Lucy Parker on Mid-Calf Boots - Confessions of a Footwear Fanatic

Lucy Parker is DUO’s very own expert on all aspects of the wonderful world of ladies boots. Lucy is a self confessed footwear fanatic, who for years has been an ardent fan of DUO’s perfectly fitting boots and shoes. From her footwear-filled home Lucy has agreed to regularly give us an insider view on a life stuffed to the brim with family, work, friends… and footwear!

Hooray, it’s half term

School’s out and I’m rediscovering the joy of wearing my mid-calf boots.

Dreaded half term week has arrived. The kids had plenty of time off while the snow stopped play, so now that half term is upon us the whole Parker gang are getting itchy feet and need to get out of the house. My primary objective this week is to try and keep everyone amused and out of mischief. Planning  these activities also gives me a great excuse to plan my new spring wardrobe. Trips to the theatre, cinema, eating out and visiting friends gives me good reason to unearth those transitional favourites (like my DUO mid-calf boots!)  and match them with new jeans and skirts to refresh my spring look on a budget.

I’ve dug around in the back of my wardrobe and rediscovered the joys of mid-calf boots this week. It’s not quite warm enough yet to dare to bare in my favourite ankle boots, and I’ve been wearing my knee-highs non-stop since the end of the summer - so mid-calf boots are the perfect thing right now. Mid-calf boots are a brilliant invention, especially if, like me, you are petite with short legs.


Far from cutting your legs in half and emphasising a wider calf, they are super flattering, especially with a slight heel. It’s really important to get a great fit with mid-calf boots, they need to follow the curve of your leg and not gape or pinch at the top.  I wear my DUO Monza mid-calf boots with just about any length of skirt, and they’ll dress up or down easily which means I wear them stacks. Last year I bought DUO Bern mid-calf boots which are fleece-lined (handy for keeping those chilblains at bay), and they look ace with my skinny jeans tucked inside. Very Sarah Jessica Parker when teamed with my new cropped leather jacket.


Tucking jeans into boots also gives me a brilliant opportunity to recycle my cropped summer jeans – shorter jeans means there’s less material to wrestle with while getting dressed. No matter how often I attempt this look, it always takes me at least three goes before I’m satisfied there are no unsightly bulges around the ankle, or my rucked jeans aren’t digging into my shin bone so hard that my mascara starts to run! Occasionally this season I’ve casually flirted with the idea of teaming my mid-calf boots with a pair of leggings to eliminate this annoying problem. Leggings are everywhere at the moment, but sadly not in my wardrobe. EEK! I last wore leggings in the 80’s and I’m not sure it’s safe to attempt to recreate this look in public.

Ah well, enough of this day dreaming. Time to pile everyone into the car to catch the beginning of the kid’s no. 1 film choice: Hotel for Dogs. Who said my life wasn’t glamorous and exciting? Roll on next Monday.