Lucy Parker on Women's Shoes - 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!

Women’s shoes are the true window to the soul

I firmly believe you can tell a lot about a woman’s personality by studying her shoe wardrobe. Because (as you already know) I have a footwear obsession, I frequently find myself voyeuristically eyeing up women’s shoes and fantasising about their real-life agendas. One of my favourite fantasy shoe-spotting locations is the London underground. Analysing other ladies’ shoes is a wonderful way of speeding up a laborious journey on the train, and far more interesting than a free copy of Metro.

This week I popped into London and headed south of the river on the Northern line to see an old school friend. I hardly noticed the time passing I was so busy checking out the feet of my fellow female passengers. Here are some of my musings...

Blonde thirty-something on my left in flat blue ballet pumps. She’s dressing down to express her girlish femininity and to create an impression of vulnerability. This lady’s shoes say she’s bored of her job, and tired of chasing unsuitable men around town in pursuit of true love. She’s a lonely heart just itching to find the man of their dreams and settle down in the country to start a family.

Brunette in high black designer shoes opposite: Scary high styled career girl. Designer shoes that say, “I’m in charge here”, and “don’t crunch my number”.  I’m sure she’s off to a board meeting in the city somewhere and my suspicions are confirmed when she hastily folds her FT and sweeps out of the carriage at Waterloo in a haze of Chanel no. 5.

A tailored suit with classic court shoes (low heel) hops on at Stockwell: A conservative hair-styled wallflower wearing women’s shoes like a uniform, suppressing her individuality and style. I like to imagine she goes completely wild at the weekends and lets her hair down.  Today she’s completely focussed on looking professional and making sure she gets to her job interview on time, without chipping her nail varnish or laddering her tights.

Green platform wedge heels on my right. She’s in her early twenties, brimming with self-confidence and enjoying life. This girl’s shoes say: edgy style which looks like it’s been thrown together on a budget – and she carries it off perfectly. Tapping away furiously on her iphone, I imagine she’s a designer, fresh out of college with a large overdraft and the world at her feet.

Vintage style mary-janes (no seats left so she’s standing): Here’s a frazzled mum with too much going on in her life. A bulging tote handbag and her mobile phone are all the accessories she needs to get from the school run to the office without drawing breath. Between Waterloo and the Oval ‘Mrs Mary-Jane shoes’ had booked hair and dentist appointments for the kids whilst simultaneously applying mascara and munching her way through breakfast (an M&S sandwich).

Women’s shoes are so fascinating. Needless to say, these footwear fantasies were occupying my mind so entirely that I completely missed my stop. Thank god I was wearing my Lizzy flat pumps (from DUO’s faithful width fit shoe collection) because it was a long walk back across Clapham common to Sophie’s house.

What do my shoes say about me? “A shoe-obsessed day-dreamer with the attention span of a flea!”