Other than the type of fiber the fabric is made of you should also consider the wales on its surface. Corduroy fabrics are distinguished by its wale counts. The look, texture, and weight of corduroy can change with the number of its wales per inch - which is indicated by a number given on corduroy. If the number of wales per inch is low the fabric will be thicker - because each wale is thicker than those of a higher number wale fabric. So if your choice is a 4 wale corduroy vs 22 wale corduroy, decide on how thick you want the fabric to be. 22 wale one will have narrow wales resulting in a more elegant look and lighter weight. 4 wale corduroy will almost look like velvet with very few channels in between and will have a bulky appearance. For jackets and coats and pants corduroy fabric starting from 8 wales per inch can be used. Corduroy with the wale number around 10-16  is considered standard (to be precise 11 wale) and is used for making pants; but for dresses, a finer and less stiffer fabric is preferred. A 14 wale corduroy is a popular option for dress making. A Needlecord with 15-18 wales per inch is used to make dresses and blouses which need a better drape. Micro-wale corduroy or Pinwale corduroy or baby corduroy has even finer wales (upto 22 wales per inch).