James Bond Wore Corduroy in the Summer. You Should, Too

Corduroy. It must mean winter is coming, right? Only cool, dark days would be appropriate for clothes made from the plush, ribbed material. Wrong.

Corduroy is a true four-season material, with a long, hot history in menswear circles. Remember that great suit Daniel Craig donned in No Time to Die? It was constructed from breathable needlecord and resulted in a breezy alternative to linen or cotton.

Massimo Alba

Corduroy was also a staple among surfers and climbers in the 1970s, thanks in large part to the rugged shorts of a brand called Ocean Pacific.

“Nobody was making the kind of clothing suitable for surfers,” OP’s national sales manager Chuck Buttner told The New York York Times in 1979. “The shorts have to be fuller in the thigh and reinforced at the seams. You also need a good quality fabric to take the salt water, sun and abuse.”

OP shorts were tailored for an active lifestyle, with threads that could take a beating — those velvety rows of close-cropped yarn called wales increase the durability of the fabric. They also featured a short inseam to facilitate movement, a wider cut to accommodate athletic legs and easy-access patch pockets.

The company’s founder, Jim Jenks, once said his shorts were for the guy who “owns a dirt bike, a sports car or a van, spends most of his time outdoors, is lean and tan.” Appropriately, the design became synonymous with coastal California, where the sun shines year-round.

Drake’s

OP has since faded into obscurity, so expect to pay a pretty penny for vintage pairs of its shorts on the secondary market. Purists take note: the back pocket was originally on the left side because Jenks was left-handed (OP later moved it to the right).

And while modern brands like Birdwell, Battenwear, Outerknown and even Drake’s have offered dependable homages in recent years, there’s nothing quite like the real thing.

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