Best Corduroy Pants to Replace Your Jeans: Levi’s 505 Regular Fit Straight Jeans

Levi’s: synonymous with denim, but also pretty good at everything else. For proof, peep this pair of corduroy pants, cut from the same block as the brand’s classic, beloved 505—essentially the cut of the iconic straight-fit 501, but with some much appreciated extra room in the thigh and seat. There’s some more added comfort to be found in these, too, thanks to the touch of stretch. But our favorite detail has to be that colorway, a brown that’s just dark enough to be confused as black from a distance. (Levi’s calls it Black Coffee, which is just nice.)

Best Corduroy Pants for the Office: Todd Snyder Relaxed Wide Wale Corduroy Pant

Todd Snyder

Relaxed Wide Wale Corduroy Pant

If there’s any potential knock against corduroy, it’s that the fabric can read a bit casual. And sure, in some highly formal settings, the average pair of corduroy pants might make you feel like a schoolboy in a room of Miss Trunchbulls. Not these Todd Snyder pants though, mainly thanks to their incredibly elegant sheen, black color, and relaxed fit that helps them wear almost more like suit trousers. (It also means they’re one of the more comfortable pairs on this list, as well as being the most formal.) One more note for the nerds: The 8-wale corduroy used here is a touch wider, making them even more satisfying to run your hands over during stressful Q3 budget meetings.

Best Corduroy Pants for Fashion Guys: Barena Canasta Straight-Leg Garment-Dyed Cotton-Corduroy Trousers

Barena

Canasta Straight-Leg Garment-Dyed Cotton-Corduroy Trousers

Since 1993, the fabric freaks (laudatory) at Barena have been producing softer takes on classic tailoring styles from their Venice headquarters. (In the early 1960s, the brand’s founder Sandro Zara tracked down the original pattern books of mills in and around Venice, cuts that have informed the brand’s designs ever since.) But the brand has started to really gain the attention of fashion guys in just the last five years, as more and more menswear boutiques have begun carrying it, and more and more customers have fallen for the exquisite textures of its garments. Case in point: These corduroy pants, made and garment-dyed in Italy—but from a weave the brand sourced from Wales for its increased durability.

Best Corduroy Pants for Menswear Nerds: RRL Pleated Corduroy Pant

As the long arc of menswear zigs and zags, one thing never changes: RRL—Ralph Lauren’s ranch-minded line—doesn’t scrimp on the details, and menswear nerds keep coming back for them. In this case, the designers have sourced sumptuous corduroy from a French mill that’s specialized in producing it since the 19th century, then added long-lasting metal buttons and even some adjustable tabs at the cuffs, so you can decide exactly how tapered you want your leg to be, from three different width options. (That’ll also come in handy on blistering winter days, when fastening them as close to the ankle as possible will keep you warm on your commute, before you relax them again at the office.)