Customer Reviews John Varvatos Hipster Chukka

This is a great pair of shoes. Comfortable, well made, good looking, and just all around great.

I love these boots. I've had them several months now and wear them often. They are reasonably comfortable. I have no issues wearing them for several hours. My only knock on them is that they don't have much in way arch support. The leather will scuff and show marks, but that just gives them more character.

They look great and seem to be quality made, BUT...there is absolutely NO arch support in this shoe. NONE. Actually, it feels like you are standing on the sole with almost no cushion. I have no foot issues, but after wearing these to a party last night, my heels were barking. I need to get inserts. Consider this when buying this shoe. For almost this much, there should be more comfort.

Actually saw this shoe at Nordstrom's. The store didn't have my size and offered to ship it about 1 week later....ordered and received from Zappos in 2 1/2 days.

Nice shoes and found them at a great price. Wear them with jeans and also with work clothes. Toe is a little wider than how it appears in the pictures. Other that that, happy with the purchase.

Great boot/shoe that can dress up or down. Remarkably comfortable considering the flat sort of construction and thin soles that these Varvatos dessert boots have. I like it because it looks good and is comfortable to walk on city streets in. What more is needed? About size: I wear a 12 in lace ups, 12.5-13 in running shoes and a 11.5 in slip ons. This shoe size 12 fit me perfectly.

Buyer beware! If you are between sizes, make sure to round up to the next larger size. I am a size 12- Ecco dress shoes, Timberland boots, New Balance tennis shoes- size 12, period, but these JUST fit on my feet. I will be wearing my thinnest socks with these. Aside from that, IMO these are the hippest (pardon the expression) shoes on the market. I got them in lead and black calfskin, and I couldn't be happier with the look and build quality. Great with jeans.

Love the look of the boots. But John Varvatos has as a thing or two to learn about insoles. The bottom of my feet hurt so much after going for my first short walk in my new boots, I had to switch out the insoles. First I purchased a pair of a popular brand replacements insoles, but then the boots were too tight. Then I switched out a pair of Kenneth Cole insoles from another pair of shoes I own and finally the boots fit comfortably and pain free. The JV insoles lack arch support and a sufficient heel cushion. But the boots sure look cool!

Very comfortable. Good look to be dressed up or down. The shoes tend to scuff up very easily and they're difficult to shine up and clean up once scuffed.

Brown suede version lasted about 2.5 years before the soles started wearing out and through in different places. Love the look and overall feel - like a moccasin. However, you want to pause and reconsider if you need much arch support as these are very flat soles.

3.5 overall. Smells strongly of glue. Not sure how well it will hold up, based on other reviews. Returning in favor of Desert Jink by Clarks.

I'm a comfortable 9.5 in Varvatos Converse. 9.5 in this boot is too narrow for me. Shame because they're cool. If you have a wide foot, beware.

Great style, Poor comfort. The Good: They look great! The Bad: Uncomfortable, need to add insoles, pricey, soles wear out quick.

Not worth the money. After purchasing these for my spouse to wear less than four months ago, the back heel is peeling off. Not cool; considering the amount of money that they cost. They should be much better quality. Plus, they were hard to break in. I'm hoping that we can get them repaired rather than getting a replacement pair. I did read the reviews prior to purchasing and I kind of knew they would be a pain to break in, but they were the perfect "look" for him. They hurt in the heel area during the break in period. Mind you, he does not walk long distances in them, just errands and in the office. They are getting 3 stars based on look alone.

My buddy and I both bought a pair of these shoes for the trendy look. We love the Varvatos style. In the store, these shoes felt like slippers. Great feel. But after a couple of days on the street, we both developed blisters. Conclusion: These babies are merely for looks. I do not recommend them other than going out once a week, for a short dinner date or movie. They are not really constructed or designed with the human foot in mind. The shoes that I still swear by are Pradas. I have a number of pairs that have lasted over 7 years of daily wear.

As much as I love the look of the Varvatos USA stuff, the quality of materials, and craftsmanship is severely lacking, compared to "real" Italian made Varvatos. I wish Zappos would differentiate between the two.

While the appearance of the shoe is nice, the sole doesn't have a lot of traction - not good if you want to wear it in winter. The shoe also ran a full size larger.

Why pay so much for something that cannot give you the comfort nor the support you expect. At least not at that price. Why do we saddle ourselves with vain name tags which do nothing for us.

I bought these shoes because I thought they looked good, versatile for many different wardrobes. On the style front, I was mostly correct. It works with jeans and chinos, at the office and at happy hour. However, it is probably the least comfortable pair of shoes I've owned in recent memory. I almost hate wearing them because I know my feet will be hurting at the end of the day; it is "generic" enough in appearance so I can wear them regularly, but the only reason why I continue to wear them is because I paid $200 for them. There is almost no cushioning in the sole. "But barefoot walking! Return to the earth! Paleo living!" you may claim. Yes, I subscribe (mostly) to that philosophy as well, but these shoes have a rounded sole so your toes can't splay out like normal. Instead, it cups your foot so all of the pressure gets driven to a point in the ball of your foot. Extremely uncomfortable and doesn't provide a very stable walking platform. I walk a lot living in NYC and have actually been trying to wear them as much as possible so they'd just wear out so I could justify tossing them. Additionally, I thought the sole would look cool with the threads or whatever embedded in them. It just looks really sloppy, especially since you will wear through them to the rubber (at the heel and ball of foot) in about a week of regular wear. I've had multiple people tell me that I need new shoes because of it -- I had to explain that it is by design, while sheepishly avoiding the mention of how much I paid for them and that they are designer label shoes. I've since learned my lesson. No more designer label shoes. John Varvatos in general has a great style, but none of the items I have bought are designed to hold up (I own some shirts and other pieces). I'll be sticking to tried and true SHOE brands instead of designers cashing in on trends but not knowing anything about comfort or durability.

Shoe style and comfort were adequate. However, after wearing for about 6 months (about 3 times per week), the top layer of leather began to peal back. Note that this isn't scuffing, it seems to be a top layer of leather veneer that is coming off from both shoes. At first it was just a small nick, but now it's expanded considerably. I brought the shoes into a shoe repair shop who told me that the leather used for the shoes is very cheaply constructed and there was basically no way to fix it. I am astonished that my pair of designer shoes are cheaply constructed, used low quality leather and are unable to be repaired...I was planning on keeping these shoes for years and having them re-soled. Now, I won't be able to do that.

Zero arch support. Very thin soles with no cushion. The shoe looks good, but lacks substance. Fairly comfortable, but I wouldn't want to spend the day walking around in these shoes. And, they are very hard to get on without a shoe horn. In my opinion, they aren't worth the money. Overall, I am disappointed. I will probably never by John Varvatos, again.

Had these for over 9 months. Thin sole with terrible arch support make these shoes a regrettable purchase. They look nice, the materials are good quality, just the most uncomfortable shoes in my closet. This is a new brand to me, I would never buy shoes again online without trying them on at a local store first - which can be a hassle if the locals don't stock the brand. Oh well...

These are great looking shoes but absolutely terrible quality. After about three months, the leather started to crack and peel off. By six months, the shoes were completely shot - bald patches on the toes and cracks all over. Both laces broke repeatedly. And here is the kicker: I only wore the shoes inside at the office (aside from occasionally running out to grab a coffee). The shoes look great but they are the worst quality that I have ever had.

Horrible shoe. Yes, it looks great, but it is cheaply made, and you can feel it. Definitely, not worth the cost or even less for that matter. Tried another JV dress shoe and same problem. Will stay away from this brand.