70s Longboard Corduroy Shorts

The California coast, early 1970s. Surf clothing did not exist. People who spent the day in the water wore what they had, and what they had was heavy cotton shorts. Corduroy became the unofficial uniform of that generation for a practical reason: it was the fabric that could take sitting on the board, dried in the sun and still worked for walking into any place afterwards.

Look at the shorts on the guy on the left: corduroy, loose cut, deep pocket, pleated waist. That is what was worn before neoprene existed, and it is exactly where these shorts come from.

A longboard, back then, was a board over nine feet, heavy, with no leash. You did not fall any which way: you rode the wave standing and walked to the nose. It was a slower kind of surfing, and the clothes followed that rhythm.

Big wave, long board, no gear beyond the body. The look this piece carries comes from here, not from a palm-tree print.

The fabric that holds the story

The fabric is 100% cotton, 14-wale corduroy at 320 gsm (9.4 oz/yd²). That means a wide wale and real body, not that thin corduroy that creases on the first wear. The cotton comes pre-washed, so it does not shrink after the first machine wash.

The 14 wales up close, in the three colors. Wide corduroy lightens at the tips with wear and takes on the mark of whoever wears it.

The waist solves the problem of every stiff-fabric short: the front has an IDEAL zipper and a firm closure, and the back has built-in elastic. You get the structure of a tailored piece in front and the freedom of a beach piece behind.

The elastic is only at the back, hidden in the waistband. From the front nobody notices; sitting down, you are grateful.

The pockets are patch pockets, sewn on top of the fabric like on work uniforms, front and back. Wallet, keys and phone fit without pulling the hem out of shape. The stitching uses core-spun thread, which is what holds a loaded pocket for years.

Flat pocket, reinforced opening and a wide bottom. It is the same design workwear has used for a century, here on a piece for warm weather.

Three low-saturation earth tones: Camel, Coffee and Dark Green. Goes with a plain tee, an open shirt or a jacket on top when the wind turns. Loose cut, above-the-knee length, the way it used to be.

Size chart

The sizes below follow the real waist measurement of the garment. Measure your waist and choose by the row. The elastic back waistband gives a little tolerance.

The letter is the one printed on the garment. Choose by the waist measurement, not by the letter you usually wear.

Specifications

Care

• Wash with mild detergent, in cold water
• Do not bleach
• Dry in the shade
• If you need to iron, use medium heat and iron inside out, so the wales do not flatten

Historical images are for illustration only, used as a period reference.