About the Author: Adam Terry is Dappered’s resident shoe expert. He’s a thirtysomething Technical Trainer in the heating and manufacturing industry. He enjoys bourbon, boots, sneakers, and raw denim. He’s also a new dad!
You’ve probably seen a lot of products from online retailer Huckberry lately, and for good reason. They’re fighting for your hard-earned dollars in this constantly shifting middle tier – you know, between cheap fast fashion retailers and those higher end menswear boutiques. Guys looking for an upgrade that used to shop at J.Crew, Club Monaco, etc. are now looking at online retailers that offer clothing and shoes with good materials, good construction, and good designs.
Huckberry’s in-house brand Rhodes is killing it with their casual and rugged, yet polished line up of plain toe, cap toe, and chukka boots. Let’s take a look at their Felix chukkas.
The newest member of Huckberry’s Rhodes lineup.
Sleeker than desert boots. Still plenty versatile.
Huckberry’s shipping department is on fire lately. These were ordered on a Wednesday and arrived on my doorstep via FedEx on Friday. Two day shipping is pretty great. YMMV of course.
Nice box. Nice materials. Nice boots!
The Felix chukkas arrived in a pretty nice navy box with gold embossing. Inside, I was pleasantly surprised to find a single large cotton shoe bag that wasn’t mentioned on Huckberry’s site. I did not get a second set of laces and those were mentioned online.
On the business to casual scale, the Felix chukkas fit somewhere on the more formal side of business casual. Unlike more casual desert boots or sneaker chukka hybrids, the gently rounded toe and two-eyelet upper has a taller, sleeker, and more structured look. The Portuguese-sourced calf suede is plush and buttery smooth; I love this punch of visible texture.
Impressive suede uppers. Sleek looking silhouette without being pointy.
The dark brown welt and Blake-stitched black rubber studded sole add some visual weight below, anchoring the boots firmly in the “business casual” territory. Speaking of that rubber studded sole, it’s essentially a budget version of the venerable Dainite sole that most top tier makers use. It adds a ton of traction in less-than-ideal conditions while also remaining slim enough to not look too chunky. If you end up wearing through the sole or heel, they can easily be replaced by a skilled local cobbler.
Comfort is entirely subjective, but I find the dark brown leather lining and leather wrapped insole to be pretty comfortable. I normally shy away from Blake/Rapid stitched shoes because I can feel the stitching around the inside of the toe box when I’m walking. For me, it’s like walking around with sand in your shoes and you can’t shake it out. The Felix chukkas solve this annoyance by wrapping the non-removable insole in leather. Walking around the house with and without socks, I have no discomfort at all.
Comfy, leather wrapped insole.
The Felix Chukka fits about a half-size large, so take a half-size down from your “True to Size” Brannock measurement. A 10 fits me like a 10 in most dress shoes. Note: If you have notably wide feet, you may want to a size up as these run just a touch narrow. For reference, I am a 10.5 D/E on a Brannock device and usually take a 10 D in most dress shoes, including Alden’s Barrie last. I take a 10.5 E in Allen Edmonds 65 last, as that last runs narrow and I have slightly high arches. I also take an 11 in most Adidas or Nike sneakers.
Size down by half a size if you’re a normal width.
Rubber studded sole provides traction, while remaining subtle.
Overall quality – design, comfort, materials, construction, etc. – gets a solid A+ in my book. There were no noticeable issues aside from some flat spots in the suede that buffed out with a horsehair brush and some elbow grease. One sole had a broken stitch, but that was cleaned up with a quick snip with scissors.
A+ on the quality front.
If you’re looking for a super versatile pair of boots that can pair with anything you can throw at them, I highly recommend that you try the Rhodes Felix chukka boots from Huckberry. If you’re a fan of the “Oak” (aka snuff) suede, try pairing them with dark denim, a chambray button-down collar shirt, and an olive green Harrington or M-65 style jacket. If you’re looking for something slightly dressier, opt for the “Rust” dark brown leather and pair those with some birdseye or twill textured slacks, an Oxford cloth button-down collar shirt, and a dark navy sport coat.
"Playing the hits" at affordable prices. Average price per piece = $46.41. Full outfit cost…
New old-school polos, suede summer shoes, and a new Orient Watch design that can't come…
Still looking great (and staying cool), without full formality.
BR Factory goes extra "extra..." and sound the new Nike Killshot Colorway Klaxon.
New additions to Nike's sale section. Christopher Ward runs a buy 2 get 1 free…
A lesser known Swiss brand is getting a sneaky 15% off. Divers, dress chronos, etc.