The Right Way To Lace & Tie Your Dress Shoes!

Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette., The goal of today's comprehensive guide is to provide you with all the knowledge you need to tie your dress shoes, the proper way.. We discuss what shoelaces to pick which ones to skip, how to lace your shoes, depending on whether it's an Oxford or a derby and then finding the right knot for you. That is easy to do, but never comes undone. [. The Gentleman's Gazette theme song plays ] Shoelaces are an element of menswear that are often overlooked and taken for granted. Even well-dressed. Gentlemen. Often don't pay attention to them until they rip.. However, the type of shoelace you use the way you lace, your shoe. The way you tie it and the color and shape you choose can have a huge impact on the overall look and feel of your outfit.. For example, a brown pair of oxfords will look a lot more casual. If you add a pair of green laces, a pair of blue laces or maybe tan laces, compared to a matching brown pair of shoelaces. Straight bar lacing, gives you a more formal look than crossbar lacing and even the same color shoelace will look different depending on whether It'S round or flat., So, first of all, let's look at what type of shoelaces you should get for your dress, shoes, Oxfords and derbies. Then I highlight how you can lace them on your shoe and last but not least how you should tie them. So you get the perfect look without being bothered or having to re-tie your shoe throughout the day.. On the one hand, picking a pair of shoelaces is a personal decision.. On the other hand, the narrower and rounder or finer, the shoelaces, the more formal it is., Sneakers and tennis shoes, for example, tend to have rather thick and wide laces, because they're more casual., If you put those same shoelaces on a pair of Oxfords, it just looks Weird., But if you take out the round laces from your Oxford and exchange them with flat wider dress, shoelaces that may actually look quite dapper.. Yes, traditionally, an Oxford had round thin laces., But in this day and age you can easily have a nice pair of flat wide dress, shoelaces on your Oxfords and still look the part.. Now, if you want to take it a step further for your evening, shoes, either your patent leather, capless, Oxfords or if you go with a cap, toe Oxford, you can put in evening laces that match your bow tie.. So if you have a satin bow tie, you can get satin laces or a velvet bow tie with velvet laces., As you know, in classic menswear. It'S all about those fine details.. If you like to have boots, you typically have more eyelets., And so you want shoelaces or better boot. Laces that are longer.. Most traditional dress, shoelaces tend to be anywhere between 75 and 80 centimeters, which is about 29 to 31 inches.. A typical classic Oxford has around five rows of eyelets or ten eyelets. Boots, typically more. As most laces that come originally with the dress. Shoes are round adding a flat pair of laces that is made for dress. Shoes can really change your appearance., As alluded to earlier. The color of your shoelaces can have a huge impact on the overall appearance of your shoes and your outfit. Generally. The closer the color of your shoelace is to that of your shoe. The more formal and unassuming the whole ensemble will look. Think about black Oxford, with black shoelaces and brown derby, with brown shoelaces.. Of course, there are many other colors out there, but if you work in a very conservative office environment, adding a pair of red shoelaces to your red, oxfords or maybe pale pink may earn you weird looks.. We still support you, though, even though your clients and co-workers may not.. Why Well colorful shoelaces are great for more casual environments. When you want a new look without spending money on an entirely new pair of shoes, that you're not sure about., For example, it can look great to match the color of your shoelace. Maybe, with your tie, your shirt or your pocket square because it creates a cohesive look.. Also, it just costs a few bucks to exchange your shoelaces, but it feels like a new pair of shoes.. Obviously, you can go super bold with your contrast, laces, but you don't have to., For example, a slightly lighter shade of brown on your dark brown. Shoes can be nice without being too in your face. Or maybe try a reddish color. Best of all. This look is reversible and you can put your shoelaces in and take them out and you can put them on different pair of shoes and nothing is forever. Also if you're just starting out - and you have maybe two or three pairs of shoes in your arsenal. Having a range of let's say, 20 different shoelaces will make it look like you have 20 different pairs of shoes. If you're unsure, if you're on top of your shoelace game or you're, not quite sure what to buy. Please check out the selection we have on our website here.. We also have different videos on how to choose a color and I'm sure you'll find something that will work for you and your wardrobe.. Yes, we also offer multi-packs with free shipping., So buy more save more.. Now, once you've settled on a pair or two or three or twelve, it's time to lace, them. Many higher-end shoe manufacturers, don't put the laces in the shoe because they can leave stretch marks and it's up to you to decide what you want in your shoe.. The most traditional choice of lacing is `` straight lacing ,'', also known as `` bar lacing.''. Traditionally, this is the best choice for Oxford shoes with a closed vamp., But they also work on derbies. If you're unsure about the difference between those two shoe styles check out. This video here., So how do you straight lace or bar lace, the right way? Well, basically, there are two options: classic straight lacing and cross straight lacing.. Now, what's the difference? First, the classic straight tries to minimize any cross-angled lacings in the back to give you that ultimate clean look.. It also provides you with slightly longer lace ends, but you can just pull from the shoelace ends. You also have to tighten in the middle to get the proper fit.. The classic straight lace is also great if your shoelaces are on the shorter side for your shoes, and you want that clean look.. How do you lace it? You first put the lace through both of the bottom eyelets.. You want to make sure both of the tips are approximately equal in length if you have four or six rows of eyelets or eight or twelve eyelets overall.. If your shoes have three rows or five rows or seven rows of eyelets, you want one side a little longer than the other. Why? This is because the odd number requires a little more lacing from one side to even it out. I start putting in the shoelace at the bottom straight lace it over put the other end in through the other side.. Now I want to make sure they're roughly the same length.. I want one side to be slightly larger., It's easier to adjust it when you pull out the middle a little bit, so you can get the exact length that you want. And then you pull it. Through. Start with the longer lace from the inside out then move over to the right side and go back in with a straight bar lace. Now take the other shoelace continue on the right from the inside out straight lace over to the left, pull through. Now take The other lace again start from the right inside out. Straight lace over outside in. And continue with that same lace, and this is where you cross over.. Now take the other lace come in from the inside out and you're done.. As you can see, there is a cross at the top tongue, which is especially visible with contrasting shoelaces. After adjusting to make sure both sides are still even you'll, have a straight-laced shoe.. So how do you make these adjustments? You do this by loosening up the level of eyelets below the tying point and pull on the shorter end until it evens out.. Keep in mind that this is considered to be the most formal way of lacing a pair of dress shoes., And because of that, it won't draw very much attention to itself.. If your Oxford has four rows and a total of eight eyelets or six rows in a total of twelve eyelets, it will work out perfectly and you will have no cross bar lacing in the back.. However, if your Oxfords have five rows of eyelets or 10, which is very common, then you have to cross from one side to the other at one point in time.. Why Well with an uneven number of rows, you would end up with the laces on the same side, if you wouldn't cross at some point in time., Depending on the size and shape of your foot and shoe on an Oxford, you may see a v-shape on the Tongue., Ideally, you never want to see that v. But if you buy ready-to-wear shoes chances are, you will eventually see it on one foot or the other or in both., Also keep in mind that leather stretches over time. So if there's a little v in the beginning, it can disappear., If you buy a pair of Oxfords, and there is no v over time. The leather will stretch and the rows of eyelets will overlap and it will look really bad. Now for bespoke shoes. They'Re typically made to have a little v in the beginning, so with the leather stretching over time, it will line up perfectly and you will have no v visible.. So where should you ideally cross If you cross on top, which is something I used to do? It becomes a lot more visible, but you have a bit more leverage to close and tighten the shoe.. In my mind, this looks particularly bad when you have a large v area and even in a small v area, it's visible. On the flip side, if you cross over right at the bottom, when you just start lacing, it may not ever be visible, especially if the V is not super broad. Now keep in mind. This is only true for an Oxford shoe because it has closed quarters and you don't see the crossing at the bottom very much., On a pair of derby shoes with open quarters. You always want to cross at the very last bit of the very top, because that can be covered by your trousers when you wear the shoe.. If you cross right in the beginning at the bottom, it will always be visible and look odd, because there's a lot of area that is visible of your tongue.. So the second way of bar lacing is the `` cross bar lacing''. It crosses more in the back and because of that it eats up more of your shoelace., So you have shoelaces that are too long. This may be the right option for you., It's also a little easier to tighten., But on the flip side, unless you have no v showing you see all those cross laces and it just looks weird.. So how do you cross straight lace, your shoes? Well, you start the same way as before. Then you cross the laces underneath.. It is easier to tighten as it gives you more leverage. Start out on the right side from the outside in and take it to the other side outside in. Make sure they're about the same length.. So I start on the right side from the inside out.. You see I'm crossing over at the very bottom. I go to the left outside in at the bar lace. I switch laces and I cross again. Straight bar inside out on the right.. I take the other lace cross again at the bottom. Inside out straight over outside. In and down. Switch again and cross. Now you can see in a tongue. There are lots of crossings at the bottom. Very unattractive looking., Especially when the crossing is not in the same angle. So it looks really weird.. You only don't see it if there's no v on your tongue, which is rarely the case for most men., So which style do I prefer For Oxfords that have a little v showing or for derbies. I prefer the first method of classic straight barrel, lacing. For Oxfords that have no v showing. I prefer this second method, because it gives me more leverage it's easier to tighten and you can't see the crossings. If I had a pair of shoelaces. That was too long from any given pair of shoes. I'D also use the second method because it would shorten and eat a little more up of that shoelace. Aside from straight bar lacing, the other popular method is `` cross lacing.''. Traditionally, it's not used for Oxfords., But some people today, even wear it for Oxfords Kyle being one of them. At the end of the day, it's each to its own.. Personally, I use the cross lacing sometimes for derby shoes., But I prefer the cleaner look of the straight bar lacing.. Once again, you'll need to line up the bottom row of eyelets through the lace and get them to be about even on both sides.. Now I cross it from the left to the right the outside in.. Then I switch shoelaces on the left from the outside in.. Now I make sure that I pull through the laces and that the same goes over and under., So I want the one from the right going over and one from the left. Under. Just make sure it's consistent.. You can just look at it and see that it's consistent. Now you come in, you put them from the top outside in and you tie the knot over the tongue.. It hides the knot a little more and you see the bow more.. It'S kind of a flatter. Look but I think it looks neat. Now this is also cross lacing, but it starts out different.. You want the bar at the very bottom row on the outside.. It'S basically like an Oxford.. You start the same way, but now you cross and the underside comes up and it is pushed through outside in.. So you have a bar lace that is straight at the bottom and then the crossing starts., But all the laces are visible, always on the upper of the leather.. So here we have the left side over the right. I'm going to continue that. Always left over right.. I like to do them at the same time.. You can do it not at the same time.. It looks good though, and it's easy to do. And again the last row. I make sure I'm consistent. Push through from the outside in., Just like with the other cross lace. I can tie the knot and it's over the tongue., It's a little more hidden, a little lower, which is nice still because you see more of the bow.. This style of lacing is considered to be more casual and will be what the majority of modern shoe buyers only know how to do.. Personally, I try to avoid lacing the bottom in the beginning from the inside, as it looks, inconsistent and therefore off. Also pay attention when crossing the shoelaces always go into the eyelets from the top.. If you do it once from the bottom and then once from the top, it looks off and inconsistent. Alright, once you've decided how to lace your shoes and you laced them now, it's time to find the right knot. If you're anything like me, you probably learned how To tie your shoes as a kid, you thought you mastered it and you've never thought about it ever since.. However, we've come to find that not all knots are created equal. And it's especially true when it comes to dress shoes.. So the ideal knot is quick and easy to tie. It looks very pleasing and harmonious to the eye. It is at a 90-degree angle to the long axis of the shoe and it doesn't come undone. Even if you walk extensively all day., We look at numerous different knots, but I'll show you four and only two of them. I recommend. The knot that I learned and the one that you probably learned is called ``. The basic knot'' First tie a half knot and then make a loop or a bunny ear on the right side and hold it in your right. Hand. Now take the long end on the left and wrap it around that loop.. I learned in a way that if you look at it from the side, I would create that counter-clockwise.. Once I have that loop, I would just pull it through and pull on the loop ends.. Now the pros of the basic knot. Are it's really quick and easy and you don't have to think about it. The cons are it comes undone frequently and as you walk and you pull on the leather, the knot aligns itself with the center axis of the shoe and just looks odd.. The latter issue can be fixed by simply tying that long left hand clockwise around the loop and pulling it through.. Now, if you pull on the edges and you walk, you can see the knot stays in a nice 90-degree angle to the long side of the shoe.. The problem this doesn't solve that it will still come undone when you walk a lot. So to solve that issue, most people resort to'', the tennis, knot'' or `` double knot''. Really. All you do here is to take the loop ends or the bunny ears and tie another knot on top of your existing basic knot.. The cons are, if you look at it, you have this really bulky knot, and if you want to untie it, you have to fiddle with it and it's just not a smooth, elegant knot. That'S appropriate for a dress shoe.. So a better knot for dress shoes is the so-called'' Parisian knot''. It begins with creating a half knot, and if you want extra tightness, you can loop it around once more., Then you start like you do with a basic knot.. You create a loop on the right and wrap the left end around not once but twice. After I create the first loop. I hold the shoelace between the index finger and thumb of my right hand, so I can more easily create that second loop.. When I'm done with the second loop. I let go with my fingers and pull the final end through both.. Now I gently adjust the knot by pulling on the loose ends or in the loops at the same time.. Now this is a pretty stable knot and if I pull on the side and walk you can see it stays in the right angle. To untie it. You simply put on the long ends at the same time.. Remember when you wrap around the loose end, clockwise or counterclockwise will have an effect on how the knot will align once you start walking. For the best look, you want to wrap it around clockwise when looking at it from the left. Side. Also keep in mind where you should loop, clockwise or counterclockwise depends on how you orient your original half foot at the beginning, left over right or right over left.. You should experiment to see what feels more natural to you and adjust your tying accordingly. Remember to test by pulling on the body of the shoe to see where the knot sits at the proper 90-degree angle to the long axis or if it shifts improperly. Practice, makes Perfect. And now the pros are it's almost as quick as the basic knot: it's just one more loop and it hardly ever comes done., But if you look at it closely, it's also not the most attractive knot.. Likewise, if you're all about the details, you will sometimes notice that the knot is not dead center and especially on a pair of oxfords. It may look off slightly.. The problem is, you can't adjust it once it's tight., So you have to untie it and redo it to get it dead center.. This is where the so-called `` Berluti knot'' comes in, which is named after Olga Berluti and Berluti is a famous shoe brand known for their patinas.. The pros of the Berluti knot is it's really tight, it's centered. It lasts all day and it looks very elegant.. The cons are, it's a bit more unusual to tie and it needs a bit of practice and maybe a bit more time, especially when you're just learning the knot. Trust me, though, once you've done it a few times. It becomes second nature and you won't think about it. Anymore., You start just like with a basic knot: by creating a half, knot. Now form a loop or a bunny ear on both sides., And it may be a bit awkward at the beginning, with your non-dominant hand, but you'll get there.. I suggest you start with your non-dominant hand, so your dominant hand can assist and then you do it with your dominant hand.. If you're having troubles you can use your thumb and your middle finger and then just make the loop larger. With your index finger. Now you're holding your left loop between your left thumb and index finger and your right loop between your right thumb and right index finger.. The next step is really important. Put the right loop on top of the left, loop., Not the other way. Around. You want to right over left, not left or right. I'll, explain why later., Where the two loop ends cross. I typically pinch it now, together with my left, thumb and index finger.. If you look at it from your perspective or from the top, you will see something like an x with the two loops on top and the two loose ends at the bottom., While holding everything in place. With your left hand, take what you see on the right. The loop and the short end pull it towards you or up and push them both together through the hole or downwards or away from you.. This is a tricky step, especially if your hole is quite small., But you can pull it through. I'll explain later what you can do if you have difficulties with this step. Now I switch hands. So I use my right thumb and index finger to hold that whole thing in place, and now I take my left hand combine the left, loop and the left long end and push it downwards or away from me, and then I wrap it around. So both of those ends come through the hole, I've created., So I push them through upwards or towards me.. What you have now looks a bit like a rope., Now only hold the loops, not the long ends and pull at the same time, with the right hand, to the right and, with the left hand, to the left.. If you also happen to pull on the long ends at the same time, nothing will happen and it just won't move.. Now you can see a beautiful knot will form, and it is very, very tight.. You can still adjust it, though, by pulling on the loop ends and the long ends at the same time.. In my mind, this knot is nicer looking and it really doesn't come undone unless you want it. To. Now remember in the beginning, I said not to put the left loop over the right.. Why not? Well, let's do it. If I put the left loop over the right and then bring the ends through this time. The opposite way and I tighten it. The knot looks the same., But, as you walk all day and I demonstrated by just pulling on the leather in this direction, you can see the knot aligns itself in the axis of the shoe and is not at the 90-degree angle, to the long axis.. On the flip side, if you do it the way I showed you to do it, the knot stays in place all day long always at the same nice 90 degree angle to the long axis of the shoe. To untie the Berluti knot. You simply pull on the long ends at the same time., As I said before, the trickiest part is putting things through the hole.. If you find that difficult, I suggest to make smaller loops further up, so you create a much bigger hole. Again right loop over left. Pull through on the right. Pull through on the left. And now pull on the loop ends or the bunny ears and tie the Knot. Voila The perfect Berluti knot.. Now that you know everything you need to know about, dress, shoe laces and how to tie them. You may want to check out this video about how to combine shoes, socks and dress pants for the perfect look.. Now, if you need quality, shoelaces and boot, laces check out the selection of Fort Belvedere in our shop., We designed them specifically for men's dress. Shoes., We chose a high-quality, long-staple cotton.. We waxed them in exactly the right way, so they should last you for years to come.. We also offer a happiness, guarantee, have easy returns and offer free shipping. If you hit the threshold of $ 75 within the Continental US or $ 325 internationally. In today's video. I'M wearing a nice brown and oatmeal Harris tweed jacket, which is single-breasted and has side vents that I bought at Golden Pearl Vintage Store in Minneapolis.. Unlike most vintage stores, everything they carried was just in pristine condition.. I built the outfit around an unusual gray shirt by Eton.. Typically, I choose shirts that are lighter in color than my tie., But today I want to try something different.. So I chose this wool challis tie from Fort Belvedere, which is really nice and soft. With printed orange, polka dots on a burgundy base., Otherwise I wanted to keep things in a gray and brown range, so I chose a sweater vest from Ralph Lauren in cotton.. By the way. If you want to learn more about how to combine gray and brown, we got a video for you.. The pocket square has tones of orange burgundy, green and blue and picks up the tones of the tie.. It is from Fort Belvedere.. It'S a nice scarab pattern and you can find it in our shop here.. Just like the tie.. The pants are from Polo Ralph Lauren.. They have a small herringbone pattern, which is distinctly smaller in scale than that of the jacket, which is why it works together. From afar. You would have mistaken it for a solid pair of pantsis. My shoes are caramel brown, Oxford suede from the Italian brand Velasca. To tie it all together. I chose a pair of shadow stripe cotton socks from Fort Belvedere in a dark brown and beige. So they pick up the browns and the beiges of the rest of the outfit., But from afar it also looks like a gray., So it just plays with that color palette.. Last but not least, I'm wearing a tiger's eye ring in golden brown, which picks up the warm tones and brown tones in the outfit.. The shoelaces on these shoes are stock from Velasca.. I may exchange them with the ones from Fort Belvedere., Since there's no v visible. I could use both bar lacing methods., But I'd probably choose the cross bar lacing, because this gives me more leverage and the most beautiful knot. We'D have is the Berluti knot or the basic knot.. But since I'm not walking around a lot here, the basic knot will do. [ The Gentleman's Gazette theme song plays ]