How To Lace Shoes So They Slip On?

Reports show that at least 22.2 billion footwear pairs get produced globally annually. A large fraction of these shoes is laced shoes.

But despite these mind-blowing statistics, you’d be surprised by how many people can’t tie their shoes correctly. Blame it on the rush to leave home to get somewhere.

To help make things somewhat easier, here are step-by-step tutorials on how to lace shoes so they slip on fast.

 

Best Methods To Lace Your Shoes So They Slip On

 

 

Lace-up to slip-on styles are the top trend among people who love shoes with laces. Shoes with laces can be comfortable, especially because adjusting the shoe to accommodate your foot’s needs is easy.

 

However, while people love shoes with laces, you want to avoid the chore of doing your laces numerous times. You almost wish you could tie up the laces and never have to tie or untie them again. Well, that’s the exact problem this detailed read aims to solve.

 

Read on for top styles on how to lace shoes, so they slip on.

 

Straight or Bar Lacing

 

 

Bar or straight lacing is an innovative style of tying your shoe laces to make them look neat, allowing you to slip them on as easily as sandals. Plus, you don’t have to tie and untie your shoes to wear or remove them.

 

Choose this style for casual lace-up shoes and mostly office shoes for business people or people who work in the corporate scene.

 

Here’s how you do simple straight bar lacing.

Grab one shoe and ensure the front end where your toes go is facing you.

Pick one shoelace, and from the top going in, thread it through the eyelet (the holes meant for the shoelace to go through) on the right. Pull until the shoelace is all the way through. Ensure you tie a small knot at the end of the lace to keep the aglet from going through the hole.

Pick the free end of the shoelace, and from the top going in, thread it through the left eyelet.     
Good job, you just made one straight lace.

After that, take the end of the lace, pull it down, and guide it into the second eyelet, still on the left side. It should go in from underneath the eyelet and out from the top. Now pull up.

Move over to the second eyelet on the right. Insert the lace from the top going in and pull.

Take the same end and thread it in and out through the second right eyelet, and pull.

Congratulations! You’ve just successfully made your second straight bar lace.

Repeat steps two and three until the lace goes through all the eyelets.

Make a loose knot and hide it under the tongue of your shoe. You may also leave the end loose and tuck it inside, away from sight. Slip on your shoe, and you’re ready to go!

 

Heads up! Different people have different methods of achieving the straight lace style. Many find this style to be the easiest.

 

It takes about three to five minutes to do. It may take longer if your shoe has more eyelets than a standard shoe. You may run out of shoelace length if you are using your old laces, hence may need to purchase new longer laces. The straight bar lacing style requires more length than the standard lace style.

 

Double Cross-Lacing Style

 

 

The Double Cross Lacing Style is an interesting yet easy way to tie your shoes, so they slip on and off. If you like, you can use the same color or different colored laces on each shoe. Note that you’ll need two shoe laces per shoe to complete this style successfully.

 

This style works well for casual rubber shoes and sneakers. While you can try this lacing style on any shoe, getting a shoe with six or more eyelets is advisable.

 

Read on to see how you do the Double Cross Lacing Style.

Pick one shoelace, and tie a knot on one end. Insert the free end of the lace through the first eyelet on the right from underneath, and pull until you stop at the knot.

Take the other lace and repeat step one. Tie a knot on one end, insert the free end of the lace through the first eyelet on the left from underneath, and pull until you stop at the knot.

You should now have two separate ends of the two shoe laces coming out from above both eyelets.    
Take the end of the shoelace on the left, cross it over to the right, and move the end of the right shoelace towards the left. You should make an X sign and twist.

Twist the shoe laces around each other once or twice.

Insert the shoelace on the right into the second eyelet and pull. Insert the lace from the top and into the eyelet.

Insert the shoelace end on the left side into the second left eyelet and pull.

This time both free ends of the laces come out from underneath their respective eyelets.

Repeat steps four, five, six, and seven for the third of the eyelets to the end.

You should have a series of double lace loops on the tongue of your shoe set between the right and left eyelets.

Make a bow or tuck. You’ll realize you have plenty of length left, considering you’re actually using two laces on one shoe. Some people prefer to make a decorative bow to give the illusion of a normal tie-and-untie design. Others will tuck the laces inside their shoe to keep them invisible.

 

Use Lace Anchors

 

 

Lace anchors conveniently grip your shoelaces and stay concealed behind the top eyelets. They do a great job of preventing slipping and slackening, holding your laces in place whether you have your shoe on or off. They do not rub or irritate your feet; their positioning is just right.

 

Note: You need two lace anchors per shoe, and they should get placed on the last two eyelets farthest from the toe area of your shoe.

 

Most people shy away from using lace anchors, assuming it’s complicated. It is not!

 

Here’s how you can use lace anchors: 

Thread your shoes as you normally would, creating the straight, double cross, or crisscross lacing styles. 

When you reach the second last eyelet, grab one lace anchor and place it underneath the last eyelet on the right. Align the middle or top hole of the lace anchor with the eyelet. 

Your lace anchor should have two or three holes. Hold the lace anchor with one hand and the end of the shoe lace with your other hand. 

Thread the shoelace into the eyelet and through the middle or second hole of the lace anchor and then pull.   
Ensure the lace is straight as it goes through both holes with no creases. 

Insert the lace through the other holes for a tighter hold. 

Test the shoelace by pulling it. If it’s snug, you did it right, and the lace anchor is doing its job right. 

Repeat the process on the opposite side, inserting the shoelace on the last eyelet and through the lace anchor and pull.

 

 

Consider installing your shoelaces while wearing your shoes. This way, you can tie your shoes well to slip your shoes on or off easily.

 

Trim the ends of your shoelaces or hide the loose ends inside your shoes.

 

The Army Lace Style

As the title hints, The Army Lace style is suitable for big leather or textile boots, making slipping your shoes on or off effortless. This lacing style works because the laces cross over each other inside the shoe right above the tongue. 

 

 

Read on for steps on how to do the Army Lace Style.

Grab your shoelace, and starting with the eyelets closest to the toes, insert the shoelace into the first eyelet and out from underneath.

Grab the end of the shoelace on the right and insert it into the next second eyelet right below the first.

Grab the lace's other end and insert it into the opposite left eyelet below it. Ensure the loose ends of the shoelace are the same length.

Grab the shoelace on the right-hand side, cross over to the second left eyelet, and insert from underneath just as you did with the first eyelet.

Repeat steps one and two until you reach the end.

 

Elastic Shoelace Method

If the lacing methods above seem ambiguous, using elastic shoelaces will be easy-peasy. All you need to do is thread the laces through the eyelets in whatever design and tie a tiny knot at each end underneath the last eyelets.  

Here’s how you can successfully use elastic shoe laces.

Grab the elastic shoelace and thread it through the first two eyelets close to your shoe's toe area. Ensure the lace goes in from the top of the eyelet and comes through from underneath it.

There! You just made the first straight lace.  
Next, grab the loose end of the elastic lace on the left, cross it over, and insert it underneath the second from the top eyelet on the right. Note that the shoelace comes out from under the eyelet the second time you do it.  
Grab the loose end of the elastic lace on the right, cross over, and insert it underneath the second from the top eyelet on the left.

Repeat steps one, two, and three above to make your second straight lace.  

Continue lacing until you get to the last eyelets.

Tie a knot well enough so that they don’t slacken over time. There are two ways you can tie a knot. Tie a knot under each eyelet on the right and left side, concealing it right above the tongue but away from sight. You may also bring the opposite loose ends together and tie them into a knot.

 

If what you have doesn’t look perfect, undo the laces and follow the steps again. Worry not. It may take a few tries to get it right.

 

If the shoe feels too tight, untie the knot and pull/tug on the straight laces using your fingers to loosen them. When you’re confident, the fit is comfortable, retie and conceal the knot. Your shoe should slip on and off easily now and in the future.

 

Consider getting individual elastic laces if the steps above seem complicated.

 

Things To Remember

For some, tying your shoelace is straightforward, taking a few minutes to complete on the first try. For the majority, however, tying shoes is always so easy.

 

Whichever side of the spectrum you fall, here’s what you should remember.

 

Take your time and handle each step slowly. It’s better to do it slowly and get it right on the first try than be fast, only to spend more time doing it repeatedly to tie your shoe laces correctly.

There’s no shame in asking for help.

Before trying a knot, when you get done doing your laces, try on the shoe. Make the necessary adjustments, tightening or loosening the shoelace to achieve the best fit.

 

Final Say

 

 

Here, you have five different yet convenient styles to lace your shoes to make slipping on and off seamless. Try some different styles to figure out what looks and feels good.

 

Did you know that your shoelaces can tell a lot about your personality? Put your best foot forward and show your best self by choosing cute laces and tying them neatly.

 

Tying and untying your shoelaces several times a day can be annoying, especially when you’re in a hurry or have other pressing matters.

 

Above are innovative shoe lacing styles to eliminate the inconvenience. The best style to lace your shoes depends on the look you’re going for and the shoe type you’re wearing.

 

Got something to say? Comment below to reach out, offer more tips, or ask questions you may have regarding this topic. You can also get in touch with us for all your footwear needs.