How To Change The Look Of Your Shoes With Shoelaces

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Find out how simple shoelaces can transform your look from boring to stunning! Learn how you can use them to change the look of your shoes, as well as your outfits.

Sooner or later, we all feel like it’s time to mix up our shoe game and usually, that means investing in a new pair of shoes. Unfortunately, quality shoes are quite expensive, however, if you watch our $100 vs. $500 pair shoes, you notice that the cost per wear is less expensive for a quality pair, which is why I always urge people to invest in quality if they can. If they don’t have enough money to invest in another pair of shoes, the easiest way to change the look and appearance of your shoe and your entire outfit is by switching out the shoelaces.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Shoelaces

  • The advantages are, one it’s very inexpensive, you can get round laces, or flat laces, boot laces, or colored laces, starting at $9.00 in my shop and they only get less expensive the more you buy.
  • Two, shoelaces are reversible, meaning you can put them in one pair of shoes and if you don’t like it anymore, you just put the old ones back in, or you put them in a different pair of shoes. That way, if you get a set of 15 shoelaces in all kinds of different colors, it gives you not just 50 new outfit ideas, but you can multiply it with all the shoes you have in your wardrobe.
  • The ONLY disadvantage is that it takes minutes to exchange your shoelaces, but once you get the hang of it, it’s quite easy, and you can do it in no time.

How Can Shoelaces Transform Your Look?

Basically, it boils down to contrast. Contrasting shoelaces highlight the lacing systems, and since they don’t match the leather, they really stand out, and the look appears to be entirely different. Now, if a pop of color is too much for you, I suggest changing the shape. Let’s say you have a black pair of shoes with black-brown shoelaces, to change the look, simply add flat black shoelaces and you can really see the difference. The same is, of course, true for brown shoes or any other kind of shoe. Now, of course, if you just exchange a shape that’s quite easy, if you go with a different color, it’s easy to go over the top.

How To Select The Right Shoelace For Your Shoes?

Ideally, you want to match the color of your shoelaces to a different color in your outfit, that way, you pick up that color, and the entire look is more harmonious, and it looks like it’s well put together. For example, you can match the shoelace color to something in your socks, if you wear colored socks. You can also combine it with a color in your pocket square, or your tie, and your bow tie, maybe your cufflinks.

At the end of the day, just pick a color that really works well with the shoelaces. It doesn’t have to be a hundred percent exact match, but it should be in the same realm. That can be easier said than done and not all colors of shoelaces work with all colors of shoes, so let’s look at some basics here.

Black round and flat shoelaces by Fort Belvedere
Black round and flat shoelaces by Fort Belvedere

Let’s say you have a black pair of shoes. I said before, if you have the black round shoelaces, upgrade to flat black ones and it is still very office appropriate and very formal. If you want to change it up a little bit and let’s say your shirt has a blue stripe, you can add a blue pair of shoelaces which really looks entirely different, doesn’t it? A blue shoelace is very easy to combine because blue is very dominant in men’s wear.

White round and flat Shoelaces by Fort Belvedere
White round and flat Shoelaces by Fort Belvedere

Now, most people wear white shirts. So you could think about getting a white or off-white pair of shoelaces on a black shoe. Now, that’s a very stark contrast, and if you go for a very black and white outfit that may work, otherwise, I think it’s a little over the top.

Black Captoe Oxford with dark gray and black dress shoelaces by Fort Belvedere
Black Captoe Oxford with dark gray and black dress shoelaces by Fort Belvedere

On the other hand, black with a gray pair of shoelaces looks very dapper because it’s just a slight contrast but it’s different enough to notice the shoelace and your lacing system and to provide a different look without being overly loud. If you like little louder, go with a red pair of shoelaces because black and red have historically been a good combination, for that reason, we have our wallet in black and red or a business card holder in red and black.

Classic Patent Leather Oxford without captoe and wide evening shoelaces by Fort Belvedere
Classic Patent Leather Oxford without captoe and wide evening shoelaces by Fort Belvedere

When it comes to evening wear, black shoes are a must-have. However, I suggest not to go with different colored shoelaces, go with distinct evening shoelaces. Back in the day, men matched the shoelaces they had to their bow ties and the materials, and it’s actually quite dapper, and you can even go with a wider band because the bow tie is wider and so if the bow on your shoe is wider, it just is very harmonious and unique.

Let’s say you have a black satin bow tie, go with satin shoelaces. If you have a velvet bow tie, go with velvet shoelaces, or grosgrain on grosgrain. You get how it works.

Check out our Black Tie Shoelaces!

Now let’s look at brown shoes. The advantage of Brown is that it comes in thousands of different shades, so no Brown is exactly alike another. For shoelaces, that means it’s even easier to combine and even gives you a greater option to create different outfits.

For example, I like the combination of dark brown suede with a dark green shoelace, again it’s not a stark contrast, it’s a light contrast but it’s very sophisticated and it works really well for fall/winter outfits, If you combine any form of green into your outfit.

Brown shoes also work well with red shoelaces simply because brown has elements of red in it and so it’s already harmonious and everything looks tied together even though there’s a contrast. If you want to go bolder, you can look into maybe an orange pair of shoelaces or a yellow pair of shoelaces; brown with off-white can look quite nice and I like it a lot more than with black shoes; you can also try to have dark brown shoes with light brown shoelaces or the other way around.

Red flat and round shoelaces by Fort Belvedere
Red flat and round shoelaces by Fort Belvedere

Again very subtle contrast but different enough to make it unique. The same is true for cordovan or burgundy colors; I like to combine an off-white pair of shoelaces with a cordovan pair of Burgundy boots because it’s just different and it’s not something you usually see on the street. I could go on for hours discussing all the different shoe laces with all the different shoe colors, but I think you get the gist.

Color Swatches of Flat Waxed Cotton - Luxury Dress Shoe Laces by Fort Belvedere - Made In Italy
15 Color Swatches of Flat Waxed Cotton – Luxury Dress Shoe Laces by Fort Belvedere – Made In Italy

Make sure there were some form of contrast and tied into a color that already exists in the rest of your outfit. Because of that, you should always choose the shoelaces last and not first.

What Kind Of Shoelaces Should You Get?

If you wear any kinds of leather shoes or dress shoes, don’t go with thick nylon shoelaces you can find on Amazon and all over the place. Instead, invest in waxed cotton laces that are either round, which is classic or flat. In our shop, we offer round and flat shoelaces in a length of 80 centimeters or 31 and a half inches and it should work for all four eyelets or five eyelets shoe. If you have boots, anything other than a chukka boot with more eyelets, I suggest you go with our boot shoelaces, not only are they thicker, but they’re also longer, about forty-seven and a quarter inches and 120 centimeters to be exact.

Fort Belvedere Shoelaces To Add To Your Collection

CONCLUSION

Now that you know how to combine shoelaces with shoes, happy shopping and please send some pictures of your combinations to [email protected].

Reader Comments

  1. Great video! I tend to change up my laces for celebratory occasions, and for that reason I do go a bit over the top. But I found that a navy set of laces on my burgundy wingtip oxfords is a very understated and versatile combination and it has become my standard configuration no. BTW your outfit in the video is really a masterpiece. At a glance it is a basic business casual ensemble but every piece contributes beautifully and is very thoughtful.

  2. I would recommend expanding on this post to talk about what shoe color + lace color + outfit pairing tends to work well and which ones to avoid. I am sometime hesitant to change my lace color because I am not confident that the new color will work with the rest of my wardrobe. In the morning I do not have time to change my laces which means I usually make these changes on the weekend. Therefore, knowing ahead of time that most of my wardrobe will work with my shoe + lace color pairing would ease my mind from accidentally making a pho-pa.

  3. This idea has helped me completely reinvigorate my shoe collection and receive compliments daily. Some combinations include: dark blue suede plain toe derby’s with red rubber sole and round red laces; tan Grenson derby brogues with flat forest green laces; mid-brown dressier oxford brogues with round royal blue laces; and recently ordered orange boot laces from Fort Belvedere for a new pair of brown suede Grenson work boots. I’ve also ordered flatter waxed cotton laces for my non-athletic leather sneakers (burgundy with gray suede, navy blue with mid-brown). Possibilities are endless. Thanks Sven for this video and inspiration.

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