I’m not exactly sure why I put off mastering how to style corduroy pants for so long. It’s not that I don’t like the look of these soft, textured trousers; I never thought it was my outfit. But as I marveled at the corduroy-heavy street style moments I’ve been seeing lately, one thing became clear: I’m hurting myself with fashion. No Wearing corduroy pants.
The recent influx of corduroy pant styles on the market is likely due to the growing appetite for nostalgia. Over the past few seasons we’ve seen a huge revival of ’70s style, which shows no signs of slowing down in the fall of 2026. Of course, wide-legged styles were popular in the ’70s, when rockers, Hollywood stars, and feminist icons like Gloria Steinem all adopted the look in full corduroy suits.
But in the decades that have followed, nearly every style icon has left their mark on the corduroy look. Princess Diana wore a camel-colored pair with a printed knit sweater and Hunter rain boots for a photo shoot before her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981. Her outfit fits in perfectly with the horse-girl trend currently dominating fashion. There’s also Caroline Bessette-Kennedy, the reigning queen of minimalism and arguably the year’s biggest style icon due to all-around charm. Love story. She often paired her brown corduroy pants with a plain black turtleneck and leather outerwear.
