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Criss-cross, straight-lace, heel-lock, lattice...who knew there were so many different ways to lace shoes? Not only do your shoelaces affect the fit of your footwear, but they also change the vibe. We're here to show you tons of cool ways to lace shoes so you can rock your best look everywhere from the basketball court to the board room.

Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Criss-Cross Method

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  1. Starting from the two frontmost opposite facing holes, insert each end of the shoelace from the inside. Make sure both sides of the remaining laces are equal. [1]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    Alternate method: You can insert the lace pointing from the front of the shoe inward (instead of going from the inside pointing outward), to give a more neat appearance.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
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    Make a bow (as below).
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Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Straight-Lace Method

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    Place one end of the shoelace through the top right hole (the toe end) and the other end through the left hole on the bottom (near the beginning of the shoe). The left hole should have a short length of lace left; only enough to tie the lace at the end. [2]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
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Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Heel-locking Method

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If you find that your heels are slipping in your shoes , this method can help alleviate your problem.

  1. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    [3]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    Do the same for the other lace.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
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Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Alternative Straight-Lace Method

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Method for shoes with five pairs of shoelace holes.

  1. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    , the left hole nearest the heel on a right shoe) and pull through to leave about 6 inches (15.2 cm) of lace outside. [4]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
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  11. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    If you end up with more lace on the side than the other, fold the extra length of the longer lace in half, put the folded end together with the end of the shorter lace, and reverse the procedure to feed the lace back to bring both laces to the same length.
  12. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
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Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Lattice Method

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    [5]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    The ends are crossed over each other, run diagonally upwards on the outside and fed in through the third-higher set of eyelets up the shoe (skip past two sets of eyelets).
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    The ends are crossed over each other, run diagonally downwards on the outside and fed in through the third-lower set of eyelets down the shoe (skip past two sets of eyelets).
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    The ends are crossed over each other, run diagonally upwards on the outside, and then fed under the sides to emerge through the top set of eyelets (skip past two sets of eyelets).
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Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

Tying the Bow

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    Place the right end over the left, then bring the left above the right and through the loop. Pull both ends tight. [6]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    Bring the left lace over the right, and underneath it in a circular motion.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
    Pull tight.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Lace Shoes
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How do I keep my laces from going to different lengths?
    Community Answer
    When first starting to thread the laces through, make sure that the lengths of the laces are even coming out of both sides. If not, keep adjusting.
  • Question
    What do you do if the lace at the end is too short to tie a knot?
    Community Answer
    If the other end is longer, redo it, with the middle area as your starting point.
  • Question
    How do you lace it so you don't even have to put a bow?
    Community Answer
    That is easy using one of the methods above. You should stop at the tie and make sure the shoe is secure and put your lace in your shoe. Works every time.
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      Tips

      • If the bow keeps coming undone, then tie a double knot. Tie a second bow (with bow loops) after tying the first bow. Or, after step #2, bring the loop back up & through the small hole again before pulling it all tight.
      • If the laces are slightly different in height, don't worry about it. Just tie it usually.
      • The real way to straight lace shoes is to take the lace under the sole every time but if you're doing two colours then do the same thing but the strings will be a little longer than the other.
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      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To lace your shoes using the criss-cross method, start by placing your shoe in front of you with the toe facing away from you. Thread your lace through the two eyelets closest to the toe of the shoe, and pull until the lace is an even length on both sides. Then, take the right end of the lace and pass it through the next eyelet down on the left side. Next, take the left end of the lace and pass it through the next eyelet down on the right side. Repeat this pattern until there are no more empty eyelets. If your heels slip a lot in your shoes, use the heel-locking lacing method instead. Follow all the steps for the criss-cross method until the last pair of eyelets. Then, instead of crossing each lace to the other side, thread the laces over and through the eyelets directly below them. Take the left lace and pull it through the loop you just created with the right lace. Take the right lace and pull it through the loop you created with the left lace. Finally, finish tying your shoes as you normally would! If you want to learn how to criss-cross your laces, keep reading the article!

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      Reader Success Stories

      • Isabella Jimenez

        Nov 23, 2021

        "It helped by helping my kid, she undid all of the lace thinking it was smart and when she found out it was not ..." more
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