Classic lacing
Straight Bar Lacing: How to Lace Shoes with Straight Bars
Clean, smart and beautifully simple.
Straight Bar Lacing replaces the traditional criss-cross pattern with a series of neat horizontal bars across the front of the shoe.
Most of the working lace stays hidden underneath, giving the finished shoe a wonderfully clean and uncluttered look.
Difficulty
★
★
★
Easy
Time
2–5 mins
Best for
Trainers, casual shoes, high-top shoes & skate shoes
Lace length
120–140cm per lace
It’s a great choice when you want a smarter finish or when you have a fabulous pair of colourful shoelaces that deserve to be the star of the show.
Watch the video tutorial
Overview
Follow the step-by-step guide below, or watch Lindsay, our Chief Laceologist, show you how it’s done.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Time required: 2–5 mins
- Best for: Trainers, casual shoes, high-top shoes & skate shoes
- Lace length: 120–140cm per lace
The Story Behind This Style
Where traditional criss-cross lacing makes the shoelace pattern part of the design, Straight Bar does almost the opposite. It hides much of the working lace away and leaves a series of simple horizontal lines across the shoe.
The result feels tidy, deliberate and surprisingly different.
It’s also a lovely example of what the Lace Library is all about: you don’t need a new pair of shoes to create a completely different look. Sometimes you just need to lace them differently.
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow each step to create this lace pattern.
1
Step One: Create the First Bar
Thread both lace ends down through the bottom eyelets from the outside, creating a straight horizontal bar across the shoe. Adjust them until they are an even length.
2
Step Two: Bring the Left Lace Up
Take the left-hand lace underneath the eyelet row and bring it up through the next eyelet on the same side. Take the lace straight across the shoe and feed it down through the opposite eyelet. You now have your second straight bar.
3
Step Three: Take the Right Lace Up
Take the right-hand lace underneath the eyelet row and bring it up two eyelets, skipping the eyelet already used by the other lace.
4
Step Four: Continue the Pattern
Take the lace straight across and down through the opposite eyelet.
5
Step Five: Alternate
Continue alternating the two lace ends, moving vertically on the inside and horizontally across the front.
6
Step Six: Finish at the Top
Continue the same pattern until you reach the final eyelets. Gently adjust each bar as you go so the laces remain straight and evenly spaced.
7
Step Seven: Tie a Knot
For the maximum visual effect, do not tie a bow at the top. Instead knot your laces and tuck them inside your shoe.
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Step Eight: Straight Bar Lacing Complete
Give the bars one final adjustment, tie your laces as normal and you’re finished - a beautifully clean Straight Bar finish.
The History of This Style
Straight or horizontal lacing techniques have long been used as alternatives to traditional criss-cross lacing, particularly where a neat, uniform appearance is desirable.
Today, Straight Bar Lacing is popular as much for its appearance as its practicality. By hiding most of the vertical sections of lace underneath, it creates the distinctive series of horizontal bars that gives the method its name.
Did You Know?
Straight Bar Lacing looks simple from the outside, but most of the pattern is actually being created underneath the eyelet rows.
That hidden structure is what allows the visible sections to form such clean horizontal lines.
Shop Laces That Work Beautifully
Choose a lace colour and style that helps this pattern look its best.
Laceologist's Style Tip
Straight Bar Lacing is brilliant with bold or patterned shoelaces.
Because the visible sections are so clean and uncluttered, each horizontal bar becomes a little flash of colour or pattern. Try contrasting laces against a plain trainer for maximum impact.
Lindsay, Chief Laceologist
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to some of the most common questions about this lacing style.
Is Straight Bar Lacing difficult?
No. Once you understand that the laces travel vertically underneath the eyelet row and horizontally across the front, the pattern is straightforward to repeat.
Does Straight Bar Lacing work with colourful laces?
Absolutely. In fact, it’s one of our favourite ways to show them off because the clean horizontal bars make colour and pattern particularly noticeable.
Do the laces cross over each other?
Not visibly across the front of the shoe. Most of the working sections remain hidden underneath, which creates the clean Straight Bar appearance.
Can I use Straight Bar Lacing on trainers?
Yes. It works particularly well on trainers and other shoes with two fairly regular rows of eyelets.
Should I tighten each bar as I go?
Yes, but don't pull them excessively tight. Adjust each bar so it lies flat and even before moving on to the next one.
Happy Lacing!
And there you have it - Straight Bar Lacing.
A simple change that gives your shoes a beautifully clean, smart finish.
Explore the Lace Library for more step-by-step lacing tutorials, ideas and inspiration.
One pair of shoes. So many possibilities.
I'm Lindsay, Chief Laceologist at Love Your Laces.
Until next time... Happy Lacing!