Roman Lacing

Roman Lacing (icon)

Verticals hidden on the inside plus “X”s and “I”s on the outside, which looks like Roman numerals and suits both casual and dress shoes.

Eight pairs of eyelets
Pairs
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
Flip
Step
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

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Lacing Technique – 8 pairs of eyelets

• Begin straight across on the inside (grey section) and out through the bottom eyelets.

• Cross the ends on the outside and feed in through the next higher set of eyelets.

• The left (yellow) end runs straight up on the inside and out through the next higher eyelet, then straight across on the outside and in through the opposite eyelet.

• Both ends run straight up on the inside, each skipping one eyelet and emerging two eyelets higher up.

• Cross the ends on the outside and feed in through the eyelets on the opposite side.

• Both ends run straight up on the inside, each skipping one eyelet and emerging two eyelets higher up.

• The lower (yellow) end runs straight across on the outside and in through the opposite eyelet, then straight up on the inside and out through the next higher eyelet.

• Cross the ends on the outside and feed in through the top eyelets.

Features

Decorative look

Suits dress shoes

Tricky to tighten

“Lengthens” ends

Notes

• The lacing technique depends on the number of eyelets in the shoe. This is because of the complicated path, in which half of the crossovers have the shoelaces running through the “X” from bottom to top (ie. up the shoe), while the other half of the crossovers have the shoelaces running through the “X” from one side to the other (ie. across the shoe). The start of the lacing must therefore be carefully planned so that the lacing finishes with both ends at the top of the shoe (rather than at one side).

• The technique for any number of eyelet pairs can be extended by another six pairs by adding another “XIXI” or “IXIX” sequence to the start or finish of the lacing:

  • 3 pairs (“XI”) + “XIXI” = 9 pairs;
  • 4 pairs (“IXI”) + “XIXI” = 10 pairs;
  • 5 pairs (“XIX”) + “IXIX” = 11 pairs;
  • 6 pairs (“XIXI”) + “XIXI” = 12 pairs; etc.
Shoe lacing photo

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Shoelace Lengths for Roman Lacing

Pairs of
eyelets
Approximate
length needed
“Lengthens”
ends by
8 pairs117 cm46 in+8.0 cm+3.1 in
7 pairs107 cm42 in+8.0 cm+3.1 in
6 pairs94 cm37 in+9.3 cm+3.7 in
5 pairs91 cm36 in+5.7 cm+2.2 in
4 pairs77 cm30 in+7.3 cm+2.9 in
3 pairs74 cm29 in+3.6 cm+1.4 in
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.

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This page last updated: 02-Sep-2023. Copyright © 2005-2023 by Ian W. Fieggen. All rights reserved.

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