How To Tie and Lace Your Dress Shoes (The Right Way)

The way you lace your dress shoes can make or break a perfect outfit. Learn how you can elevate the look of your dress shoe by adopting the right shoe lacing style or method of tying your dress shoes!

Growing up, we were all taught about the classic method of tying our shoes. Remember the bunny ears knot we learned as kids? 

Bunny Ears Lacing

I hate to break this to you, that method was wrong!!

Shocking?

Very…

There is an explanation for this whole revelation… so stay with me for a second. 

This old-age method of lacing shoes makes the lace of the dress shoes crooked and unbalanced.

I do have good news for you though, so don’t beat yourself about it if you’ve been getting it wrong all this while.

In this article, we will cover different shoe lacing methods to choose from and you’ll be able to apply each style accordingly when wearing your dress shoes.

Get ready to learn as we begin this session on How To Lace Dress Shoes 101, a topic we usually cover under SHOE GUIDE LESSONS in our Foundation Course in Kobi Koachman Style Academy.

As we begin, it is important to note that all shoes were not created equal (i.e. the same), therefore they all require different lacing methods depending on the formality of the shoe.

Today’s lesson is strictly on Dress Shoes so let’s kick off this topic with Closed Lacing and Open Lacing styles.

CLOSED LACING vs OPEN LACING

As you’ve noticed from your Derby and Oxford, there is a subtle difference between what is referred to as closed-lace and open-lace styles.

A closed-lace style (used for Oxford shoes) has one part of the shoe that covers the front portion and sides of the foot. This is known as a ‘vamp’, it is stitched over the bottom of the part of the shoe that holds the eyelets, also known as the ‘facing’. This gives a clean overall look but it is not flexible. They are more formal due to their uncluttered appearance, you can find them on your Oxfords.

The open-lace styles (used for Derby shoes) have a facing that is stitched on top of the vamp, which offers more room for adjustments. It makes the shoes more flexible, but it isn’t regarded as a ‘dress shoe’ styling per se because of the busy look this creates.

With that said, let’s get to the main order of the class…

HOW TO LACE OXFORD SHOES

Oxfords have a certain way of being laced up. And if you’re replacing the laces in your shoes, you should measure the old ones to make sure they are the best fit.

Also, there’s no room for colorful statements here – stick to neutral colors that match your shoe color.

Steps For European Straight Lacing

This method will leave you with neat horizontal lines running from eyelet to eyelet. It has a lacing hidden underneath that allows you to tighten things up. It is a more versatile method.

1. Insert both laces ends downwards into each of the bottom holes.

2. Take the left lace and insert it up and through the next free right eyelet.

3. Take the right lace and place it up and through the third eyelet on the left, skipping out the second. There should now be an empty hole on the left-hand side.

4. Insert what is now the right lace downward into this free eyelet, which should be directly opposite it.

5. Follow this process until completion, repeating the steps above for each lace until you get to the last eyelet.

HOW TO LACE DERBY SHOES

Derby’s lacing method is much the same as the Oxfords. It is important to find the correct lace length, color, and shape to fit your shoes. 

For these shoes, forfeit the use of diagonal lines to tighten the shoe, the best option is to use straight bar lacing. This method makes a snake in an ‘S’ shape from eyelet to eyelet, with straight lines and everything else hidden beneath the facing.

How To Do A Straight Bar Lacing

1. Insert both laces ends downwards through the bottom two holes, leaving both equal lengths on the left and right laces.

2. Then, insert the left lace up through the next right-hand hole, with one end pointing to the ceiling.

3. Put the right lace up through the third eyelet on the left, skip the second eyelet. 

4. Take the now right lace and cross it over inserting it through the empty eyelet on the left. Creating another straight bar, mirror the first.

5. Repeat the same steps above with the left-hand lace until you should now have three bars.

6. Keep doing this and making new bars until you reach the top.

Picture Credit: Art of Manliness

Final Thoughts

There you go, now you know how to lace your dress shoes the right way.

Please note, how you lace your dress shoes is very different from how you lace your sneakers which we’ll cover in a different article. Learn the different lacing methods we’ve highlighted above and apply them when wearing your dress shoes. 

I hope you found this helpful, share your thoughts below and also use the social media share buttons to share with your friends.

Until next time, Continue to Do Well. Live Well and Dress Really Well. Stay Classy!

Yours in Style,

Kobi O. Mbagwu
Founder, KOBI KOACHMAN
Connect with me

On Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin | Pinterest

Follow MR KOACHMAN with Bloglovin>>>

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

KOBI KOACHMAN

My name is Kobi O. Mbagwu, a professional image consultant, menswear expert, and entrepreneur who uses fashion to change people’s lives. My personal goal is to help gentlemen dress better, live well, do well and develop a unique personal style that matches their lifestyle and goals. I believe that success can be built through style. I believe that fashion is a tool that can be used to change people’s lives positively. I strongly believe that if you dress well, you look good, and if you look good, you feel good and when you feel good, you worry less, and the less you worry the more you are able to stay motivated and focused on your goals pursuit and by so doing you are able to live a more fulfilling and successful life.

Latest posts by KOBI KOACHMAN (see all)

• How To Tie and Lace Your Dress Shoes (The Right Way) - December 11, 2021
• Men’s Shoe Formality Guide: Most Formal Vs Least Formal - April 29, 2020
• How To Effectively Work From Home : 5 Success Tips - April 11, 2020