Decorative lacing
Pretty Bow Lacing: Step by Step Tutorial for Pretty Bow Lacing
Soft, playful and beautifully decorative.
Pretty Bow Lacing turns an ordinary pair of trainers into something rather special by creating a row of delicate bows running straight up the centre of the shoe.
And the best bit? If you can tie your shoelaces, you already know how to do it.
This is pure decoration rather than a performance lacing method and that's exactly why we love it.
Difficulty
β
β
β
Easy
Time
5β10 mins
Best for
Low-profile trainers and decorative styling
Lace length
120β140cm per lace
Choose a soft tonal lace for a subtle look or a contrasting colour to make every little bow stand out. Pretty Bow Lacing works particularly beautifully on low-profile trainers, where the bows can become the star of the show.
Watch the video tutorial
Overview
Follow along as Lindsay, Chief Laceologist at Love Your Laces, shows you how to create this wonderfully decorative lacing style from start to finish.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Time required: 5β10 mins
- Best for: Low-profile trainers and decorative styling
- Lace length: 120β140cm per lace
The Story Behind This Style
Some lacing styles are designed for speed. Others provide additional support or change the pressure across your foot.
Pretty Bow Lacing is here simply because shoes are allowed to be pretty.
Rather than hiding the bow at the top of the shoe, this style takes one of the most familiar parts of tying our shoes and repeats it all the way down.
The result is soft, playful and wonderfully unexpected.
And because the bows themselves become the decoration, changing your shoelace colour can completely transform the effect. Pale pink can feel romantic, a bright contrasting colour makes a statement, while two-tone or patterned laces could make every bow look different again.
Sometimes lacing doesn't need to solve a problem.
Sometimes it can just make you smile.
LOVE THIS LOOK?
Get the Pretty Bow Look
Love the look? Recreate our Pretty Bow style with the exact laces featured in the tutorial.
USED IN THIS TUTORIAL
Baby Pink Shoelaces
Β£6.00
Our Baby Pink Flat Shoelaces really make those little bows stand out against a classic white trainer - exactly as you see in the Pretty Bow tutorial.
Mix & match any 2 pairs for Β£10.
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow each step to create this lace pattern.
1
Step One: Start at the bottom
Thread the shoelace up through the two bottom eyelets from inside to outside, so both ends emerge on top of the shoe. Adjust the lace until both ends are the same length.
2
Step Two: Tie your shoelace
Bring the two lace ends together in the centre, cross over and pull and tie the first - exactly as you would when tying your shoes.
3
Step Three: Take the tails upwards
Tie your first little bow so that it sits neatly in the centre. Adjust the size of the bow. Take the two tails hanging from your bow and feed each one straight up through the next eyelet on its own side.
4
Step Four: Bring the laces back to the middle
Bring both lace ends towards the centre of the shoe again. You're now ready to create your next bow.
5
Step Five: Tie your second bow
Tie another normal bow in the centre. Try to make the loops roughly the same size as your first bow so the pattern remains neat and balanced.
6
Step Six: Continue Upwords
Feed the two tails straight up through the next pair of eyelets, just as you did before. Bring them back towards the centre ready for the next bow.
7
Step Seven: Repeat the pattern
Continue repeating the sequence: Tie a bow β take the tails up the sides β bring them to the middle β tie another bow. Work your way towards the top of the shoe, adjusting each bow as you go.
8
Step Eight: Finish your Pretty Bow Lacing
Tie your final bow and gently adjust all the loops so they sit evenly down the centre of the shoe. Gorgeous!
The History of This Style
Long before bows appeared on our shoes, they were being used to decorate clothing.
Ribbons, knots and bows have appeared in fashion for centuries, moving from practical ways of fastening clothing to elaborate decorative features in their own right.
By the 17th and 18th centuries, ribbons and bows could be found decorating everything from dresses and sleeves to shoes and elaborate hairstyles. Their size, colour and placement changed with fashion, but the bow itself endured.
Centuries later, it remains one of fashion's most instantly recognisable decorative shapes, appearing on clothing, jewellery, handbags and, of course, footwear.
Pretty Bow Lacing takes that centuries-old decorative idea and gives it a wonderfully simple modern twist:
one shoelace, one pair of trainers and a whole row of little bows.
πππ
Did You Know?
Your ordinary shoelace bow is actually the star of this pattern.
Pretty Bow Lacing doesn't require a special knot or complicated weaving technique. Every decorative bow running up the shoe is created using the same basic bow most of us learned when we first learned to tie our shoes.
Shop Laces That Work Beautifully
Choose a lace colour and style that helps this pattern look its best.
Laceologist's Style Tip
This is the time to have fun with colour.
Pretty Bow Lacing really comes alive when the shoelace contrasts with the shoe.
Our pale pink lace against the white trainer is a perfect example - every loop and bow can be seen clearly without overwhelming the shoe.
I'd particularly try this style with pastel pink, baby blue, lilac or even a beautiful ribbon-style lace.
And because it works so well on low-profile trainers, this could be a gorgeous way of giving a simple pair of white trainers an entirely different personality.
Lindsay, Chief Laceologist
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to some of the most common questions about this lacing style.
Is Pretty Bow Lacing difficult?
Not at all. If you can tie a normal shoelace bow, you already know the main technique.
Is Pretty Bow Lacing suitable for everyday wear?
It's primarily a decorative style. Because it uses several bows rather than a conventional tensioned lacing pattern, we'd choose it for appearance rather than maximum support or security.
Which shoes work best for Pretty Bow Lacing?
Low-profile trainers work particularly well because there's plenty of room for the bows to become part of the design.
How many bows should I make?
It depends on the number of eyelets and the proportions of your shoe. Three or four bows can work beautifully on a low trainer.
Which shoelaces look best?
A lace that contrasts with your shoe will emphasise every bow. Softer and pastel colours give the pattern a particularly pretty appearance.
Can I make the bows smaller?
Yes. Adjust the size of the loops as you tie each bow. Keeping them reasonably consistent will give you the neatest finished pattern.
Happy Lacing!
Pretty Bow Lacing might not be the most practical style in the Lace Library - but it could very well be one of the prettiest.
It's simple, playful and proof that even the humble shoelace bow can become a design feature when you repeat it in an unexpected way.
Choose a colour you love, make those bows your own and give your trainers something worth looking at.
I'm Lindsay, Chief Laceologist at Love Your Laces.
Until next time... Happy Lacing!