The most effective chukka boots for males are much more than their uncommon identify, however we’d as effectively begin there first. A “chukka” is a seven-minute interval in a polo match, which is precisely the game these boots have been designed for within the mid-Twentieth century. Again then, the thought was to create a shoe that was snug, supportive, and seemed nice—and given how effectively they pulled that off, it’s no shock that by the Nineteen Fifties and Nineteen Sixties, chukka boots had rapidly made their method off the polo discipline and onto the toes of Beatniks and Mods within the UK and abroad.
Whereas the traditional chukka silhouette hasn’t modified a lot since, the quantity of them in the marketplace means looking for a pair is nearly like scrolling by way of a endless Netflix queue. So we whittled it right down to the actually need-to-considers—from designer renditions to chunkier, hunting-inspired takes. Whether or not you’re driving right into a polo match or simply channeling a little bit of silver-screen cool, these are the pairs ought to begin with.
The Finest Males’s Chukka Boots, Based on GQ
Take Me To: Extra Chukkas We Love | How We Overview Merchandise | How We Make These Picks | Easy methods to Type Chukkas in 2024
Finest Chukka Boots General: Buck Mason Padmore & Barnes Roughout Upland Chukka Boots
Buck Mason collaborations have a tendency to not miss, whether or not it is their cozy collab with Eddie Bauer or their slick deck footwear made with legendary Japanese producer Moonstar. This summer time, they teamed up with legacy Irish shoemakers Padmore and Barnes–the identical of us who produced the enduring Wallabee and Weaver boots for Clarks–on a Chukka, and we predict it’s the most effective for the cash in the marketplace proper now.
These light-weight, sheepskin-suede beauties are unlined, so no extra bloody heels, however the textured sole grips like a professional on any terrain. The moc-toe additionally offers off Wallabee vibes, whereas the bolstered arch assist turns them right into a shoe you’ll truly attain for to put on every day, as a substitute of simply having fun with the look of. To not point out how properly these barely completely different laces every play off the 2 accessible colorways.
Finest Finances Chukka Boots: Clarks Desert Boot
Listening to a traditional album like The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Watching a vital movie like Goodfellas. There are specific rites of passage on this life, and one other is proudly owning a pair of Clarks desert boots. Invented by Nathan Clark, who whereas serving in warfare observed officers ditching their clunky army boots for crepe-soled suede ones—the Clarks desert boot has grown to turn into the default Chukka-style shoe throughout the globe. Folks like it for the crepe footbed, whereas molds to your foot quick and successfully, the consolation of the just-loose-enough suede higher, and the very fact there’s no break-in interval. And just lately, the boot had an extra glow-up: : it now is available in a sustainably-minded burnished vegan brown.
Finest Bond-Authorised Chukka Boots: Drake’s Crosby Moc-Toe Chukka Boots
The boot that Bond wears. Drake’s, which operates primarily out of London tailoring mecca Savile Row, tends to excellent the method each time it takes on a brand new traditional type, and their Crosby chukka is maybe the proper instance. The moc-style stitching and rugged roughout suede uppers isA combo that is each good-looking and hard. The bolstered heel retains you cozy and can spare you a visit to the cobbler for some time. Plus, the refined slope of the boot’s form—and single-color all through—means there’s not likely an occasion we will consider the place it will be noticeably misplaced. Certain, virtually $600 is a hell of loads to pay for a shoe. However when you think about that it’s the one shoe you’ll actually need—and that it’ll solely look higher the extra beat up it will get—that monetary analysis appears to be like a bit rosier.
Finest Dressy Chukka Boots: Tricker’s Aldo Suede Chukka Boots
England’s long-running shoe manufacturing historical past is unparalleled, and types likeTricker’s are among the many historic commonplace leaders. They’re one of many oldest and most prestigious shoemakers nonetheless working immediately, tracing their roots again to 1829, when Joseph Tricker got down to make footwear that might be each fashionable and match for a King. For nearly two centuries now, they’ve been making luxurious footwear for discerning gents, together with King Charles III. Suffice to say, they know a factor or two about shoemaking, and so they’ve channeled all that data into their Chukka.
