The Best Corduroy Pants, According to People Whose Taste We Trust

It’s a “semi-secret” that Muji makes well-priced, good-quality, easy-to-care-for clothes, says novelist Diksha Basu. One example: these cords she now owns three pairs of — in navy, smoky pink, and ivory. Even with the elastic waistband, they aren’t frumpy in the way “that often tragically goes with elasticized waists.” Since the corduroy doesn’t read as corduroy from afar, there’s a casual air about them. Basu takes hers everywhere: school pickups, restaurant lunches, grocery shopping. (She recommends sizing down if you’re between sizes for the best fit — you can tighten them up after a round in the washer and dryer.)

You know how a seam down the back lets you know something’s from The Row? Lands’ End is sort of the opposite of if you know, you know — in the best way. “It feels cool to wear something that’s impossible to identify,” says writer Erika Veurink. This pair of corduroy pants might be mistaken for being vintage. “Coupled with the slight stretch in the material, the zipper, in place of a button fly, makes the pants easy to wear,” she says. They’re also one of the only pairs on this list that come in petite and tall lengths (29 and 34 inches, compared to the regular 32-inch inseam), with plus sizes 16 through 26.

Brittany Mileo, director of public relations and communications at Tibi, describes herself as curvier and wider in the hips and finds these corduroys from L.L.Bean well-fitting thanks to the stretch (in the form of elastane) in the cotton-Tencel blend. Getting them in Pretty in Pink pink (they also are available in camel, mahogany, and black) was an experiment in color for Mileo. Even though the color is saturated, it pairs well with “a closet of neutrals” or “all of my navys, browns, and grays,” as she says. And whenever Mileo wears a style that’s more experimental than what she typically goes for, she leans into her fundamentals — think crocodile-embossed slingbacks and cashmere sweaters.

Boden’s Kew Cord Pants come in colors with names like “Cherry Jam.” Elizabeth Cardinal Tamkin, author of the newsletter The Corner Booth, went with “Winter Green,” thinking they’d be fun to style (that’s what her Substack is all about, after all). They’re “green first, and then corduroy,” says Tamkin. There’s an “inherent preppiness” to the corduroy that she’s looking forward to contrasting with vintage graphic sweatshirts and layered necklaces.

There’s a mighty following around Alex Mill’s Camden Pant — you can’t miss that pink while scrolling through Instagram. “If you said pink corduroy pants without context, that might bring to mind something super-preppy,” says Strategist senior editor Hilary Reid. “It’s more of a rose, and honestly feels kind of like a neutral.” Earl Earl’s Laurel Pantin (who has them on her wish list) likes the contradiction between their traditional straight-leg silhouette and the unexpected hue. Pantin imagines having them on with a bright orange sweater from Babaà. “I’m big on wearing color with color,” she tells me. Creative brand consultant Anny Choi first noticed the pair on stylist Madeline Swanson. She likes to think of the pants now as a “pick-me-up during your midweek slump.”

Strategist writer Kitty Guo scored Alex Mill’s Neil Pant, a close cousin to the Camden, on Poshmark after a brief period when she “became singularly obsessed with acquiring a pair of pink corduroy pants.” You can find some sizes still available at Nordstrom Rack. The standard complaints of small pockets on women’s pants aren’t true here, with the pockets big enough for her phone, keys, a CVS receipt, matchbook, and other miscellaneous ephemera.

Also on Pantin’s shopping list is this pair from Aligne. It’s “the horseshoe shape that’s really excellent,” eye-catching shade aside, adding that these would be “great to toss on when you feel out of ideas.”

I’m personally eyeing these cropped corduroys from Cos — and I’m not the only one. Writer Emma Holland likes their clean lines and workwearish pockets, which makes them “a little bit unplaceable, not at all trendy.” The wide cut and ankle length “lends them nicely to being styled with a sneaker, loafer, or kitten heel,” adds Holland. A combination of a hook-and-bar, zipper, and buttoned tabs in the waistband means you can get the right fit.

After buying these & Other Stories’ trousers last year and living in them all winter, Reid returned to them this year at the beginning of fall. They’re well-fitting for her frame, which is on the taller side, with a just-right mid-rise, not-too-wide wide leg, and 32-inch inseam that doesn’t touch the floor. “Though they’re called ‘trousers,’ they feel more like a cross between a trouser and a jean,” says Reid. Tamkin thinks they’re interchangeable with jeans. “They’re the perfect weight — not too heavy that they’re pulled down (which corduroy can tend to do because of the material’s weight!), but not too thin either,” she says. Like Reid, Tamkin has owned them for over a year. “I usually wear them with something fun — my immediate thought is a vintage Arsenal jersey and brogues.”

A big part of Toast’s appeal is its ethical practices, from recyclable packaging to a free repair service. “They put a lot of thought and care into each of their pieces, which is a big deciding factor for me when it comes to shopping,” explains illustrator Laura Supnik. That includes the “well-crafted” Gabi Pants, which are made from organic cotton. Because corduroy feels like heavier fabric, she likes corduroy pants looser so as not to be unbreathable — and the relaxed silhouette on these lets her have some breathing room.

Reid splurged on cords at the A.P.C. surplus store back when she was working at her first job out of college. Eight years later, they’re still in her regular rotation. (Unlike her original pair, the Elisabeth is a little less high-waisted and wide-legged.) “I have to shout them out because I wear them constantly in the winter, and they’re still in great shape,” she says. “They have, hands down, been the most useful pair of pants I’ve ever owned.” (Café Forgot co-founder Lucy Weisner also mentions A.P.C’s Brigitte Trousers as close to cords she sourced secondhand. The proportions are similar, from the mid-rise down to the length of leg and looseish fit. Weisner notes that A.P.C. pants can run narrow in the hips, so if you usually have issues with hip-to-waist ratios, make sure to double-check the measurements advertised online.)

The best corduroys Choi has ever owned are a pair of Seafarer’s wide-legs — the 100-year-old heritage label worn by Navy sailors and Jane Birkin — bought soon after a relaunch more than a decade ago. “This is a corduroy you can wear to the office or a night out in town,” she says. “The cool wide leg immediately elevates the corduroys, and when wearing with a pair of platforms, it automatically elongates you.”

In an admittedly “very L.A. story,” Lucia Litman, co-author of the newsletter My First Rodeo, literally stopped a stranger in an aisle at Erewhon to ask about these pants. “They looked amazing,” she says. “I had to know where they were from.” As it turns out, they’re from Favorite Daughter (it’s a big influence on the influencer crowd). It’s their cut and fit that does it for Litman — they’re looser yet they hug in the right places. “I find they are really versatile too. You can dress them up with a button-down, or down with a graphic T-shirt, and they somehow magically work with whatever else you’re wearing.”

(Litman similarly describes Dagmar’s Corduroy Trousers as “slouchy in a way that looks chic, not sloppy.” Most sizes are sold out, but you can sign up to be emailed when your size is back in stock.)

Rosenthal went down a rabbit hole to find baggy corduroy pants, a hunt that lasted for years — well, until she found Re/Done’s. “Even though they cost me an arm and a leg, they answered the call when my corduroy itch wouldn’t stop calling,” says Rosenthal.

And stylist Lilli Millhiser’s search for cords ended when she tried on B Sides’ Elissa: “The cut is perfect — high but not tight or too fitted, wide but not too wide-leg, and it’s the right length.” (For comparison’s sake, if you’re a proud owner of a pair of Lassos, which have a lower rise and are looser, the fit is “entirely different” on the Elissa,” she says.) “Really, whatever will work with them, which is part of the appeal,” she adds.