How to Lace Dress Shoes

Using Straight Bar Lacing

Feed the right lace under the bottom eyehole. The eyeholes refer to the holes in the shoes that the laces are fed through. Take the right end of the lace and feed it through the bottommost eyehole on the right, feeding the lace in the direction of the opposite eyehole on the left. Make sure the lace goes over the flaps of the shoes and not under. When you lace your shoes this way, the laces should go down into the eyehole, rather than starting underneath and coming up.

Loop the left lace over the opposite eyehole. Repeat the same process with the left corner of the lace. Feed the lace through the bottommost eyehole on the left, pulling it in the direction of the opposite eyehole. Make sure to loop the lace over the flap and not under it.

Feed the right lace through the second eyehole up. The tip of the right lace should be under the flap of your shoe. Feed the right lace through the bottom of the second eyehole on the right. Pull the lace through so there's a tight line of lace running from the bottom eyehole to second eyehole up under the right flap of your shoe.

Pass the right lace to the opposite eyehole on the left. Your right lace should be on top of the flap of the shoe, coming out of the second highest eyehole. Pass the right lace to the left flap of the shoe. Feed it through the top of the second eyehole, lacing it over the shoe, on the left. Pull the lace until there's a snug line of lace connecting the second eyehole on the right with the second eyehole on the left.

Pull the left lace through the third eyehole on the left. The left lace should still be pulled under the first eyehole. Passing the left lace under the flap of the shoe, feed it through the bottom of the third eyehole up. Tug on the lace until there's a tight line under the left flap of the shoe running from the first to third eyehole.

Feed the left lace through the third eyehole on the right. Pass the left lace to the right shoe. Feed it through the top of the third eyehole on the right. Pull the lace to form a tight line of lace running from the third eyehole on the right to the third eyehole on the left.

Repeat with the process with the right lace. You have now established the pattern you'll continue as you lace your shoes. Feed the lace on the right through the fourth eyehole up. Pull the lace tightly and then pass it to the left. Feed it through the top of the fourth eyehole on the left.

Continue the pattern until the shoe is laced. Go back and forth with this pattern, moving from the left to the right laces. Move the lace up one eyehole and then transfer the lace to the opposite flap to feed it through the top of the opposite eyehole. Stop once you reach the top eyehole.

Tuck the laces into your shoes. It is not necessary to tie dress shoes. In fact, etiquette dictates that you instead tuck your laces into the tops of your shoes once you've finished lacing them.

Cross Lacing Dress Shoes

Loop the laces through the bottom eyeholes. Feed one end of the lace through the top of the bottommost eyehole one one side of the shoe's flaps. Pass the lace under to the tongue of the shoe to the opposite eyehole. Push the lace through the bottom of the opposite eyehole. Pull the lace upward to form a loop running from one eyehole to the other. Pull until the length of the laces on the left and right are about the same.

Pull the right lace through the second eye hole on the left. Once your laces are looped, start on the right. Pass the right end of the lace to the left. Feed it through the top of the second highest eyehole on the left and pull until the lace is snug.

Pull the left lace through the second eye hole on the right. From here, you essentially do the same thing on the left. Pass the left lace to the second highest eyehole on the right. Feed it through the top of the eyehole on the right and pull it snug. This should create a criss-cross pattern on your shoes.

Re-feed the right lace through the bottom eye hole. Take the left side of the lace. Move it down to the bottom eyehole. Re-feed the lace through the bottom of the bottommost eyehole on the right and pull it up snugly.

Re-feed the left lace through the bottom eye hole. Repeat the process with the left lace. Move it downward to re-feed through the bottom of the bottommost eyehole on the left.

Re-feed the right lace through the second eye hole. Take the lace on the right. Push the tip through the top of the second highest eyehole, re-feeding the lace through this hole. Pull the lace until it's snug.

Re-freed the left lace through the second eye hole. Repeat the same process on the left. Push the tip of the left lace through the top of the second highest eyehole on the left and then pull the lace until it's snug. This will create an hourglass-like shape running across the tongue of your shoe.

Repeat this pattern with the third and fourth eyeholes. Repeat the pattern you made with the first two eyeholes with both the third and forth eyeholes on the right and left. Remember, the process is as follows: Pass the right lace through the bottom of the third eyehole on the right. Pull it snugly and pass the lace to the left eyehole. Feed it under the fourth eyehole on the left. Repeat with the left lace. Re-feed the lace on both sides through the third eyehole and then the forth eyehole, creating an hourglass shape.

Pass the laces through the top eyeholes. You should now have two hour glass shapes running across the tongue of your shoe. Feed the tips of either lace underneath the top eyehole and pull them snuggly.

Feed the top laces through the opposite holes. Pass the right lace to the left and re-feed it through the top of the topmost eyehole on the left. Pass the left lace to the right and re-feed it through the topmost eyehole on the right. Pull your laces snug and then tuck them into the flaps of the shoes.

Practicing Proper Etiquette

Opt for straight lacing with Oxfords. If you're wearing Oxfords, straight lacing is generally the preferred style. These are very formal shoes, and straight lacing is considered slightly more formal than cross lacing.

Use cross lacing for less formal shoes. If you enjoy cross lacing, it should only be used for slightly less formal dress shoes like desert boots. While you can certainly do a straight lace for less formal shoes, it's also safe to opt for a cross lace.

Use wax cotton. If you have to buy your own laces, wax cotton is the preferred lace for dress shoes. You can buy laces online or at a department or clothing store.

Do not use athletic lace. Never use athletic lace on dress shoes. It is not considered formal enough for dress shoes and should only be used on things like tennis shoes.