Happy Corduroy Appreciation Day!

From Wikipedia...
Corduroy is a textile composed of twisted fibers that,
when woven, lie parallel (similar to twill) to one
another to form the cloth's distinct pattern, a "cord."
Modern corduroy is most commonly composed of tufted
cords, sometimes exhibiting a channel (bare to the base
fabric) between the tufts. Corduroy is, in essence, a
ridged form of velvet.

As a fabric, corduroy is considered a durable cloth.
Socially speaking, the clothes made from corduroy are
considered casual but not business casual, and are
usually favored in colder climates. Corduroy is most
commonly found in the construction of trousers. The
material is also used in the construction of (sport)
jackets and shirts. The width of the cord is commonly
referred to as the size of the "wale" (i.e. the number
of ridges per inch). The lower the "wale" number,
the thicker the width of the wale (i.e., 4-wale is much
thicker than 11-wale). Wide wale is more commonly found
on trousers; medium, narrow, and fine wale fabrics are
usually found in garments used above the waist.

Corduroy is made by weaving extra sets of fiber into the
base fabric to form vertical ridges called wales. The
wales are built so that clear lines can be seen when
they are cut into pile.

Types of Corduroy

11-wale Corduroy:
A corduroy with narrower wales (11 per inch).

Pigment dyed/printed corduroy:
The process of coloring or printing fabric with pigment
dyes. The dye is applied to the surface of the fabric,
then the garment is cut and sewn. When washed in the
final phase of the manufacturing process, the pigment
dye washes out in an irregular way, creating a vintage
look. The color of each garment becomes softer with each
washing, and there is a subtle color variation from one
to the next. No two are alike.

Pincord/pinwale/needlecord:
Corduroy’s wale count per inch can vary from 1.5 to 21,
although the traditional standard falls somewhere between
10 and 12. Pincord is the finest cord around with a count
at the upper end of the spectrum (above 16) and has a feel
as soft as velvet and superlight.

Corduroy Appreciation Day

Today is Corduroy Appreciation Day!
This is the transcript of an interview on National
Public Radio (NPR) in 2006, with Phil McGuire of
the Corduroy Appreciation Club:

LYNN NEARY, host:

November 11th is a day of great significance to
members of the Corduroy Appreciation Club. That's
because it's the date that most resembles the
vertical lines of the fabric. Today the club
convenes its second 11/11 meeting in New York,
and corduroy enthusiast Phil McGuire has flown
all the way from London to join in and perhaps
take the club international. Scott Simon spoke
to him earlier this week.

SCOTT SIMON, host:

Why corduroy as opposed to denim or silk or
moleskin?

Mr. PHIL MCGUIRE (Corduroy Appreciation Club): I
think for a lot of people, for me I think corduroy
is very comfortable fabric, but it's also very
comforting. And for many people it reminds them of
their youth. I remember the first item of clothing
that I was allowed to choose was a second-hand sweater
that had corduroy patches on the shoulders and the
elbows, and I've been fond of it ever since.

I believe corduroy actually originated in my home
city of Manchester, England, formerly known as
Cottonopolis. So I'm very proud to be sitting here
wearing corduroy today and to be a member of the
Corduroy Appreciation Club.

SIMON: You haven't been to a meeting yet, right?

Mr. MCGUIRE: I haven't.

SIMON: Do you know what they do there? I mean do
people just sit around and rub each other's
shoulder patches?

Mr. MCGUIRE: There is - I think there is some
(unintelligible) one of the things that the people
do is - instead of clapping, people don't applaud,
they wale. We call it waling. So they rub the fabric
together. I don't know if you can hear this.

(Soundbite of rubbing)

SIMON: In fact I can. Yes.

Mr. MCGUIRE: Yeah. I was just waling. So that was
for you, Scott.

SIMON: Oh, my gosh. I'm enormously moved and appreciative.
Thanks very much.

Mr. MCGUIRE: That's my pleasure.

SIMON: I gather now - I mean, now you see corduroys where
it alternates wide and smaller wales. You see horizontal
ribs of the corduroy. How do you feel about that stuff?

Mr. MCGUIRE: I'm actually sitting in a jacket that
alternates with the wide and the fine wale, so I feel
very, very happy about that. I believe that the quality
of corduroy has declined since the end of the '70s, and
I'm quite sad about that. The Corduroy Appreciation Club
plans to investigate this in the near future.

SIMON: What happened after the - what even I remember as
the golden age of corduroy in the 1970s because, God forbid,
I had a purple corduroy suit then.

Mr. MCGUIRE: Fantastic.

SIMON: But I digress. What...

Mr. MCGUIRE: It was the introduction of synthetic fibers
that led to the decline in the quality. But you can still
pick up fine corduroy items.

SIMON: Is there any place to which you would not wear
corduroy?

Mr. MCGUIRE: I think one place that I might think twice
is at the swimming baths, simply because I've not been
able to find any swimming trunks in corduroy as yet.

SIMON: Well, Mr. McGuire, awfully nice talking to you
and good luck.

Mr. MCGUIRE: Thank you very much indeed, Scott.

SIMON: Phil McGuire hopes to start a British chapter of the
Corduroy Appreciation Club. The club meets November 11th,
a day to wear corduroy with pride.

Poles, Veterans and Corduroy

November 11th is one of my favorite days on the calendar
and I had three topics I wanted to post about. I couldn't
decide which one to discuss, so all three are getting press
here today:


A year ago today, Lynn and I were in Krakow, Poland where
we celebrated Polish Independence/Remembrance Day. We
watched a labor parade march through the square during
the day and in a near-blizzard during the evening, watched
and listened to the citizens of the city sing patriotic
songs in the same square. It was a memorable part of our
trip.


November 11th is also Veterans Day (formerly known as
Armistice Day) and today is the 90th anniversary of the
original Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I, or
as it was know then...The Great War. It now honors all
veterans but we should all remember that there are only
15 veterans of World War I surviving today worldwide. The
oldest is 112 and the youngest is 105.


Lastly, November 11th is Corduroy Appreciation Day. I
own no corduroy, but I and countless dozens of others
around the world appreciate the fabric. Why is November
11th Corduroy Day? Think about how corduroy looks...
vertical lines...and 11/11 is the calendar date that most
looks like corduroy. My friend Susie sent an email to me
reminding me of this joyous day. Otherwise I might have
forgotten. We enjoyed it immensely while working together
in 2006 and while today's observance didn't have the frivolity
of other National Holidays, it should always be festive in
it's own right.