How to lace shoes: straight bar, criss cross and more

Before you start: count the eyelets

Count the pairs of eyelets, the holes facing each other across the opening. Most sneakers have five to seven pairs, and many dress shoes have four to six. The count matters mainly for straight bar lacing, which works neatly only with an even number of pairs. Check the lace length too: styles that run straight across, like bar lacing, use a little more lace than criss cross, so a lace that barely ties now will be too short after the change.

Keep the lace flat as you work. A twisted lace presses a ridge into the top of your foot and looks untidy through the eyelets. Pull each section snug before moving to the next pair rather than tightening everything at the end, which leaves the lower part loose and the top overtight.

Criss cross lacing for sneakers and everyday shoes

Criss cross is the standard method on most sneakers and casual shoes. Ian Fieggen notes that it is simple, traditional and comfortable, partly because the crossings sit in the gap between the two sides of the shoe rather than pressing on the top of your foot.

1. 01

   Start straight across the bottom

   Run the lace straight across the bottom pair of eyelets on the inside of the shoe, so both ends come up through the bottom eyelets from underneath. Even out the two ends. Many factory laced shoes do the reverse, with the bottom bar on the outside; either works.

2. 02

   Cross and feed up

   Cross the ends over the tongue, pass each one under the edge of the opposite side and bring it up through the next eyelet from underneath. You should see a neat X between the first and second pairs.

3. 03

   Repeat to the top

   Keep crossing to the top pair, always passing the same end over the other at each crossing so the pattern looks consistent. Some people alternate which end goes on top, which makes the crossings grip each other and hold tension better.

Straight bar lacing for dress shoes

Straight bar lacing, sometimes called European lacing or simply bar lacing, shows only horizontal bars on the outside, with the vertical runs hidden inside. It looks particularly clean on oxfords, where the two lacing panels close nearly edge to edge. On that narrow gap, criss crosses read as a busy row of Xs, while straight bars look like a quiet ladder that matches the sleek lines of a formal shoe. Our guide to oxford vs derby shoes explains why the oxford's closed lacing gives it a dressier look in the first place.

The same bars also suit plain sneakers, including canvas high tops, when you want a cleaner front than a row of crosses; many people bar lace white leather sneakers for exactly that reason. The method below is for shoes with an even number of eyelet pairs, which covers most dress shoes. Call the two ends A and B.

4. 04

   Bar across the bottom

   Run the lace straight across the outside of the bottom pair and push both ends in through the bottom eyelets, so both ends are now inside the shoe. A is on the left, B on the right.

5. 05

   Take A up one eyelet

   Inside the shoe, run A straight up to the second eyelet on the left and bring it out. Take it straight across the outside and push it in through the second eyelet on the right. You now have two bars.

6. 06

   Take B up two eyelets

   Inside the shoe, run B straight up the right side, skipping the second eyelet, and bring it out through the third. Take it straight across and in through the third eyelet on the left. Three bars, no diagonals visible.

7. 07

   Keep alternating, skipping one each time

   From here, each end in turn runs up inside, skips one eyelet, comes out, and crosses straight over. A goes from the second right to the fourth right, then across; B from the third left to the fifth left, then across; and so on.

8. 08

   Finish at the top

   For the last two moves, each end runs up inside to the top eyelet on the side it is on and comes out; one of them will only need to climb a single eyelet. The ends now emerge from the top pair on opposite sides, ready to tie, without a final bar. Check that every section on the outside is horizontal. If a diagonal appears, one end has skipped the wrong number of eyelets.

Odd eyelet counts and pressure points

With an odd number of eyelet pairs, straight bar lacing will not come out even: the lace needs an even number of crossings for both ends to meet at the top, so one section would otherwise have to run diagonally on the outside. Ian's Shoelace Site lists several workarounds, such as hiding one short diagonal section inside the shoe. On casual shoes it is often simpler to use criss cross or a similar style that suits the count.

If the top of your foot hurts at one spot, perhaps over a high instep, gap lacing helps. Lace criss cross up to just below the sore area, run both ends straight up the sides to skip one or two pairs, then resume crossing. The gap removes the crossover that was pressing down and lets the shoe open a little more at that point. If the whole shoe feels tight rather than one spot, lacing will not solve it; our guide on how to stretch shoes covers what can be done.

Stop heel slip with a heel lock

Many running shoes have one extra eyelet at the top set slightly back from the others. That hole is there for the heel lock, also called a runner's loop or lock lacing, which pulls the collar snug around your ankle and holds the heel down in the cup.

9. 09

   Lace to the second pair from the top

   Use criss cross or any other method up to the eyelets just below the top pair.

10. 10

    Make a small loop on each side

    Take each end straight up the outside on its own side and in through the top eyelet, leaving a small loop about the width of a finger.

11. 11

    Cross into the opposite loops

    Cross the ends over the tongue and thread each one through the loop on the opposite side.

12. 12

    Pull down and tie

    Pull the ends down and outward. The loops close into a small triangle that works like a pulley and snugs the top of the shoe. Tie as usual.

How to tie shoelaces so they stay tied

The ordinary bow has only a few moves. Cross the two ends and tuck one under the other to make the starting knot, then pull it snug. Fold one end into a loop and hold it, wrap the other end around the base of that loop, push the middle of the wrapping end through the gap behind it to form a second loop, and pull both loops outward until the knot tightens. That is the whole sequence most children learn, and it only needs one adjustment to hold properly.

If your laces keep coming undone, look at the finished bow. Ian Fieggen's explanation is that when the loops lie along the shoe, pointing toe to heel, you have tied a granny knot. Both halves of the knot twist the same way, so tension on one part works the other loose. A balanced bow sits across the shoe, with the loops pointing left and right.

The fix is to reverse only the first step. If you normally start by crossing the left end over the right and tucking it under, cross the right over the left instead, then make your bow exactly as before. The finished bow should sit square, and it will hold noticeably better without any extra knotting.

For slippery round laces, sports or long days on your feet, Ian's Secure Knot starts like an ordinary bow, but the two loops are wrapped around each other and both are pushed through the hole in the middle, which doubles the grip at the center. Fieggen reports that it takes almost twice the tension to pull undone as a standard bow, yet like any bow it releases when you pull an end. His site shows it with step by step diagrams, which are easier to follow than any written description.