Skate Shoe Lacing Styles

Skate Shoe Lacing Styles
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The way that you lace up your skate shoes is a distinctive style statement. Skate shoes are sometimes worn for functionality for skating, but others choose to wear them as a fashion statement. No matter the reason that you choose to wear skate shoes, choose a skate shoe lacing style that keeps your kicks secure and matches your own style. Whether you prefer a hidden lace design or a more impressive lattice, your skate show lacing style keeps you looking like an original.

Hidden Knot

The hidden knot skate shoe lacing style keeps the tied knot of the shoe hidden from sight, leaving a smooth surface. One of the most common ways of lacing skate shoes, the hidden knot style uses thick laces. The shoe is laced straight across from eyelet to eyelet, and then tied behind the shoe tongue for a sleeker look. It is slightly uncomfortable at first, notes Ian's Shoelace Site, but has a distinctive skater look.

Double Lacing

Double lacing is most often done with two different colors of shoelaces for a more vibrant look. Girls often choose neon pink mixed with white or black, while guys prefer green and blue with white or black. The trick to double lacing is a basic criss-cross design. Using one color, criss-cross lace your shoes from the bottom up, skipping the top eyelets. Then, use the second color to lace from the top down, skipping the bottom eyelets. The result is a pattern of bright colors to lend personality to your skater shoes.

Ladder

A ladder pattern is a little more advanced but is a distinctive look for a skater who doesn't want to trip up on his too-long laces. Fed straight through the bottom eyelets, the lace continues up the shoe in a zig-zag pattern, leaving half of the eyelets unlaced, recommends "Sneaker Freaker" magazine. The other half of the lace goes through the missed eyelets in a ladder pattern. Tied at the top and then tucked under, it's a good way to keep your laces secure and out of the way.

Lattice

A lattice is an advanced skate shoe lacing style, and is a good option for events where your shoes should look a little more formal. Someone wearing her sneakers to a dance might choose a lattice design. The shoelace is threaded straight through the bottom, and pulled until there are equal amounts of lace on either side. The left side skips the two eyelets on the right side, and then is threaded in a diagonal pattern through the next three. The right side goes the same, except you'll need to weave the shoelace in and out of the already taut left side for a woven lattice pattern.

References

Article reviewed by David Lee Last updated on: May 4, 2011

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