The dress trousers are fundamentally trousers of the old school, with a moderately high rise, plenty of room in and around the seat for comfort, and fullness built into the upper leg to avoid pull and stretch. They taper, gently, from the knee down, with the end result being middling: neither wide nor slim.
The trousers fasten with a buckle at the side. How this works is, the waistband keeps going, past the fly, and meets a buckle attached to a tab on the right side as worn. Works like a belt, gives a clean look at the front, and means the wearer can adjust the size should they shrink or grow over the passage of time.
The front of the trousers has two pleats on each side. They are stitched down by a length of two inches from the base of the waistband, and then, with horizontal bar-tacks as punctuation, fan out, providing the front of the trousers with shape, comfort, and ample room for pocket-rummaging.
There are five pockets on the trousers, the main ones of which are tucked into the outer side seams. They're barely visible, but are deep and sturdily made, using very fine but very strong cotton, so are exceptionally pleasing to plunge hands into.
Never overlook the little coin pocket, built into the waistband. It lurks ready for the storage of loose change or keys, even a bank card or two, on the right side as worn.
With so much activity on the front of the trousers, the back is comparatively sparse. There are, however, two pockets lurking back there — tucked into the waistband seam on the left and right sides. No diminutive coin pockets, these: they're as deep or deeper than the pockets on any comparable trousers.
The buttons on the trousers are real horn, middling in colour and matte in finish. The trousers have a button fly of three such buttons, as well as two others, which fasten the fly-guard and the front of the trousers before the belt is swept across.
The inside legs have French seams, and are thus durable such that you'd have to do something dramatic — acrobatic, even — to split them open. The outside legs are flat seam, however, to achieve a smooth silhouette. Bar-tacks, meanwhile, abound: a half-dozen or more supporting the points of most wear and tear.
They are lined to the knee, front and back, with soft, breathable satin. The way this lining is constructed makes the trousers as tidy when turned inside-out as outside-out, as is cut on the selvedge for a flat finish. The lining makes it easy — nay, pleasurable — to slide one's legs up and down and all around.
Bedford cord is best thought of as "like corduroy but not as soft". Doesn't have the same cut pile, see, which gives standard corduroy its trademark velvet-like handle. Bedford cord, though also cotton, is made in an entirely different way, and is more utilitarian: firmer, stronger, and more understated.
