Nicholas Daley Wide Short

Corduroy shorts have a reputation, most of it deserved and most of it earned in the 1970s by garments cut far too short and far too tight. What makes this pair work is that both of those decisions have been reversed. The leg is wide, so the cloth hangs from the hip rather than gripping the thigh, and the cut is generous enough that the pile has room to do what pile does, which is to catch light along the cords and hold shadow between them.

Beige is the right colour for it. Corduroy in a dark shade reads as a winter cloth whatever you cut it into, while a pale one reads as summer, and the pile gives a beige the depth it otherwise lacks. It is the same argument as the Classic Two Pocket Shirt in beige, and the two are cut from the same reasoning: a flat beige is the most inert colour in menswear, and a beige with structure in it is not.

Why we selected it

We took this because a corduroy short is a genuinely unusual thing to find made properly and because beige cord is more useful in a Santa Fe summer than it sounds. It is also the easiest way into the corduroy running through his work.

Corduroy runs through Nicholas Daley’s trousers, shorts, and shirting, and this is the lightest use he makes of it.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent cotton corduroy, made in England. Wide leg, elasticated waist, side pockets. Colour: Beige.

Fit notes

Cut wide and worn loose, with an elasticated waist that gives range at the top. Corduroy has body and will hold its shape rather than following yours, softening across the first season. Sizing down will fight the cut.

Styling

With the Aloha Shirt or the Beach Shirt and a loafer. With the Classic Two Pocket Shirt in beige for the tonal version, which works better than it should. It will take the Hand-Crocheted Bucket Hats.

Care

Wash cool inside out and hang to dry. Never press corduroy flat with a hot iron; steam it and brush the pile up while damp. Beige shows marks more readily than a dark cord, so deal with spills promptly. Our fabric care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Classic Two Pocket Shirt in beige is the shirt in the same beige corduroy. The Wide Leg Trouser is the corduroy at full length, the Wide Beach Short the linen short, and the Pullcord Short the panelled one. Everything we carry from Nicholas Daley is listed together.