Nicholas Daley Pullcord Trouser- Black Corduroy

The pullcord is the detail the trouser is named for and the one that explains it. A long cord left deliberately exposed at the waist, with a D-ring hanging loop beside it, is a piece of function borrowed from military and workwear patterns and then made obvious rather than tucked away. Daley does this repeatedly across the line. He takes something utilitarian, keeps it working, and lets it be seen.

Beneath the cord the trouser is a straight-leg corduroy, which is the least fussy shape he cuts, and across the body of it are set panels in a contrasting fabric. Corduroy is a cut-pile cloth, so it takes light along the wales and holds colour with a depth that flat cotton cannot manage. Set a matte or a waxed panel into that pile and the two surfaces read as two entirely different materials from across a street, which is exactly what they are meant to do.

Why we selected it

We selected this trouser once and then took it in three colours, which is further than we usually go with any single style. The reason is that it solves an unusual problem: it is plain enough to wear on an ordinary day and specific enough that it could not have come from anywhere else.

Exposed hardware and visible function are Nicholas Daley constants, and the Pullcord is the trouser where they are most legible.

The colour

Black on black is the most restrained version of this trouser and the most sophisticated. The corduroy carries pile, so it holds a highlight along every wale. The waxed patches carry no pile at all and reflect flatly. Two blacks, two surfaces, and the contrast is entirely textural rather than tonal, which means you have to be within a few feet of the trouser to see what is going on. Of the three colourways this is the one to buy if you want the construction without the announcement.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent cotton, made in England. Straight-leg corduroy with waxed cotton patches, pullcord at the waist, D-ring hardware. Colour: Black.

Fit notes

Straight through the leg with no taper doing work at the ankle, and a waist adjusted by cord rather than fixed by a closure, which makes it forgiving. Corduroy has body and softens across the first season without losing shape. The waxed patches will not move at all.

Styling

With the Classic Two Pocket Shirt in black corduroy, if you want the full texture argument, or with anything plain and pale on top to break it up. Boots.

Care

Never machine wash, tumble dry, or dry clean, because of the waxed patches. Brush the corduroy clean when dry and sponge marks with cold water. Do not press corduroy flat with a hot iron; it crushes the pile and leaves a shine that will not come out, and on black it shows worst of all. Our fabric care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Pullcord Trouser in khaki corduroy shows the panelling most plainly and the Pullcord Trouser in navy corduroy sets rib against pile. The Wide Leg Trouser is black corduroy without the panels, and the Pullcord Short is the short. Everything we carry from Nicholas Daley is listed together.