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How To Bar Lace Your Dress Shoes

boots with straight / bar laces

6 Easy Steps for Straight Bar Lacing

If you’re going for a formal look on your dress shoes, you should use the straight bar lacing method. Straight lacing creates a cleaner, tidier look than the usual method of criss-cross lacing.

Bar lacing works best with oxford style dress shoes that have an even number of eyelets, like these Allen Edmonds Park Aves, which have six on each side.

how to bar lace dress shoes for men

Bar Lacing Instructions

Uuse the image above and the process is quite simple. Work from the underside of the eyelets and never cross diagonally to the opposite side. This is a very easy method for lacing formal or semi-formal dress shoes.

1. Create the first bar at the bottom eyelets

Starting at the bottom, thread the lace through the eyelets, entering in through the top to create the first bar. Make each side of lace is the same length.

2. From below, lace up one eyelet.

Thread one lace up through the bottom of the next eyelet on the same side, so it comes out the top.

3. Cross over horizontally to create the second bar.

Go across horizontally, and thread downward through the top of the eyelet on the opposite side.

4. Skip a set of eyelets and thread the next

On the same side, skip an eyelet and thread the lace through the bottom of the eyelet after the next one. Then cross over the top again.

5. Repeat

Repeat with the other lace until you reach the top. 

Don’t even think about crossing over in a diagonal line.

6. Lace up the top

Depending on the number of eyelets, you can finish at the top with another bar (as shown) or thread each side through the bottom and tie. 

Pull the laces toward the toe before tying.

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