How to Lace Shoes: 6 Styles
Six ways to lace a shoe, what each one is actually good for, and how much lace it eats. All of them work with flat laces — some of them only look right with flat laces.
1. Criss-cross
The one you already know. Thread straight across the bottom pair, then cross the ends over each other and up through the next eyelet, working to the top.
Good for: everything. It holds tension evenly and it's the easiest to loosen when you kick your shoes off.
Lace used: baseline. Every other style on this list is measured against it.
2. Straight bar (also called straight lacing)
Clean horizontal bars across the shoe with no visible crossing. Go straight across the bottom pair, then run one end up the inside and straight across, alternating sides so each lace only ever makes every other bar.
Good for: showing off a print. This is the style that makes a patterned lace read clearly, because you see full unbroken bars instead of chopped diagonals. If you bought a lace for the design, lace it this way.
Lace used: slightly more than criss-cross. Size up if you're already at the top of a length.
Note: it works cleanest on an even number of eyelet pairs. With an odd number you'll have one end finishing short — start the longer end on the side you want to finish on.
3. Straight easy
The lazy version of straight bar, and honestly the one most people should use. Same flat-bar look from the outside, but you run one end diagonally up the inside the whole way instead of alternating.
Good for: the straight-bar look with half the effort, and it works with any eyelet count, odd or even.
Lace used: about the same as criss-cross.
4. Over-under
A criss-cross where you alternate: one crossing goes over the eyelets, the next goes under, all the way up.
Good for: reducing friction. Because fewer sections rub against each other, this is the style to use if you tighten your laces hard, or if your laces keep loosening on one foot.
Lace used: slightly less than criss-cross.
5. Lattice
Each lace skips two eyelets, crosses, then weaves back through the ones it skipped, making a woven diamond pattern down the middle of the shoe.
Good for: making a plain shoe loud. It's the most decorative style here and it looks best on a shoe with six or more eyelet pairs and plenty of space between them — think Vans Sk8-Hi or a skate shoe.
Lace used: noticeably more. Go one length up.
6. Ladder
Straight up the sides, with horizontal rungs threaded under the vertical sections. It's the way military boots are laced.
Good for: boots and high-tops where you want serious hold, and for a graphic look where the print reads as a ladder rather than a crossing.
Lace used: the most on this list. Size up, and on tall boots size up twice.
Which style for which lace length
| Style | Lace used vs criss-cross | Sizing advice |
|---|---|---|
| Over-under | Slightly less | Keep your normal length |
| Criss-cross | Baseline | Keep your normal length |
| Straight easy | About the same | Keep your normal length |
| Straight bar | A little more | Size up if you're borderline |
| Lattice | More | Size up one |
| Ladder | Most | Size up one, or two on tall boots |
Three things that make any lacing look better
- Even ends before you start. Pull both ends level at the bottom eyelet and keep checking as you go. Almost every lopsided bow starts at the first eyelet, not the last.
- Keep flat laces flat. A flat lace that twists in the eyelet kills the print. Give each section a quarter turn flat before you pull it tight.
- Tie a better knot. If your bows come undone, you're probably tying a granny knot. Cross the second loop the opposite way from the first and the bow sits square across the shoe instead of twisting down the side — and it stays tied.
Shop by category: Animal Shoelaces · Food Shoelaces · Floral Shoelaces · Y2K & Retro Shoelaces · Celestial & Symbol Shoelaces · Artist Collaboration Shoelaces