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Shoe Laces

johnniegold

"Got Shoes?"
Why detract from the beautiful patina?

The way the shoes look with two-tone (almost 3-tone) appearance demonstrates an understanding of patina, an appreciation for fine footwear and most importantly, IMO, understated elegance.

The colored shoe laces detract from that (again, IMO). It screams of that “look at me” quality that fashion trends love but true timeless style abhors.

But in the end... to each his/her own.

(... go with the blue one, second one from the bottom.) :wink: :biggrin:
 
Why detract from the beautiful patina?

The way the shoes look with two-tone (almost 3-tone) appearance demonstrates an understanding of patina, an appreciation for fine footwear and most importantly, IMO, understated elegance.

The colored shoe laces detract from that (again, IMO). It screams of that “look at me” quality that fashion trends love but true timeless style abhors.

But in the end... to each his/her own.

(... go with the blue one, second one from the bottom.) :wink: :biggrin:

Something I didn't say before. Shoes are for my son. 18 year old college student majoring in Business. Giving him a classic but modern look with clothing + accessory items that will last. He can wear the shoes to work 10 years from now with dark brown laces. I'm thinking blue as well (his school color) but his choice.

Does that make a difference?

Also what about switching in the pink ones for Mother's day and Breast Cancer Awareness day? Green ones ones for St. Patrick's day? Red ones for Christmas?
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Something I didn't say before. Shoes are for my son. 18 year old college student majoring in Business. Giving him a classic but modern look with clothing + accessory items that will last. He can wear the shoes to work 10 years from now with dark brown laces. I'm thinking blue as well (his school color) but his choice.

Does that make a difference?

Also what about switching in the pink ones for Mother's day and Breast Cancer Awareness day? Green ones ones for St. Patrick's day? Red ones for Christmas?

If that helps him make the transition from Addidas to Alden, what’s not to like? “There’s a time and a place for everything, and it’s called college.”
 
Who would ever say anything negative about a loving parent undertaking this kind of informed effort for his son?

One caveat: In my experience, college students wear what they want to wear, often based on what they perceive their cohorts as wearing or finding appropriate for others to wear. I have virtually not advice for an 18 year old guy! I am sure your son will figure out whether he wants to wear colored shoe laces, or whether that would put him in danger of getting voted off the island! Part of a successful business career is figuring such things out.
 
I want to emphasize that my previous post is no dis against eelhc. I think doing this for a son is so kind as to make me a wee bit teary.

My previous post is more reflective of my own experience with my sons. Sometimes my help is well-received, and sometimes not. But that is just as it should be. It is developmentally appropriate for young men.
 
Since I got the traditionalists rolling their eyes with this:
Advanced Shoe Shining - Adding Patina

How about stirring the pot some more with this:
I like the lace colours, but not with those shoes.
Wat a minute ... the yellow ones could work. Or maybe the red pair.

Also what about switching in the pink ones for Mother's day and Breast Cancer Awareness day? Green ones ones for St. Patrick's day? Red ones for Christmas?
Absolutely.
I have a pair of black Rockport walking shoes that I regularly change the laces on.
April-May: hot green
June-July: red and white (as in half the length of each lace is red, other half is white)
Fall: fluorescent orange
November-December: red and hot green (same as for the red/white laces)
January-March: blue

To get two-tone laces I buy two pairs of sport laces, cut one from each in half (maybe shorter) and sew the contrasting colours together with a 1" overlap. I even get fancy by using a bobbin thread to match one lace half, top spool thread to match the other.

Two-tone laces get laced in a double helix or barber pole pattern, much like this:
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The trickiest part is making sure they are a mirror image of each other.

Single colour laces get a TrainTrack pattern, similar to these:
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I never have trouble picking my shoes from out of a pile at the door.
Also, I'm retired. I can wear anything I want.
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IMO, the dark green 3rd from the top could work. Partly depends on the rest of the outfit I think. I’d personally go with tan on a rather conservative Oxford especially with the patina going on as well. On a pair of snuff suede brogues, almost anything goes. I think Oxfords are a bit harder to jazz up effectively since they are by nature a rather formal style.
 

The Count of Merkur Cristo

B&B's Emperor of Emojis
eelhc:
I've always use the 'Criss-Cross' (military style...left over right), lacing method (shoes, boots ect...), and tie with a 'Granny Knot'. :thumbsup:

shoelaces-png.784968
"You know you're having a bad day...when your shoelaces conspire against you". CBJ
 
eelhc:
I've always use the 'Criss-Cross' (military style...left over right), lacing method (shoes, boots ect...), and tie with a 'Granny Knot'. :thumbsup:

shoelaces-png.784968
"You know you're having a bad day...when your shoelaces conspire against you". CBJ

I've started tying a Berluti knot a couple of years back and i'll never go back.
 
Who would ever say anything negative about a loving parent undertaking this kind of informed effort for his son?

One caveat: In my experience, college students wear what they want to wear, often based on what they perceive their cohorts as wearing or finding appropriate for others to wear. I have virtually not advice for an 18 year old guy! I am sure your son will figure out whether he wants to wear colored shoe laces, or whether that would put him in danger of getting voted off the island! Part of a successful business career is figuring such things out.

+1

Will say that I don't see college students wearing a shoe this fancy to class. There may come a day where he'll have to wear something dressy along with a suit, maybe as something like internship. But going to class? Have my doubts.

If he'll be wearing them in a business setting, drab, old-fashioned, black or brown would likely be a better choice.
 
I wear colored laces, but not in my dress shoes anymore. When I wore nothing but black Allen Edmonds, I wore either purple or blue shoelaces. Now my new black pair are monk straps (so no need for laces) and my brown ones are a two-tone similar to the shoes in the picture, where I just wear the standard brown laces in them.

My casual shoes, however, I have three pairs of suede shoes with tan stitching on the welt. The taupe suede have blue laces, the blue suede has tan laces, and my dark brown suede has burgundy laces in them.
 
I've started tying a Berluti knot a couple of years back and i'll never go back.

I tried that. I am not sure I ever got it right. Seemed to take me a long time every time to tie it. Can you tie it as quickly as a regular shoe lace knot?

I should review the technique and post a photo for you and others to critique my results. I was never sure I had it exactly correct!
 
I tried that. I am not sure I ever got it right. Seemed to take me a long time every time to tie it. Can you tie it as quickly as a regular shoe lace knot?

I should review the technique and post a photo for you and others to critique my results. I was never sure I had it exactly correct!

There are multiple paths to a Berluti know but with the same result. Took about a year to get to almost as fast as a regular knot.
 
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