I fondly remember a creative writing exercise I had to do in college. The instructions were that we should write a story based on a mundane object – something used every day that we no longer stop to think if such thing is a necessity or just a luxury. As for me, I chose shoelaces. So naturally, I had to do preliminary research on the history of shoelaces, its different types, and what makes it a necessity.
Frankly, I was surprised. To tell you honestly, the story I was able to write was really bad, so I’d rather not share it with you. (Ha ha) However, from my research, I was in a bit of awe because of all the things I learned about shoelaces – things I never knew existed. These are the things that I’d rather share with you today.
First, I realized that I was actually unaware of the fact that shoelaces come in different shapes! Sure, upon closer inspection of my shoes, I recognized that I actually have quite a number of shoelaces and they all have unique shapes. Well, I guess I just took them for granted because back then, I didn’t shop for shoelaces.
I simply shopped for shoes, and stuck with whatever pair of shoelaces they have when I first buy them. I am more meticulous now, though. I have been, ever since I found out that there are flat shoelaces, round shoelaces, fat shoelaces, and even oval ones!
If you are already familiar with this information before, I am sure that like me, you also have your favorite shoelace shape! For me, it would be the round shoelaces, because I think they look lovely and classy even though they are actually harder to tie up as compared to flat shoelaces.
I guess your preference in terms of shoelace shapes is also affected by the type of shoes you prefer! See, I love round shoelaces because I have a lot of dress shoes, which just look awful with all the other shoelace shapes except round shoe laces.
As for flat shoelaces, they look awfully nice with sneakers and casual shoes. They are also easily tied and they stay tied for a longer time – maybe because there is more friction between two flat surfaces as compared to two round ones, which are present in round shoelaces.
On the other hand, we also have oval shoelaces that look good with gym and other sports shoes! I also learned in my research that there is what we call friction laces, which is very popular with triathletes.
Apparently, with friction laces, you can preset the tension in the laces so that when you wear them, you no longer have to tie them up – they would wind to the perfect length as you have preset them! However, these could get expensive, and since I do not work out a lot aside from biking, I’d rather stick with my round shoelaces that could be tied up in the traditional manner.
And speaking of traditional ways of tying up shoelaces, yes, I also learned that there are actually lots of ways to tie up shoelaces, and these different ways also look different relative to the shape of your shoelaces. For instance, my favorite round shoe laces look extra nice when tied up in the straight line manner as compared to the crisscross tie. Flat shoelaces, however, favor the crisscross effect.
However, in recent years, different creative ways of tying up shoelaces have fast become a trend, so you might want you try those as well especially if you are a fan of flat shoelaces that are patterned, printed, or gradient. These are the creative type of laces, and they actually look really good with these creative ways to tie them up.
There are tons of websites and Youtube links that could teach you how to recreate these different styles, and you should really try them out to spice up the look of your shoelaces! They do not look good on round shoelaces though, so refrain from straying far from traditional knots when using round shoe laces. Remember that this shape is the embodiment of elegance, sophistication, and formality, so do not taint it!
Well, it seems that I have been going in and on for quite a while now, but rest assured that this is only a little portion of what I learned about shoelaces in that fateful creative writing homework. Maybe next time, I would talk about the different classifications of shoelaces like color, patterns, prints, etc.
But for now, let me end by saying that if you ever have shoelaces that need replacement or anything, you should at least try getting yourself a pair of round shoelaces – I’m sure you’d also love wearing them together with dress and classy shoes!
https://www.feetuniqueshop.com/blog/round-shoelaces/