras.
I wear my Jag Jeans cords way too often because they just fit me, and they do have medium rise styles (and maybe high-rise for all I know). You can find them at 6pm.com (http://www.6pm.com/jag-corduroy), Zappos if you want to pay more for the same thing (http://www.zappos.com/jag-corduroy), and a few at Nordstrom (http://tinyurl.com/48fwfew). Nordstrom also has some brand called Not Your Daughters Jeans that may be just what you need but I refuse to deal with on name alone. Good luck!
Coldwater Creek can be hit & miss, but I saw some cords at their outlet store tha might do the trick. I think they call them “whisper cords.” coldwatercreek.com
Try J.Jill. I haven’t tried on the corduroy pants there, but they tend to be more modest in general than Ann Taylor Loft or J. Crew. I’ll also second Land’s end.
Sars, is the jeans guide that you’re thinking of zafu.com? It used to be a free site, but it’s turned into a pay site now.
I’d try Eddie Bauer. Yeah, they’re expensive but the stuff lasts. The website is great for giving good details and lots of views to get a better idea of the product. You can also return stuff to your local Eddie Bauer store for the refund if it doesn’t fit. Downside: the color selections often seem a little odd. No love for black pants, Eddie?
Totally zafu.com. They’re charging now? Boo. Anyone who knows of a similar site that’s free, let’s hear it.
Try Eddie Bauer’s Modern Cords–they’re a nice thin wale and appropriate for work. I think they are supposedly a low rise, but I have a big butt and they don’t seem all that low on me. In my experience “low-rise” in Eddie Bauer/Land’s End/LL Bean is not the same as low-rise in American Eagle or something. If they’re too low, I think there are a few higher rise ones that are catalog only. Or actually, the Curvy ones might work too.
OK–I just realized Eddie Bauer probably isn’t carrying corduroy pants right now because it’s February and it’s time to sell summer stuff! So disregard my suggestion and good luck!
In addition to the LL Bean recommendations, try their signature line. They tend to be cut a little smaller, and be slightly more trendy than LL Bean classic. And a lot of their cords are on sale now!
Have you thought about doing the vintage thing? I’m not super keen on the low-rise silhouettes that seem to have taken over the jeans and cords market in recent years, and the Goodwill has become my very good friend. I’ve done well with vintage cords from Levis, J. Crew, Banana Republic, and AE.
Wait, I have 4 pairs just like this! I have the 2-kids-belly pooch and need a medium rise. I like to to hit exactly below my belly button. I got mine at Old Navy, and I think they’re the “sweeheart” cut. I got boot cut, but they had straight leg ones. I got mine in August, so I’m relatively certain they don’t have them any more, but there are probably some on the website or in an outlet, if you’re near one. FWIW, I would call them finewale, but they are not the velvety type, you know?
You could try this site. They have a corduroy option. They don’t seem to be outrageously expensive:
http://www.makeyourownjeans.com/
I second the Kohl’s recommendation. Mine is having the racks-and-racks-of-not-very-well-sorted winter clearance sale, and I know it had a LOT of cords in various colors for cheap.
I have a pair of cords from Old Navy that I like, and often get compliments on. I wear them to work, they have a mid-rise, and fit well. They seem to be better constructed and more durable than most things at Old Navy, so you may at least want to check them out.
Second the whisper cords from Coldwater Creek. They’re currently my favorite pair of office pants.
I would like to comment in defense of zafu and their policy to start charging for their service. The ability to create useful software doesn’t grow on trees. Ideally they would be funded by the manufacturers whose products they drive traffic to, but my guess is that they are not able to make enough money doing that because they can’t guarantee traffic to any particular manufacturer (unless they lie about what jeans fit you, which defeats the purpose).
Just as it’s reasonable for writers to expect compensation for their work, it’s reasonable for software designers to ask for compensation for theirs. It’s up to the individual to decide whether it’s worth $7-15 to save themselves the hassle of buying and returning a bunch of stuff that doesnt’ fit. I think it’s pretty reasonable myself.
Try Talbots as well, perhaps?
I have some cords from them (a few years old now) and I think they’re pretty close to what you are looking for.
I’m a fan of the cords at Reitman’s–they’re a Canadian store, but it looks like you can buy online. Their stuff is inexpensive (and the cords seem to be on super sale right now, too), and I find they fit well (I’d order a size smaller than usual in this style-they’re kinda stretchy.) These cords are quite high-rise, and totally comfy. I’m wearing a pair now!
http://tinyurl.com/4tq3gj3
Adding to the recommendation for makeyourownjeans.com. I’m short and chubby and can never find pants that fit right in whatever you call the seam the zipper is attached to. But that site is awesome. And I bet they have cords. It’s like $60, but for a custom-made pair of pants, that’s a reasonable price. And I’ve never worn Old Navy cords, but I love the khakis and jeans I’ve bought there.
Boden is great–www.bodenusa.com. I have some cords from there that may fit the bill.
Design your own! As in http://www.makeyourownjeans.com – they aren’t the cheapest, but they aren’t the most expensive. For me, they are cheaper than buying jeans plus paying alterations. YMMV of course. Good luck!
I also suggest Kohl’s – they have several house brands and I also noticed several racks of different colors in clearance. I have the same fit requirements and have found several fairly ideal pairs.
Thought of this Vine last week after I went to Old Navy and found cords on the clearance rack. If you can still get them on the website, I’d recommend them. I don’t know what “fine wale” means, but these are very soft and have thin lines. They’re the sweetheart cut, so they’re high-wasited and mostly straight-legged. I think they look really good, and they fit perfectly even though they’re a size smaller than I thought I needed. So if you haven’t bought any new cords yet, see if you can find the Old Navy ones. I said before I hadn’t tried them before, but I love these.