Thursday’s Duchess Boot Review: A Classic Chelsea Fit For the Queen

Though it was first invented for Queen Victoria back in the mid-1800s — she needed a comfortable, low-heel, slip-on boot for walking and riding horses — the Chelsea boot’s real come-up happened in 1960s England. There, it became the “it” boot of the mod subculture and its requisite rock stars, from John Lennon to Mick Jagger. (For a time, they were also known as “Beatle Boots.”)

In the 1970s, the Chelsea moved with the culture, becoming the preferred footwear of the punk movement (ideally with the addition of studs and plenty of scuffs).

And that’s just the kind of girl Chelsea is. She moves with the culture and continues to this day. Timeless, sleek, adaptable, and permanently cool — plus you don’t need to futz with laces.

We all need a Chelsea boot, and ideally one that’s built for the long haul since these puppies are never going out of style. Enter the Duchess.

Duchess Pros & Cons

Pros

• Classically minimalist; matches anything
• Easy slip-on design
• 10+ colors in a range of leathers
• Suede versions are waterproof/stain resistant
• Low heel and studded sole are easy to walk in

Cons

• Narrow toebox; wider-footed gals might want to size up
• Cannot be resoled (normal for women’s boots, just an FYI)
• Leather takes some time to soften up
• Water resistant, but not waterproof

The Company

When Thursday Boot Company launched in 2014, it was on the premise of creating the kind of high-quality boots that are meant to last a lifetime without charging an arm or a foot (sorry) for them.

At the outset, they were talking about men’s boots made with Goodyear welts, a particularly pricy kind of construction that makes them resoleable. For whatever reason, Goodyear welts aren’t as popular among female boot buyers — probably because they’re stiffer and heavier. After a lot of returns, they decided to make most of their women’s boots with the standard “cemented” construction that’s lighter and more flexible. (If you’re curious about that Goodyear welt build, though, check out my review of Thursday’s women’s Captain boot.)

Today, the brand sells a huge selection of boots and sneakers and jackets, not just for men but for everyone, with a continued commitment to durability and affordability. Most of the boots on their site cost under $200, and the Duchess — Thursday’s most popular women’s boot — is just $160.

(That’s 20 percent cheaper than Thursday’s Chelsea boots for men, on account of the Duchess being made more lightweight and flexible.)

The Style

• Iconic pull-on Chelsea style; secured with elastic instead of laces
• Pull tab on heel makes it even easier to slip on
• Mid-height, 5.5-inch shaft
• Subtle 1.25-inch stacked leather heel
• 10+ different colors and leathers available

The Duchess is, in many ways, the ur-Chelsea, an archetypal model of the classic 60s style. Many brands have tried to improve upon the Chelsea with varying results (did we really need a heavy and chunky Chelsea work boot for lumberjacks?) but Thursday is just doing “simple and timeless” the right way.

I’m talking about a classically sleek toe with no cap toes or decoration, a low heel for sturdy balance, and flexible elastic goring on the side so you can easily slip them on and off, just as Queen Victoria wanted.

And as basic as this sounds: once you have a favorite Chelsea, you’ll be shocked that you bothered with lace-up footwear all those years. Putting them on takes like one percent of the amount of time it takes to lace up a boot.

You’ll find the usual pull tab on the back of the heel to make that slip-on, slip-off process even easier. There’s a not-too-tall 5.5-inch shaft that hits mid-ankle and a subtle 1.25-inch stacked leather heel (just what Mick Jagger needed to basically be six feet tall) with a rubber base, also called a “top lift,” to prevent slipping (or, say, falling off the stage during a concert).

The shape is sleek and versatile, perfect for pairing with pants both narrow and wide, and the colorways and material options are many. There are over ten different options in all and while they’re mostly shades of brown and black and tan, I love that there are options for the kind of leather too: glossy and hand-finished like “Walnut,” the classic “Honey Peach” snuff suede, and then there’s the kind of suede I’ve got: the “WeatherSafe” kind that Thursday stuffed with a bunch of extra oils and waxes to make it water repellent. If you sweat about getting your suede wet or stained, opt for one of those.

The ones I got, and am wearing in these pics, are the bestselling Dark Olive WeatherSafe Suede. I think it’s the most popular leather for the Duchess because it’s equal parts black and green. Some folks call that the most versatile color for boots because it can go with “earthy” colors or with more “grayscale” outfits. What do you think?

The Sizing & Fit

• Most customers find these boots fit true to size
• Sizing up half a size may be beneficial, especially for wider feet (it’s free to exchange sizes)
• The toebox is narrow and flat, typical for a Chelsea
• Comfortable out of the box, though some find the leather takes time to soften

Because they’re laceless, Chelsea boots are tough to size.

While most customers report that these boots fit true to size, I found my usual size 9 to be just a teensy bit small. (I have weird bones on the pinky sides of my feet that give them a slightly flipper-like profile.) (Life is hard.)

The reviews on the Duchess’s product page suggest I’m not the only person who would have had more luck buying a half size larger. That’s not the case for everyone, but this experience isn’t unique to me so if you’ve ever found in the past that your feet were a little narrow for a brand’s recommended sizing, you should size up for these.

If they’re painful, you got the wrong size. If they’re snug, rest assured they’ll loosen.

One reason for Thursday’s success is that they use leather that’s a little thinner than you’ll find on those ‘tough-as-nails’ work boots, so they don’t usually give you a tough break in. (An exception would be if you got their Goodyear welted Captain boot in one of their “Rugged and Resilient” leathers. Or maybe any of their boots in that extra tough line.)

Still, Chelseas can fit weird out of the box because they’re designed to secure your foot without any laces. So some folks find they take a few wears to soften up. If they’re painful, you got the wrong size. If they’re snug, rest assured they’ll loosen.

Thursday’s Waterproof Suede

• All the leathers look better with age and provide long-lasting durability
• The “WeatherSafe” suede eliminates the headache of caring for suede

Most folks think of suede as delicate and while it’s pretty longlasting, it’s true that it’s easier to stain than smooth leather.

That’s why Thursday developed this WeatherSafe suede. Thanks to the addition of waterproof and “hydrophobic” compounds (like oil) used in its creation, the stuff repels water and cleans off easily. So your feet stay dry even if, like me, you have a hard time avoiding puddles. As someone who finds galoshes annoyingly clunky, I love the option of going out on rainy days with my regular boots on but experiencing zero sogginess.

The WeatherSafe suede is as supple as it looks, though it isn’t quite as soft and fuzzy to the touch as traditional suede. If that’s what you want and to hell with the water resistance, the Duchess also comes in a couple of classic “snuff” suedes that will give you what you’re after. What’s on offer changes by the season, but right now the “Honey Peach” falls into this category.

Thursday Duchess Boot’s Soles

Like most of Thursday’s boots, the Duchess’s outsoles are made from studded rubber. Nothing too head-turning here, but it’s worth emphasizing that they pull off the feat of offering good grip without looking chunky.

They look perfectly flat from the side because they have recessed lugs, which are water-displacing, functioning like the grooves of a car tire. When these soles make contact with water, it fills into the circular wells within the lugs, allowing the inner knob to touch the ground and thus preventing you from slipping on slick, wet sidewalks. Hallelujah, am I right?

In short: you get good looks without the risk of skittering into gutters that you get from a lot of leather soled boots.

A big reason Thursday has converted so many non-lumberjacks to wearing boots is because they swapped the classic (and hard) leather insoles of traditional boots with Poron® foam. This gives you better shock absorption and, along with the not-super-thick leather upper, helps reduce the odds of a painful break in.

Construction

• The Duchess has a cemented construction, making them more comfortable, flexible, and light compared to Goodyear welt boots.
• Just know they cannot be resoled.
• They have good water resistance, though they aren’t fully waterproof.

While most men’s boots at Thursday are made with Goodyear welt construction, the Duchess is cemented. This means the top is stuck directly to the sole with a powerful adhesive instead of needing multiple layers of insole and midsole and cork stitched together underfoot.

The result is a boot that feels more like a sneaker than traditional boots — and costs less to produce. You can’t resole them, but they’ll be more comfortable, flexible, and light. Plus, resoling a boot costs a good hundred bucks these days, so it might feel silly to resole a boot when it costs almost the same amount to just buy a new pair.

Like I said earlier, Thursday does offer some Goodyear welted women’s boots so we have an option that most brands don’t offer them… but most of their female customers opt for the cemented boots like the Duchess. Hey, can’t blame them for trying.

Wrapping Up

At $160 and so many leather options you’re bound to find one you like, the Duchess a great choice if you’re seeking a classic and longlasting Chelsea boot — whether you’re on a budget or not. I’m sure both Queen Victoria and Mick Jagger would approve.