At first glance it can be surprising that such an essential aspect as how we lace and tie our shoes is often given so little consideration. People tend to do what they have always done or whatever their parents thought best when selecting shoes out of the box, often this can be disastrously wrong. While this topic can be subjective at times, I will share what I consider the optimal way for lacing somewhat formal shoes as well as objective best methods of knot tying across all footwear styles for both function and appearance purposes.
Beginning with lacing, we employ the standard five-eyelet low shoe make-up. However, my personal favorite lacing style is known as Boston two-step lacing: whereby one pair of eyelets per side is simply left unlatched. This lacing style not only creates the classic horizontal lines, but it also provides even strain across the laced area, “locks in place” so the lacing won’t slide up, and is easy to tighten and loosen. Compare this approach with “the shoe store lacing”, in which one side is pulled back and forth upwards while the other end goes directly from bottom to top, creating uneven tension across its entirety, with length differences making tightening impossible.
Unfortunately, many people use the latter approach because that is how their shoes often come laced when purchased, without considering if this is actually the most efficient method for them. Boston two-step lacing may look slightly messier compared to shoe store lacing, especially if it is applied to derbies or oxfords with wider spacing. But in my eyes, its benefits far outweigh its drawbacks.
When it comes to knotting, the most effective method for creating a bow is making a loop with one lace end and clockwise pulling on another end, creating both an ugly and impractical knot which twists vertically while remaining easily removable. If you do the opposite and take one lace end counterclockwise around the loop, you get an evenly horisontal bow that is also stronger because when stressed it tightens instead of loosening as with its counterpart. As demonstrated in the video below, this knot may come as something of a shock. I personally prefer classic, clean and discrete bows like this over those like Berluti knot or similar variants.
Now here is the video which shows both how the lacing and bow is completed:
These things may come as no surprise to some, however, my experience shows that many don’t use these strategies out of either laziness or lack of knowledge. Let’s change that.