How to Lace up Converse Shoes

Converse shoe craze is back and this style can make your outfit youthful, trendy. However, lacing Converse shoes can be a daunting task. It will take you a while to lace your shoes, especially the first time, and the number of styles of lace up is endless. Luckily, there are basically three ways to tie shoelaces: cross-lacing, cross-lacing, and double-lacing. While these three styles are all simple, they are a great start to learning how to tie basic shoelaces. You’ll create three beautiful lace styles to alternate and refresh your old Converse shoes.

Table of Contents

Cross shoelace style

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Thread the shoelace through the bottom pair of holes near the toe. Lace up from the bottom of the Converse, bringing the ends of the laces up through the holes near the toe. You will have a horizontal line connecting those two pairs of holes. Adjust for two equal outer shoelace segments. ^{[1] X Research Source}

This is the most common and familiar style of shoelace for all shoes. This style is both simple and comfortable.

Bring the string on “Side A” up and thread it to the other side. Pull the “Side A” lace, now on the left side of the shoe, through the bottom left hole near the toe and into the second right eyelet from the toe. This creates a diagonal line connecting the two shoe holes. The laces should be pulled from the bottom left hole to the second right hole from the toe and threaded in from below the hole. Pull the shoelace out through the hole on the right from bottom to top. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Bring the string on “Side B” up and thread it to the other side. Pull the “B” lace, now on the right side of the shoe, through the bottom right hole near the toe and into the second left eyelet from the toe. You will have another diagonal line connecting the two holes. Pull the shoelace from the bottom right hole and thread it up from the bottom into the second hole on the left from the toe. Thread the end of the shoelace into the hole on the left to pull it out from the bottom one more time. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Cross the rope back and forth between the two sides. Continue to alternate back and forth between “Party A” and “Party B”, crossing both sides of the shoelaces until they go into the top pair of holes near the heel. Each end of the shoelace will be pulled through the corresponding shoe hole and into the next hole on the opposite side. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Pull the sides of the shoelaces at the top pair of holes near the heel. Pull the ends of the shoelaces as they are threaded out from the top pair of Converse shoe holes. This will create a horizontal line similar to the lace that was threaded underneath near the toe of the shoe. Lace up your shoes as usual once you’ve put on your shoes. You can tuck the laces under the tongue if you don’t want to show it. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Horizontal shoelace style

Put the shoelaces on “Party A. The laces on” Side A means the laces on the left side of the shoe will be inserted into the second hole on the same side from the toe. Remember to keep the laces from twisting, especially if you’re using flat laces. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Thread the string “Side A” horizontally. Pull the lace up over the surface of the shoe and insert it into the right hole on the opposite side that is level with the hole you just pulled the lace out of. You will see a horizontal line at the top of the shoe. The rest of the laces will be on the bottom one side of the Converse shoe. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Bring the wire on “Side B” up, skipping a pair of holes. The laces on “Side B” i.e. the laces on the right side of the shoe will be inserted into the right third hole from the toe. The second hole from the toe is now inserted with the laces on “Party A”. Again, you should remember not to twist the laces, especially when you’re using flat laces. Continuously adjust the shoelaces with your hands until they are flat. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Thread the “Side B” string horizontally. Pull the end of the lace across the top of the shoe and insert it into the third hole on the left from the toe, level with the hole you just pulled the laces out of. This will create an extra horizontal line on the top of the shoe and the rest of the laces will be underneath. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Alternately thread the laces into the shoe holes as above. The laces on “Party A” will be inserted into the second, fourth and sixth pairs of holes from the toe. The laces on “Side B” will be inserted into the third, fifth and seventh pair of holes from the toe. This will give you a column with horizontal rows without any diagonal lines underneath. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Pull the laces out and tie the rest of the laces. Pull the “Side A” lace through the right hole and the “Side B” lace through the top left hole near the heel. Tie the sides of the shoelaces into a basic bow shape to finish. You can also tuck the laces under the tongue so that the laces don’t come out. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Double color shoelace style

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Choose the right shoelace. The length of the laces depends on the number of holes in your Converse shoes. You will need two different color shoelaces for this style, but the laces should be of equal length. You should choose flat and relatively thin shoelaces. Each shoe hole will have two layers of shoelaces, so choosing thin and flat shoelaces is very important, regardless of the length of the laces. ^{[12] X Research Source}

This lacing style can be done on Converse shoes with an odd number of holes, but will look more balanced on shoes with an even number of holes.
If you only put two pairs of holes, choose 71cm long shoelaces.
If three pairs of holes are inserted, choose 81cm long shoelaces.
If you put four pairs of holes, choose 92cm long shoelaces.
If five pairs of holes are inserted, use 102cm long shoelaces.
If six pairs of holes are inserted, use 113cm long shoelaces.
If you go through seven pairs of holes, use 123cm long shoelaces.
If you go through eight pairs of holes, use 134cm long shoelaces.

Combine two shoelaces into one. Line up the two shoelaces so that they are even and overlap. From the outside, you will have a thick rope with two layers and two colors. Note that this knot is quite similar to the cross knot and has a similar tying action. This is a popular lacing style for Converse shoes because it’s fun, eye-catching, and easy to change to your liking. However, it will be more difficult for you to tighten and tie your shoelaces than with a single lace, so you need to consider that before choosing to do this style of lacing. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Thread the shoelace into the bottom pair of holes with the toe. Pull the double laces through the bottom pair of holes with “Color One” on the top. The other color i.e. “Color Two” will be hidden below the upper rope. The shoelaces will be inserted into two holes from the bottom up so that the two ends of the shoelaces are pulled up. The two ends of the wire will be on either side of the hole when this step is completed. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Thread the string on “Side A” diagonally upwards. Pull the laces on “Side A” from the bottom left hole through the second hole on the right from the toe. Make sure the laces are twisted so that “Color Two” is at the top and “Color One” is hidden below. The diagonal line will connect the bottom hole and the next second hole on the other side of the Converse shoe. Thread the shoelace from under the second hole on the right from the toe and then pull it up. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Thread the string on “Side B” diagonally upwards. Pull the laces on “Side B” from the bottom right hole through the second hole on the left from the toe. The laces should be twisted to be the same color as the other half of the cross section. “Color Two” will be on top and “Color One” will be hidden below. The two holes will be connected by a diagonal line. Thread the shoelace in from below the left hole, so that the lace is pulled up above the left hole. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Twist the laces to the other side. Then repeat the cross stitch operation. Repeat the criss-cross but twist the laces so that Color One is at the top and Color Two is hidden at the bottom. Alternately go back and forth between “Party A” and “Party B”, cross through the holes so that each end of the string as it pulls out from one hole will pierce the next hole on the opposite side. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Twist and lace the shoe until the hole is gone. Continue twisting and lacing the shoe diagonally. Each “x” piece of string will have its own color but will be different from the “x” above and below. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

Thread the lace to the last hole near the heel and tie it back when finished. When threading to the last pair of holes, it doesn’t matter which color side the wire shows. Both sides are visible when you tie your shoelaces. Another way to make tying shoelaces easier is to tuck one shoelace into the tongue and use only the other to tie. Otherwise, you can tie both laces at the same time. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Advice

Try not to twist the shoelaces. Every time you put a lace in the hole, you will use your hand to stroke the shoelace. You may have to unlace the shoe and put it on again.
Continue piercing until you like it. Often you will encounter a case of having a long lace and a short lace when performing the shoelace step. Once there, remove the shoelaces and put them back on.
Change your lacing pattern every week or month. Choose a different piercing style that is always new and trendy.
Choose a different color shoelace. Nowadays, you can find shoelaces in a variety of colors, including luminous green and bright pink.

Warning

Always choose to buy shoelaces that are not treated with harmful chemicals. Check the information on the package for details.
Be patient when lacing your shoes. If this is your first time lacing your shoes, you may accidentally create a knot or cause the laces to fray when you’re done. Pierce slowly and calmly.

Things you need

Converse shoes
Shoelace

Steps