Welcome back!
Today's video is all about the Chukka boot.
The Chukka boot is a really versatile boot and I'll talk all about the history, characteristics,
and how you can combine it and more.
The term Chukka is derived from the Hindi word ‘chukkar’ meaning ‘circle’ or
‘turn’.
What makes a Chukka boot a Chukka boot?
First of all, a chukka boot has ankle height, it's not higher, it's not lower, it's always
ankle height.
Then it has three eyelets on each side or two.
Never four, never one.
So that's very important.
Moreover, you always want a rounded toe box, not too pointy, not too boxy but nicely rounded.
Another main characteristic of the Chukka boot is the suede leather.
It'a a brown, suede, calf skin leather that is really the characteristic part of this
boot.
A chukka boot is always made in two parts.
For one, the Vamp and the Quarters which come together for open lacing system, just like
the Derby shoe.
If you want to learn more about Derbys, check out this video here.
Another hallmark of a Chukka boot is a leather sole that is thin.
Sometimes, you can also see a crepe sole which is natural rubber and that is definitely more
casual.
If you want a more versatile shoe, go with leather soles as you can combine them with
a suit or with chinos or khakis or other pants.
If you wear a chukka boot with a crepe sole, make sure you only wear it with like denim
or khakis, not any kind of dress pants, it just does not go together.
Traditionally, the chukka boots are unlined but in this day and age, you often find them
lined with a regular leather liining.
Now that you know about the characteristics of a chukka boot, let's talk about history.
It's safe to say that the chukka boot originated in India when English players played the polo
game and they will wear the shoe to play polo.
Subsequently, this boot found its way to the public and to the west and it became particularly
popular because of the then Prince of Wales later, later Duke of Windsor who just wore
this boot and was soon picked up by all the media and press and it was photographed and
now every man, wanted to have this boot.
You may have heard of the word 'desert boot' and basically, it's exactly a Chukka boot
with a crepe sole.
The most well known manufacturer is Clarks from the UK and today they make desert boots
in all kinds of leather colors and they are rather fashion forward and they usually retail
it between 1650 dollars and you can learn more about the specific desert boot and how
it came to be, in our full pledged guide about Chukka boots.
Just click here.
Originally, the Chukka boot came from the Polo fields but today, it is much more versatile.
You can wear it with a suit, or just with a casual combination or even just with a shirt
and some slacks.
I found them particularly suitable for fall because the suede texture just fits in with
all the other textures of your jacket, maybe your vest, your tie and your shirt and it's
a great fall mood all around.
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Just like with all shoes, the thinner the soles, the more elegant it is.
So if you know that you just want to have a shoe for rugged outfits, try to get a chukka
boot with a thicker sole otherwise, I would argue to go with a rather thin sole so you
can wear it with suits and basically any type of garment.
Desert boots often are just rougher, have a thicker sole, especially the crepe sole,
if that is more of your style, that's okay but then specifically choose desert boot over
the traditional chukka boot.
In terms of color, brown or dark brown is really the best that most traditional , classic
color of this shoe.
Sometimes, you can also find it in tan, I can also see navy or dark green but if you
start out and if you want a boot that is very versatile, stick with dark brown suede.
Sometimes, you'll even find chukka boots with contrast stitching and while that looks pretty
cool, it's quite limiting.
The problem is it's irreversible so you can't really wear it with a suit, instead what I
do is I wear colorful shoelaces from Fort Belvedere.
Yellow or in red to mix things up and dress my chukka boot down and if I want more formal
outfit, I go with tone and tone dark laces with my chukka boots so I can wear it with
a navy suit for example.
Overall, the chukka boot is a really versatile boot, can be worn with corduroy, jeans, khakis,
dress pants and suits, even dark suits and you will hardly notice the difference to a
regular dark brown shoe.
The suede texture is particularly nice for fall and if you're just starting out with
your boot collection, this is definitely one of the top contenders to look at.
Now you may wonder what chukka boot should you buy and we put together a little guide
for different kinds of chukka boots at different price ranges and you can see it on our website.
Just click here and learn more.