A close look at the Drake's Crosby Moc-Toe Chukka Boots

On 4 October 2019, a day before Global James Bond Day, I visited the London flagship store of fashion brand Drake's, to pick up a pair of Crosby Moc-Toe Chukka Boots.

Drake's Crosby Moc-Toe Chukka Boots in Brown Suede

I'll have to start this article with a small spoiler warning as there might be a few (but not major) references to the upcoming James Bond film No Time To Die, and an affiliate disclosure that this page contains affiliate links, which means that if you buy something via one of the links or banners, I might receive a small commission, but the price is the same for you and it helps support the Bond Lifestyle website.

Drake's is a high fashion brand, founded in East London in 1977 by Michael Drake and currently under the creative helm of Michael Hill. The company gets its soft tailoring in Italy, exquisite knitwear in Scotland, and shirts in the brand's very own shirt factory in Chard, Somerset.

Currently Drake's has two stores in London as well as international stores in Paris, Seoul, Ginza and New York. The shoes and other pieces of the collection are also sold via a large network of stockists all around the world and are of course available online on drakes.com/usa (US/Canada) and drakes.com (UK/EU).

Drake's on 3 Clifford Street, Mayfair, London
photo © Bond Lifestyle

The Drake's store that I visited was located on 3 Clifford Street in Mayfair. If you plan to visit it's good to note that the store will move at the end of October to a new location, at 9 Savile Row - the street famous for traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society at 1 Savile Row and the Apple office of the Beatles at 3 Savile Row, where the band's final live performance was held on the roof of the building.

The Crosby Moc-Toe Chukka Boots on display at Drake's
photo © Bond Lifestyle

In the store my attention is quickly guided to the Crosby Moc-Toe Chukka boots on display. This is the shoe that will be worn by Daniel Craig as James Bond in the upcoming James Bond film No Time To Die.

It's time for another warning/disclaimer because although the appearance of the Drake's shoes in No Time To Die is very likely, given the many moment the shoes are worn by Craig on the set in Matera, Italy, nothing can be guaranteed until we see a trailer or the final film in April 2020.

In September 2019, principal cast members of the film Daniel Craig and Léa Seydoux were in the Italian town of Matera to film scenes that include them arriving in the Aston Martin DB5, walking around and an intense car chase scene. I won't go into more details than this, but on social media hundreds of photos and videos have been posted by tourists and paparazzi that saw the action happening in the beautiful town.

The shoes worn by James Bond (Daniel Craig) on the No Time To Die set in Matera

During all these scenes, James Bond (both Craig and his stunt double) is wearing a pair of suede chukka boots, with a distinctive mocassin toe. The shoes were quickly identified as Drake's Moc-Toe Chukka boots in suede. But the photos from the set seemed to sometimes make the shoes look light and sometimes darker, causing some uncertainty about the exact colour: either the (Dark) Brown Suede or the lighter Tobacco Suede version. After a few more photos, it became clear that it must be the Dark Brown Suede. Some people still prefer the lighter Tobacco Suede, and if you're considering buying the shoes, you should get the ones that you prefer as both colours are very nice for this shoe. It must be noted that there is also an even lighter Whiskey brown, but that one is more yellowish and not close to the movie version colour.

The Crosby Moc-Toe Chukka Boots in box
photo © Bond Lifestyle

Time to get up close and personal with a pair. It depends on the brand of course, but I usually take a size 10 or 10.5, and 10.5 is what was brought out for me. Opening the brown shoebox with small Drake's logo, and wrapped inside a brown paper, the brown Chukka Boots were waiting patiently for a try.

Drake's Crosby has a very flat front toe so might take a bit to form around your foot
photo © Bond Lifestyle

Opening the laces a bit and with a little help of a shoe horn, the chukka boots slip on quite easily and seem to fit perfectly. The first thing to notice is that the top of your toes might touch the top of the moccasin toe, as the shape of the tip of the shoe is almost horizontal and low. This is normal and will after some time stretch out just a bit. If your toe hits the front of the shoe (not the top) then they're too small.

The 10.5 size fits perfectly, so for me at least, the Crosby fits almost true to size, although I would recommend sizing upwards 0.5 to be sure (0.5 size bigger than Crocket & Jones in my case and other people have reported a similar size upgrade).

The shoes are very comfortable from the first step.

The inside is smooth with a leather insole with embossed Drake's logo.

I like the Chukka boot shape and the Chukka style has been worn by Daniel Craig in all his films, from the Church's Ryder III, Crockett & Jones Tetbury to the Sanders & Sanders Hi Top. These Drake's Chukkas have a more distinct look, which you may or may not like, but they're definitely a different style addition to a Bond Chukka collection.

Drake's Crosby Moc-Toe in dark Brown suede
photo © Bond Lifestyle

The Drake's Crosby Chukka boots have a very flexible and therefor comfortable, dark coloured crepe sole. Quite rough crepe as well, making it a good action shoe for Bond, but note that crepe wears more than a leather or rubber sole under heavy (outdoor) use and can't be replaced like a leather or rubber sole. The softness does give a good grip during a high speed chase and you can also sneak around a villain's lair without making too much sound as crepe soles are very quiet.

The dark crepe sole of the Drake's Crosby Moc-Toe
photo © Bond Lifestyle

Overall I do like these shoes for their unique look (with the Mocassin toe) and comfort, and look forward to wearing these. As the Drake's website mentions they can be easily worn with jeans, but also with 'soft tailoring', including the light colour Massimo Alba Sloop Suit that James Bond wears with the shoes in the film.

The Drake's Crosby Moc-Toe are extremely comfortable and stylish at the same time
photo © Bond Lifestyle

After wrapping the shoes back into the box, it's time to thank the helpful and kind people of Drake's and step back into the bustling streets of London, speeding towards the Royal Albert Hall where I will experience the SkyFall screening with live orchestra.

When you are interested in getting a pair of these Drake's Crosby Chukka boots yourself, you can visit one of the shops in London, Paris, New York, Seoul or Ginza or one of the stockists in your country, where you can try on the shoes to find the right size or decide on your favourite colour.

If you are unable to visit one of the Drake's shops or stockists, you can also order them online at Drake's USA/Canada or Drake's UK/EU.

 Shop now at Drake's UK

 Shop now at Drake's USA

With many thanks to Drake's in London for providing the shoes.
Text & photos © 2019 Remmert van Braam - Bond Lifestyle