Velvet Worker Shirt

Corduroy is a cut pile woven in ribs, which is why much of the world calls it velvet. Long before it was a campus cloth it was a working one: dense, warm and slow to wear through, it dressed farm hands and factory crews through the cold months.

The Velvet Worker Shirt is cut from a fine-wale cotton corduroy, the narrow rib known as needlecord. It is soft enough to wear as a shirt and has enough body to go over a tee as a light overshirt. A button-down collar, one chest pocket and patches on the elbows, where a sleeve always wears through first.

Elbow patches

The patches are sewn on at the elbow. On the Brown and the Green they come in contrast, together with the sleeve placket: green on the Brown, brown on the Green. On the Gray and the Blue they match the shirt, for a quieter look.

Button-down collar and chest pocket

The collar points button down to the body, so the collar keeps its shape worn open or under a sweater. The single chest pocket has a pointed base, and the hem is curved, so the shirt works tucked in or worn out.

Technical details

• Fabric: fine-wale cotton corduroy (needlecord)
• Collar: button-down
• Closure: button front
• Pocket: one chest pocket with a pointed base
• Elbows: sewn-on patches, in contrast on Brown and Green
• Hem: curved
• Fit: regular, runs small (see the chart below)
• Colors: Brown, Gray, Blue, Green

About the colors

Measured on the product photos, on the body of the shirt:

• Brown #7C4A34: a rust brown with a warm, reddish cast.
• Gray #48474D: a charcoal gray.
• Blue #282D3E: a deep navy.
• Green #50463C: an olive so muted that it reads as a greenish brown. If you want a clear green, this is not it.

Which size to order

This shirt runs small. Its chest is narrower than on our other work shirts with the same letter, so choose by the measurements below, not by your usual size.

Lay a shirt that fits you well flat on a table and measure it the same way: chest from armpit to armpit, doubled; length from the base of the collar at the back to the hem; sleeve from the shoulder seam to the end of the cuff. For a regular fit, the chest of the shirt should be about 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5 in) larger than your body chest. Here that puts the XS at a body chest of about 88 to 90 cm (34.5 to 35.5 in) and the XL at about 98 to 100 cm (38.5 to 39.5 in).

Measurements of the garment, taken flat. Chest is the full circumference. If you are between two sizes, take the larger one.

Care

• Machine wash cold, inside out, on a gentle cycle, so the wales keep their pile.
• Do not bleach.
• Hang to dry in the shade.
• Iron inside out on medium heat, so the wales do not flatten.