How to Lace High Tops: 4 Ways and the Right Lace Length

With a low-top sneaker you lace up and you are done. With a high-top you have to choose. Tight to the top eyelet, loose halfway or the lace wrapped around your ankle: each way gives a different look and a different fit. Each way also calls for a different lace length. In this blog you will read how to lace high tops in four ways, when to choose which and which length goes with it.

In short

• Lacing all the way to the top gives the most support and takes the longest lace.
• Skipping the top eyelets is the most popular way for everyday wear.
• Wrapping the lace around your ankle is a solution for laces that are too long.
• The most popular length for high-top sneakers is 140 cm. With a big bow or a wrap around the ankle, that becomes 160 cm.
• Flat laces of 8 mm are the standard for high-top sneakers.

How to lace high tops: 4 ways

Way	Look	Support	Length with 8 eyelets per side
All the way up, tight	Sporty and sleek	High	140 to 160 cm
Skipping the top eyelets	Casual, collar falls open	Medium	120 to 140 cm
Wrapped around the ankle	Retro	High	160 to 180 cm
Loose, ends tucked away	Relaxed, no bow	Low	120 to 140 cm

1. All the way up, tight

You criss-cross all the way to the top pair of eyelets and tie the bow there. The collar closes around your ankle and the shoe sits firmly. This is the way the shoe was designed to be laced and the best choice for sport. Tighten the lace at every crossing. If you only pull at the top, the collar pinches while your foot sits loose lower down.

2. Skipping the top eyelets

You lace up to the second or third pair of eyelets from the top and tie the bow there. The collar stays slightly open and the tongue comes forward. That makes the shoe easier to put on and gives a more relaxed fit around your ankle. Because you use fewer eyelets, you need one step less in length.

3. Wrapped around the ankle

You lace all the way up, wrap the lace once around the collar and tie the bow at the front. This is a classic look on canvas basketball sneakers and a handy fix if your laces are too long. Do not wrap too tightly. The lace should hold the collar together without cutting into your ankle.

4. Loose, with the ends tucked away

You lace loosely up to wherever you like and tuck the ends into the shoe alongside your foot or tie a knot in them on the inside. There is no bow to be seen and you step in without undoing anything. The steps are in how to hide shoelaces.

Which lace length for high-top sneakers?

Count the eyelets on one side that you actually use. That number determines the length, not the number the shoe has.

Eyelets used per side	Length
6 or 7	120 cm
8	140 cm
9	160 cm
10	180 cm

If you tie a large bow or a double bow, go one step longer. If you wrap the lace around your ankle, allow for an extra step as well. If you tie tightly with a small bow, you can go one step shorter. The calculator in our shoelaces length guide works it out for you.

If your current laces are too long, you do not need to buy new ones straight away. The fixes are listed in laces too long.

Which laces suit high-top sneakers?

Most high-top sneakers have flat laces of 8 mm. When you choose a replacement, look at the length above all, because not every type goes up to 160 or 180 cm.

• Basic flat laces: the standard. In virtually every color up to 160 cm and in many colors up to 180 cm.
• Waxed laces: flat, 8 mm, with a wax coating that holds the bow better. In 120, 140 and 160 cm.
• Fat oval laces: for a fuller profile. Up to 180 cm.
• Leather laces: for leather high-tops that deserve a more luxurious look. In 120, 140 and 160 cm.

Wide laces of 20 mm go up to 140 cm. So they only fit if you skip the top eyelets or lace loosely.

Frequently asked questions

Do you have to lace high-top sneakers all the way to the top?

No. For everyday wear, many people skip the top one or two pairs of eyelets. For sport you do lace all the way up, for the support around your ankle.

Why does the tongue of my high-top slide to the side?

Because it is not attached to anything. Many tongues have a small loop halfway up. Thread the lace through it as you lace and the tongue stays in the middle.

Are 180 cm laces not too long?

They are only right for shoes with 10 eyelets per side that you lace all the way up, or if you wrap the lace around your ankle. For most high-top sneakers 140 or 160 cm is enough.

Can I use round laces in high-top sneakers?

You can, if they fit through the eyelets. A round cord looks slimmer and is smoother in the knot. Tie a double bow in that case.

Browse all laces for high-top sneakers or read more about lacing methods in how to lace shoes.