How to Tie Vans Shoes: 4 Lacing Styles to Try

Sticky soles, rugged styles and incredible comfort are three attributes that have made Vans sneakers a cultural phenomenon for several generations. While the sneakers tend to be synonymous with both skaters and snowboarders, anyone of any age can rock a pair of Vans, whether it’s the classic checkerboard slip-ons, a pair of Old Skools or a colorful Sk8-Hi Platform.

Whether you’re sporting a pair of men’s, women’s or kids’ Vans, when it comes to Vans lacing styles, you can play it straight or go “off the wall.” Here’s how to lace up Vans in a variety of ways:

The Tuck-In Technique

Don’t want the distraction of laces while you’re perfecting your half-pipe? If you’re sporting a pair of black Vans Sk8-Lows, simply tighten the lacing system and neatly tuck the ends into your shoes. Voila!

Play It Straight with a Bar-Lace Technique

Want to keep those Teal Vans Old Skools looking fresh to death? If you want a good grip and a snug fit, go with a straight- or bar-lace technique. Here’s how:

1. Take the right end of the lace and thread it down through the bottom-right eyelet. Do the same on the bottom left with the left side of the lace.
2. Now take the left lace and run it underneath the second eyelet on the left side, feeding it up through the hole.
3. On the right side, take the right lace and feed it through the third bottom-right eyelet from the underside, keeping the second right eyelet free of any shoelace.
4. Take your left lace and put it in the second right eyelet, so both ends of the lace are on the sneaker’s right side.
5. Hold the right shoelace and move it over to the left side, feeding it down through the third eyelet on the bottom left.
6. Repeat this process on the opposite side.

Zzzzzip It Up with the Zipper Lace 

Think of the zipper lace as a combo of straight and crisscross lacing. Try this Vans lacing style on a pair of Old Skool Stackforms.

1. Take one end of the shoelace and tie it in a knot that’s big enough so it won’t pull through an eyelet.
2. Weave the unknotted end up through the bottom of the bottom-right eyelet.
3. Take the unknotted end and cross the shoe’s throat, threading the shoelace down through the bottom-left eyelet.
4. Move that same lace under and across the shoe, feeding it up through the second bottom-right eyelet.
5. Repeat.

Crisscross with a Cross-Lace Style

Looking for a more classic lacing pattern to match your Vans Sk8-Hi? Go with a cross-lace style, which is how your Vans come fresh out of the box.

1. Create a bar at the bottom of the lacing system by running the left end of the lace into the left eyelet and the right side into the bottom right eyelet.
2. Take the right lace and thread it through the next left eyelet by going down through the hole. Repeat on the left side.
3. Continue crisscrossing the shoelaces through the eyelets, forming Xs as you go.

Love these Vans lace styles and want to learn more techniques? Check out our other lacing how-to pieces below:

• How to Lace Air Force Ones 3 Ways
• How to Lace Jordan 1s
• 6 Lacing Techniques to Give Your Shoe the Best Fit