Ian's Shoelace Site – Chevron Lacing

Separate sections of Criss Cross Lacing and Display Shoe Lacing, forming upright and inverted chevrons (∧, ∨) similar to those on military or police uniforms.

Eight pairs of eyelets

Pairs

8

7

6

5

4

Flip

⇄

Lacing diagram Copyright (c) 2023 by Ian Fieggen

Step

To activate controls, please enable JavaScript

Lacing Technique

• Begin straight across on the outside (grey section) and in through the bottom eyelets.

• For the lower section, at each eyelet pair, cross the ends and feed in through the next higher set of eyelets. Repeat until just below the middle of the shoe.

• Both ends run straight up the inside and out through the next higher eyelets.

• For the upper section, at each eyelet pair, cross the ends, feeding under the sides and out through the next higher set of eyelets. Repeat until lacing is completed.

Features

Decorative look

Upper half easy tightening

Lower half difficult

“Lengthens” ends

Notes

• The chevrons worn on the shoulders of police and military uniforms typically denote the person's rank, with more chevrons denoting higher rank.
(eg. 1 = Private, 2 = Corporal, 3 = Sergeant).

• The boundary between downward and upward pointing chevrons doesn't have to be at the exact middle of the shoe. For example, to replicate the rank insignia of a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant, use one downward pointing chevron followed by three upward pointing chevrons.

• Note that most military and police forces have regulations for just about everything, so I'd recommend that personnel check before they adopt this, or any other, possible non-regulation lacing method!

Chevron Lacing Gallery

Hover over any image to view details

For enlargements, please enable JavaScript

More shoe lacing photos

Contribute a photo (via e-mail)

Chevron Lacing Video

Watch video: How to Chevron Lace your shoes

Watch video here

Watch on YouTube

Shoelace Lengths for Chevron Lacing

Pairs of eyelets	Approximate length needed		“Lengthens” ends by
8 pairs	126 cm	50 in	+3.6 cm	+1.4 in
7 pairs	116 cm	46 in	+3.6 cm	+1.4 in
6 pairs	105 cm	41 in	+3.6 cm	+1.4 in
5 pairs	95 cm	37 in	+3.6 cm	+1.4 in
4 pairs	84 cm	33 in	+3.6 cm	+1.4 in
3, 2 pairs = (N/A)

NOTE: These are approximate shoelace lengths for using this lacing on an average sized sneaker. For more accurate lengths, use the Shoelace Length Calculator.

Comparative Length

• Shorter shoelaces needed than those for basic Criss Cross Lacing.

• If the original shoelaces are re-used, this method effectively lengthens the ends.

More details about length comparisons.

Rate This Lacing Method

Please only vote once – multiple votes are removed daily

5 stars (excellent)		• Select rating, then click button to submit. • Or, view results without rating this method.
4 stars (good)
3 stars (average)
2 stars (bad)
1 star (awful)