Welcome back, gentlemen! Good to see you decided not to drop the course. For those of you who just switched in, throughout the semester I will be schooling you on easy-to-wear fall classics and if you study hard I can assure you’ll come out of the class a better looking, more confident dresser. If you missed the first class, you may want to catch up on the reading you missed on flannel (Sept. 16). All academic metaphors aside, seriously, check it out. Now, get your notebooks ready, because we’re hopping right into the next subject.

Fall classic #2: Corduroy. I haven’t seen much corduroy on campus so far this year, but it’s a must-have for your transition from summer to fall gear. Nothing grinds my gears like a guy wearing his cargo shorts on a 50-degree day because he’s “from Wisconsin.” Stop that. Leave the shorts in the closet and invest in a few pairs of corduroy pants. They are lightweight and come in a ton of colors, making them extremely versatile. They’re heavy enough to keep you warm on cooler days, but breathable enough to keep you out of the swamp on the warmer ones.

The secret to picking out the right pair of cords is understanding which wales are right for you. Now I know most of you know what wales are, but let me elaborate for the one or two freshmen who don’t. Wales are the vertical ribs that line trousers. The main rule is the thicker the wale, the more casual the pant, but your body type should be a factor when you’re choosing cords as well. If you’re John Clay-sized, stick with the thinner wales called pinwale; thicker wales, or wide wale, will only give you a wider appearance that you don’t need because you’re already jacked. Bite-sized like me? Pinwale is still an option for you, however you can also benefit from the added girth of wide wale and OshKosh B’Gosh has an unreal selection (disclaimer: that was a joke, sorry about the nostalgia). No matter which style you go with, you can count on cords as an excellent replacement for the summer short and chinos. As said before, another benefit of corduroy pants is they are extremely simple to match. If you read Fall Classic #1, you know my feelings on loud colors in the fall (don’t do it), and the great thing about cords is that you’ll be hard-pressed to find them in difficult-to-match colors. If you somehow do find a pair of highlighter-blue cords and I see you wearing them, take the rocks being thrown at you as punishment for bad taste. Stick to the standards – khaki, navy, black, brown, these colors will never let you down.

Going back to lesson #1 again, plaid and flannel shirts go great with cords of either wide or pinwale variety. They also go great with a knit sweater on the cooler fall days. If you want to dress them up a little, make sure you keep those wales thin and tuck in a button-down. Try to keep your cords away from sneakers. Boat shoes and boots are the way to go when you’re sporting corduroys. Corduroy trousers are generally only in season during the fall and winter months, so now is the time to buy. If you’re not looking to stretch your wallet too much, check out Levi’s 514 cords, they’ve got a shade of burgundy that I personally have my eye on. If you’ve got a little more money to blow, I’d suggest you try Banana Republic. They always have a solid line of pinwale corduroys in standard colors that are great for throwing on with a sweater or dressing up with a shirt and tie. If you don’t mind throwing down a couple C-notes, Citizens of Humanity has got a line of cords that will easily pay for themselves in compliments and ego boosts.

It’s going to start getting cold any day now and it’s best to be prepared. Corduroy trousers are a perfect alternative to your favorite pair of jeans in the fall months. Thanks for showing up to class on a Friday; now pay attention to the class you’re actually in.