For many people, shoes are an incredibly important part of clothing. To take it further, endless creative ways of lacing them have been devised, adding a more personal touch to an already expressive element of the wardrobe. Understanding how these complicated yet stylish laces were created, however, is not easy. If you've ever wondered how to recreate the look of parallel laces, here are a couple of easy ways to choose from.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Bar Lacing
Step 1. Insert the lace into the first eyelets of the first shoe
Point the toe of the shoe away from your gaze. The furthest eyelets will be the first holes, the next ones will climb from there. With the shoelace outside the shoe, insert the ends into the first holes on both sides.
Step 2. Make sure the ends of the lace are even
Pull both ends to the full length. Pull on whichever side is shorter to bring them back to equal lengths. You have your first bar.
Step 3. Get ready to tie the second bar
Take the right end of the lace. Pull it along the underside of the eyelets and pull it up from the second hole on the right side. Don't skip eyelets. You shouldn't be able to see the lace between the eyelets.
Step 4. Tie the second bar
Pull this same lace along the shoe towards the left side. Push it down into the second hole on the left side and pull until tight.
Step 5. Get ready to tie the third bar
Take the left end of the lace and pull it along the underside of the eyelets on the right side, skipping the second (which is already full), until you reach the third. Pull up the lace from the third hole on the left side and pull.
Step 6. Attach the third bar
Pull the left lace through the shoe and thread it through the third hole on the right side. Pull until tight. You should now have three bars.
Step 7. Get ready to tie the fourth bar
Take the lace that is now on the left and slide it along the underside of the second to fourth eyelets, skipping the third that has just been filled. Pull on this lace from the fourth hole on the left and pull until tight.
Step 8. Tie the fourth bar
Pull the left lace through the shoe and push it into the fourth eyelet on the right. Pull until tight.
Step 9. Continue lacing
Repeat steps 5-8 until you reach the last holes closest to you. Remember:
- Every time you throw the lace through a hole, you have to skip the one you tied earlier, before pulling it up.
- When you pass the lace from side to side it will have to reenter through a hole directly parallel to the one it came out of.
Step 10. Finish the laces
Once you have reached the last eyelets, make sure again that they are even. You may need to adjust the shoe a bit.
Step 11. Lace up the other shoe
Repeat all the steps in the same way for the second shoe.
Method 2 of 2: Simple Lacing
Step 1. Insert the lace into the first eyelets of the first shoe
Point the toe of the shoe away from your gaze. The furthest eyelets will be the first holes, the next ones will climb from there. Insert the left lace into the left eye and the right one into the right.
Step 2. Finish the right lace
Slide the right lace towards you, down to the last eyelet. Pull it up from the last eyelet.
Step 3. Adjust the length of the lace
For this technique, the left lace will do all the work, so it will need to be much longer before starting. Pull the left lace until the right end looks just long enough to tie the knot when you're done. For now, make a rough estimate, you can fix it again later.
Step 4. Get ready to tie the second bar
Swipe the left lace forward until you reach the next eyelet on the left. Pull up the lace from this eyelet.
Step 5. Attach the second bar
Pull the left lace from one side of the shoe to the right and pass it through the second eyelet on the right. Pull until tight. From now on it will be the "mobile snare".
Step 6. Get ready to tie the third bar
Slide the movable lace until you reach the next (third) eyelet on the right. Pull up the lace from this eyelet.
Step 7. Tie the third bar
Pull the movable lace on the other side of the shoe to the left. Thread it into the third eyelet on the left. Pull until tight.
Step 8. Continue lacing
Using this same lace, repeat steps 4-7 until you reach the last eyelet.
Step 9. Adjust the length of the laces
Now that you've finished lacing up, make sure they are about the same length again. Pull down the movable lace as much as necessary to lengthen the non-movable one, or vice versa.
Step 10. Lace up the other shoe
Complete all the steps on the second shoe.
Advice
- As you work, twist the laces to keep them flat on the visible lines.
- Parallel lacing only works with shoes that have an even number of pairs of holes (12 pairs, 24 holes in total). Solutions to this problem for odd-pair shoes (9 pairs or 18 holes in total) include skipping a pair, tucking the ends in, or tying two holes in an alternate style.
- For a hidden knot, complete either method until you reach the penultimate pair of holes. Pull up a lace from its last hole and then from one side of the shoe to the other and back down to the last hole on the other side. Tie the laces below the space between the penultimate and last holes on this side.
