CC41 Corduroy Trousers: Brown
• 1940s Original Pattern
• British 470gm Corduroy
• Cinch Back
• Buttons For Braces
• Button Fly
• Double Pleat Front
• Turn-Ups
• Made in England
• CC41 Label
These superb traditional "Utility" corduroy trousers are loose cut and are made in The UK, they are stitch for stitch replicas of an original pair of 1940s CC41 labelled corduroy trousers recently acquired on eBay. Utility clothing had a special label to denote that it was an approved design.
The CC41 stands for Controlled Commodity 1941. The striking design was created by Reginald Shipp and was used on all wartime clothing and also on furniture during WW2. Our Utility style CC41 trousers have a button fly, pleat fronts, high waist line with fishtail back complete with cinch strap and buckle, buttons for braces and turn-ups. Strictly speaking, wartime regulations originally stated that trousers should not have turn-ups but, as the original pair we based our design on had turn-ups, we've fitted turn-ups to our version. The loss of turn-ups was, for many, the straw that broke the camel's back and questions were even asked in Parliament about "the loss of a gentleman's right to have a cuff on his trousers" and eventually various ways were found round this design feature.
Clothing rationing began in June 1st 1941 with no warning, it was announced out of the blue on the news at 9.00am mainly to prevent a rush of panic buying Due to the war effort there was a shortage of fabric Clothing Rations were controlled on a points system and the books contained coupons of various point values. Items of clothing were assigned point values. Each person was allowed sixty-six points a year, which was supposed to equal to one complete outfit of clothing for the average adult. Certain anomalies occurred, one being that Corduroy trousers which were designated work wear status and therefore needed only five coupons as opposed to eight coupons needed for trousers made of most other fabrics.
This lead to cord trousers being very popular during the 1940s and today these are perfect for all WW2 events. In a bid to overcome the clothing rations, knitting became even more popular than before, people were encouraged to knit gloves, socks and scarves to send to the men in the armed forces while brightly coloured Fair Isle sweaters became a symbol of hope in a rather "black & white" World.
To achieve the correct look and vintage style fit these are best worn with braces and worn a size larger than one would wear jeans or modern trousers. To ensure the perfect fit please measure your "true waist" That's around the stomach just below the belly button, that measurement is the size to order as that is where the waist of these trousers sit. Go up a size rather than down if you've got an in between measurement. Please do not rely on ordering you usual "Jean Size". Jeans tend to be worn lower slung than traditional cut trousers therefore it's important that your waist is measured where the waist of the trousers will sit.To achieve the correct look and vintage style fit these are best worn with braces and worn a size larger than one would wear jeans or modern trousers. They are lower in the crotch than modern trousers and should not be worn crumpled at the ankle. Ideal inside leg length is 30"for a height of 5'8"/5'9", inside leg of 32" for a height of 5'10"/5'11" and an inside leg of 34"for a height of 6'/6'1". Longer leg length is available to order.