True Detective in Corduroy
The anthology crime thriller series that just ended put a spin not only on character study, it made a few fashion statements as well….
“The corduroy jacket has weaved its magic on menswear for decades. Everyone from Ralph Lauren to mass-fashion brands like GAP and UNIQLO have created their take on the classic favourite. So don’t be surprised if it returns this year even bigger and better than before, thanks to a new anthology crime thriller television series that’s blazing TV screens everywhere…”
It’s going to be a bittersweet ending for True Detective fans as the first season of this Nic Pizzolati show closes out this weekend. Watching each episode of HBO’s brilliant new crime procedural opus, the viewer can do nothing but sink deeper into the dangerously deep, dark and brooding Louisiana quicksand that the characters in the show’s universe are thrown into. Sludgy, deliberate and unbelievably hot under the collar, just like the southern state’s equally unbearable climate, True Detective is ‘mood sleuth’ at its very best.
While the show not only unravels clues to its main case – a brutal rape murder – with each episode, it also reveals the blood that’s on the hands of Woody Harrelson’s Martin Hart and Matthew McConaughey’s Rust Cohle. It’s interesting to note how, that as the investigation progresses, the de-fragmenting of the violent murder case has similar effects on the characters in the show.
Subconsciously, as a viewer, it didn’t hit me until recently that almost every investigative scene involving Matthew McConnaughey’s emotional scrapyard of a character, had him donning a well-cut, tailored corduroy jacket, as if that was the only thing keeping him from seeping slowly into the dark world Rust Cohle had created for himself after the pre-mature death of his only child.
Like Peter Falk’s famous trench-coat wearing, cigar smoking character in Columbo or Breaking Bad’s, Heisenberg’s hat and glasses, the creators of ‘True Detective’ have taken some real pains to craft characters that have more up their sleeves than they let on in the show’s dialogue.
Keep watching and you’ll realise that Martin and Rust do more than look contemplative and conflicted in their suits. There’s a helluva lot of ‘jacket on – jacket off’ moments that add a certain stylish flair to the already modish show.
Jenny Eagan, the show’s costume designer, who has also done work for films like ‘No Country for Old Men’ and ‘Iron Man 2′, created the style and look for both detectives. It’s also very interesting how she used a fabric like corduroy for a very layered character investigating a gripping case set in a terribly hot, uncomfortable environment like Lafayette, Louisiana because yes, ladies and tomboys, corduroy and hot weather are not the best of friends.
But calm down. Let’s not ditch fashion for weather just yet. If you’re looking for a new jacket fix, corduroy is still a great option as seen here with Rust Cohle’s finest moments in the fabric in this inaugural season of the anthology.
Corduroy jackets are stylish, warm and soft to the touch. Any serious tomboy who needs a great addition to their winter wear wardrobe should check out the men’s and women’s corduroy tops at their favourite labels. Most of these brands now carry some form of corduroy-wear in their collections. Japanese fashion brand, UNIQLO, for one, has always done a decent job of bringing in corduroy jackets and pants, while other brands like GAP and Ralph Lauren have taken the corduroy jacket/blazer to tailor-made perfection.
Like most other soft fabrics, corduroy is available in different colours and there are a few things to keep in mind when buying them. Namely the wales on them. Wales are the individual cords you find on corduroy. They are made up of the extra fibres that create the vertical ridges you see on the material. There are three types of wales.
a) Standard
The standard corduroy has 11 wales per inch and comes in a variety of colours. They are used to make casual pants and blazers because the fabric is durable and holds up well.
b) Dyed
Corduroy fabric is dyed with pigment dyes. In this process, the dye is applied to the surface of the fabric and the fabric is cut and sewn. In the final phase, the garment is washed and the dye washes out in an irregular way, giving the material a vintage look.
c) The Pincord
Usually this type of corduroy has 1 wale per inch and has more fibres which make it as soft as velveteen. They are used for suits for larger-sized people because they have a rich appearance and do not need the heft of wider wales to add to their thickness.
Well, are you inspired to get your corduroy piece already? We know we are.
Original article appears on the Tomboy Tarts website and was published on March 8, 2014.
