WASHINGTON, DC -- At School...Corduroy as Seasonal Mainstay and Eco-Friendly Option, Howard University

Today is World Earth Day and the global community's heightened awareness of the Earth's environment could not coincide better with the flurry of interest being generated around eco-friendly fashion. Environmentally sensitive fabrics and production techniques are the new rave in these eco-fashion circles. Advocating these eco-friendly clothes/brands is one way to support the movement or one can simply adopt a frugal approach in how they meet with fashion and choose to define their style.

Even in the spring months, we see here that corduroy is still rearing its head proudly. Corduroy can be differentiated according to the width of its cord or the "wale." Finer-wale corduroy (as pictured above) is not too stuffy and can be transitioned into more temperate weather conditions. Nonetheless, corduroy's durability has made its use to be largely reserved for slightly nippier climates. However, the disordered, up and down nature of weather this year is an indicator that the environment is in a phase of change. As a result of the erratic weather, the corduroy fabric is becoming a mainstay look throughout much of the year sans the extremely warmer and humid months of summer. Experimenting with corduroy fabrics during the not so cold months of the year is not completely taboo (as previously thought) since it is a great way to maximize on the fabric's sturdiness and also practice conservation when it comes to our wardrobe. Let's face it, predicting a stretch of consistent weather has been tough to come by of late so safeguarding oneself against the elements à la corduroy is not a bad start.

It's not reserved for the wintry months. A navy cotton henley corduroy jacket makes an all to unfamiliar appearance in DKNY's 2006 Spring/Summer collection.

Photo: Marco Madeira (men.style.com)