Latest Event Updates
Iridescent Shoelaces
It’s hard to believe so many months have passed since my last post, and that’s all thanks to my fabulous customers who have been keeping me busy making custom shoelaces. Several new styles have been introduced into my shops these past few months, and probably my favorite addition has been the Iridescent Shoelaces. I’ve exclusively featured the Lost in Lace shop at Etsy for the laces below, but they are also available at the All About Shoelaces shop.
Pink & Green
(The Mauve and Sage on the left has softer shades while the pinstriped Fuchsia and Green on the right is a brighter way to go.)
Iridescent shoelaces stand out the most when they mix colors that are more distant on the color wheel like these pink and green laces.
Everything Purple
As usual I went a little heavy on the purple when selecting my iridescent shoelace ribbon. Maybe I need someone to stop me from getting so much purple, but my customers seem to like all of these new purple shades too!
But Wait! There’s More!
(Top Left: Dark Blue and Gold, Bottom Left: Green and Brown, Right: Blue and Green)
There are so many styles to choose from, that I can’t list them all, but suffice it to say the Iridescent Shoelaces are going to be sticking around. If you want to see everything in one place, checkout the Iridescent Shoelaces section at the All About Shoelaces shop. They are too much fun to pass up! – Ann Louise
Save
You’re Tying Your Shoes Wrong
Like so many other people, I discovered one day that I was tying my shoes all wrong. You may think that a tied shoe is a tied shoe so what difference does it make? It actually makes two big differences.
Knot Security
When tying shoes the wrong way the end result of the knot is a granny knot (which is how grain sacks were tied and not a reference to grandmothers BTW). Granny knots are less secure than the preferred square knot, so they are more likely to come untied. Often people will double tie knots in athletic shoes to prevent them from becoming untied because they’ve used granny knots. When wearing ribbon shoelaces, that double tying is not attractive, which brings me to the other difference.
Knot Appearance
So here’s the question. When you tie your shoes, does your bow/knot look like the bow on the left or the right? If indeed you produce the bow on the left, you’re tying your shoes wrong. If you’re the visual type and want to see it done the right way, take a peek at this entertaining video: https://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_how_to_tie_your_shoes. If you do better reading your directions, just remember that right over left and left over right (or left over right and right over left would work too!) gives you the secure square knot. Basically if your bows look like the shoe on the left, just switch the way you make your first cross, and keep the second cross the same.
When wearing ribbon shoelaces, proper tying technique is a rather big deal. You’re not getting the best possible looking bow when the whole point of wearing ribbon shoelaces is to make your shoes look as good as possible. You’re also risking having them come untied, and in ribbons such as satin that have a smooth surface, that can be a real problem, or again, just an ugly situation if you solve the problem with a double tied bow.
Happy shoelace shopping! – Ann Louise
Buffalo Plaid Shoelaces – Welcoming the Season
I notice that some shoelaces are more popular during different seasons, and it’s hardly surprising that these Buffalo Plaid shoelaces are popular during the fall and winter months. I’m all stocked up and getting lots of orders for these shoelaces at all three shops.
Warm & Fuzzy
This time of year we just want to pull out those comfortable flannel shirts, and you can’t be accused of going for the grunge look when your shoelaces match your shirt…nothing grungy about that. (Click on the photo above to see these shoelaces at my Lost in Lace shop.)
A Touch of Gold
The metallic gold edges dress things up a bit and make these shoelaces great for a country Christmas feel too. They’re adorable with those not-so-ugly holiday sweaters. (Click on the photo above to see these shoelaces at my Ribbon Shoelaces shop.)
A Perfect Bow
This woven style of ribbon has a nice stiff drape that makes it ideal for shaping both smaller bows and larger bows.(Click on the photo above to see these shoelaces at my All About Shoelaces shop.)
All of the Tip Options
All of the tip options are available for these shoelaces, but my customers lean towards the red, black and gold tips here. That seems obvious. 🙂 (Click on the photo above to see these shoelaces at my Lost in Lace shop.)
Dressing for the season is part of the fun and a great way to enjoy it while it lasts, so let’s break out the flannel! -Ann Louise
Shoelace Sites
At the beginning of each month I like to add a post that doesn’t specifically highlight any shoelaces but rather highlights a related topic. Since I get questions about several different shoelace sites, this month I’d like to provide a little info to addresses these frequent questions.
Ian’s Shoelace Site™
(Screenshot Copyright Ian W. Fieggen)
My favorite informational shoelace site is Ian’s Shoelace Site, and I’m definitely not alone. Customers often ask if I’ve seen this site, and I am indeed one of its millions of viewers. The site (i.e. Ian) examines every topic imaginable around shoelaces in an almost scientific manner. I’ve personally spent hours redrawing some of his lacing graphics for my own customers’ benefit, and the very first pair of shoelaces I ever made were based upon ideas and suggestions from Ian’s Shoelace Site. In addition to some of the more obvious topics, he covers everything from shoelaces in history to shoelaces in the news. Anyone who enjoys my Lost in Lace blog will surely enjoy Ian’s Shoelace Site, so check it out.
Lost in Lace™
Another frequently asked question is where I got the idea for Lost in Lace. I actually started with a jewelry shop on Etsy and added some shoelaces (like the ones I’d made from ideas at Ian’s site) largely to expand my listings, and before I knew it, shoelaces were outselling my jewelry. At that point I decided to open Lost in Lace, so it became my first shoelace shop. Lost in Lace is currently my only shoelace shop on Etsy, and it’s the site where I get to interact with my customers the most.
All About Shoelaces™
The question I get on All About Shoelaces is why I would start another shoelace shop when I already have one on Etsy. That’s actually easy to explain.
Because Etsy likes to capitalize on the personal aspect of individual shop owners and how we make things by hand, I began hearing from customers who were a little uneasy about doing business in an artsy craftsy venue. They preferred the more professional facade of an independent website. From a selling standpoint, it’s also nice to have an independent site free of additional fees and restrictions. Since I had plenty of website design experience, I decided to create my vision of the optimal online shoelaces site, and my All About Shoelaces customers are simply fantastic.
Ribbon Shoelaces™
Surely two shoelace site should be enough, right? Ribbon Shoelaces is based on requests from so many customers to see the shoelaces as they would appear laced in shoes rather than focusing on the ribbon itself. It simply suits a different type of customer better than my other two sites, and I love an excuse to design another website. 🙂
HueLaces™
The question I get most frequently about HueLaces these days is “Where the heck did it go?”. HueLaces was created as a wholesale segment because I was receiving frequent requests from small fashion/shoe boutiques for discounts on bulk orders. I needed to create a linesheet for the shoelaces that made sense to sell in bulk, and I needed a website put all of the information in one spot in a commercial buyer-friendly format rather than communicating with buyers through my retail shops.
With so many orders coming in through my retail sites, it was difficult to keep up with HueLaces’ customers, and I realized I needed to make the wholesale process easier for myself. I am currently in the middle of recreating my wholesale concept, and admittedly it’s not been at the top of the priority list. HueLaces will eventually be back though.
So what’s next? At this point I’m hoping that any new ideas or frequent requests I get can be accommodated by making minor changes to my existing shoelace shops, so I have no plans at this stage to add to this set. Getting my sites into a mobile-friendly format and getting HueLaces up and running again should keep me from dreaming up any other shoelace site ideas for awhile. Should anyway… -Ann Louise
Denim Shoelaces – A Perfect Fit
Since I’m always looking for new and interesting ribbons to create shoelaces, it’s no surprise that I couldn’t pass up this fun new denim ribbon.
Choose Your Tip Options
Just like all of my other ribbon shoelaces, you can choose your favorite tip option. I went with orange plastic on the pair I made for myself since it matches the visible thread stitched on my favorite style of blue jeans.
Just Like Denim
While this ribbon is made from a more shoelace-friendly material than cotton (polyester), it has that true denim look. There is a faded blue front side with a lighter shade on the back side.
So Cute!
They are so adorable and easy to lace without the actual frayed edges you’d get if you cut them straight from denim, but they sure look like they have been. At the moment I’m only offering these at my Lost in Lace shop on Etsy, but they’ll make their way out to my other sites sooner than later. 🙂 -Ann Louise
Black Shoelaces – The Sky’s the Limit
Basic black shoelaces…we all need them, but do they really need to be so basic? When I first started making shoelaces I was focused on bright colors and crazy prints rather than the black, white and brown colors. As I started to expand and add more basic colors, I realized customers wanted black more than any other color. Who knew? I do now, so my customers have as many options as I can possibly get my hands on.
Black Shoelaces in Satin, Organza and Grosgrain
The standard solid ribbons are always satin, organza and grosgrain. I offer my customers satin and grosgrain shoelaces in 4 different widths (1/4″, 3/8″, 5/8″ and 7/8″), and I offer the organza shoelaces in all 4 of those widths plus a 1.5″ width. (Click on the pictures above to view these shoelaces at the Ribbon Shoelaces shop.)
Black Shoelace Groups
Besides the solid satin/organza/grosgrain, I also offer several other styles of ribbon shoelaces with multiple colors to choose from, and of course I always offer the black when available. (Click on the picture above to view these shoelaces at the Ribbon Shoelaces shop.)
But Wait…There’s More!
Between solids and prints and textures, I just keep curating more ribbons for black ribbon shoelaces for my customers. (Click on the pictures above to view these shoelaces at the All About Shoelaces shop.)
Whether you’re replacing a pair of basic black shoelaces or just want to upgrade what you’ve got, black shoelaces are available from subtle to wild. You can always find the perfect pair, and you don’t even have to look that hard. 🙂 – Ann Louise
Lace Shoelaces – For the Frill of It
It seems I’m always getting requests for shoelaces made of actual lace. They look beautiful in wedding shoes, and they add a frilly look to granny boots, brogues, oxfords, sneakers…actually I think by definition it’s safe to say that lace shoelaces add a frilly look to any pair of shoes.
Wedding Cotton Crochet Shoelaces
Several months ago I went on a search for lace trim that was suitable for shoelaces, and this cotton crochet style in white and ivory was the first I found. I’d actually tried crocheting shoelaces by hand, and while that worked nicely for my own shoes, it was way too time-consuming to try to do the same for my customers. As soon as I started offering this style, many of my bridal customers opted for these over the popular organza styles. Certainly I make the majority of these shoelaces for wedding shoes. (Click on the pictures above to view these shoelaces at the Ribbon Shoelaces shop.)
Lacy Lace Shoelaces
Until a couple of weeks ago I hadn’t been successful in searching for more delicate looking lace that could handle the task of lacing up shoes. Finding quality wholesalers in an ongoing challenge, so I was thrilled when my sister-in-law shared one of her favorites that just happened to carry this beautiful nylon lace in white and black. While the black obviously isn’t intended for bridal shoes, it has infinite possibilities with other shoes. I’m excited to hear what my customers have to say about these since I think they might just surpass the crocheted laces in popularity! (Click on the pictures above to view these shoelaces at the Lost In Lace shop.)
More Crochet Shoelaces
And that same new wholesaler also offered some crocheted lacing material in a variety of colors rather than white and ivory. Since these are brand new to my offering, I’m starting with a nice brown lace that’s more versatile than the other colors, but I expect as these start to get noticed by my customers, I’ll be back to get all of the other colors too. (Click on the picture above to view these shoelaces at the Lost In Lace shop.)
I don’t think I ever would have pursued lace instead of ribbon without the requests from several customers. One advantage to being a small business owner is the ability to quickly react to customer feedback and meet their needs. These lace shoelaces are a great example of how customers can get what they want simply by asking, and I’m always so glad when they do. 🙂 Ann Louise
Shoelaces and Hair Ribbons – How to Find a Match
As last month’s topic was about using shoelaces as an alternative to hair ribbons, the question has come up about knowing which hair ribbons match which shoelaces as shown in the the example I gave with the golf shoes below.
Matching 1/4″ Shoelaces to 7/8″ Hair Ribbons
The one thing I’ve done across all of my shoelace shops as well as my hair ribbon shop is to provide consistent names to matching colors of ribbon/shoelaces for each fabric type. In the example above, the 1/4″ grosgrain shoelaces and the 7/8″ hair ribbon are both labeled as “Red”. I’ve done this for Satin, Organza and Grosgrain shoelaces and hair ribbons for all widths. The examples below show just how easy it is to match shoelaces to hair ribbons.
_______________________________________________________________________________
5/8″ Satin Shoelaces
1.5″ Satin Hair Ribbons
If you’d like to match 5/8″ shoelaces to 1/5″ hair ribbons, note the colors on the listing. You’ll notice that each color is available for both the shoelaces and the hair ribbons, and no matter how they may appear on your screen, colors with the same names match, so while Spruce may appear darker on the shoelaces listing, it indeed matches the Spruce on the hair ribbon listing.
For purchasing these items, the hair ribbons are available at one shop, and the shoelaces are available at three shops.
HAIR RIBBONS
Hair Ye! Hair Ye! – https://www.etsy.com/listing/239115908
SHOELACES
Lost in Lace – https://www.etsy.com/listing/182308287
All About Shoelaces – http://allaboutshoelaces.theboutiqueproject.com/mediumwidesatin.htm
Ribbon Shoelaces – http://ribbonshoelaces.theboutiqueproject.com/WidesatinShoelaces.htm
_______________________________________________________________________________
5/8″ Organza Shoelaces
7/8″ Organza Hair Ribbons
The same applies to the 5/8″ organza shoelaces and the 7/8″ organza hair ribbons. Note that there are colors in the hair ribbons (yellow, rust and lime), that don’t have a corresponding shoelace color, so always do a cross reference before purchasing to ensure there is a corresponding match in your color.
For purchasing these items, the hair ribbons are available at one shop, and the shoelaces are available at three shops.
HAIR RIBBONS
Hair Ye! Hair Ye! – https://www.etsy.com/listing/240162998
SHOELACES
Lost in Lace – https://www.etsy.com/listing/185808045
All About Shoelaces – http://allaboutshoelaces.theboutiqueproject.com/58organza.htm
Ribbon Shoelaces – http://ribbonshoelaces.theboutiqueproject.com/WideOrganzaShoelaces.htm
_______________________________________________________________________________
5/8″ Grosgrain Shoelaces
7/8″ Grosgrain Hair Ribbons
And of course the same holds true for the example of 5/8″ grosgrain shoelaces and 7/8″ grosgrain hair ribbons. Note that similar colors that are not identical have been intentionally given different names, so you’ll know they are not an exact match (e.g. Tangerine vs. Orange, Golden vs. Gold, Daffodil vs. Yellow, etc.).
For purchasing these items, the hair ribbons are available at one shop, and the shoelaces are available at three shops.
HAIR RIBBONS
Hair Ye! Hair Ye! – https://www.etsy.com/listing/238088194
SHOELACES
Lost in Lace – https://www.etsy.com/listing/159816849
All About Shoelaces – http://allaboutshoelaces.theboutiqueproject.com/58grosgrain.htm
Ribbon Shoelaces – http://ribbonshoelaces.theboutiqueproject.com/WideGrosgrainShoelaces.htm
_______________________________________________________________________________
If you’re trying to match colors across fabric types, say grosgrain shoelaces and a satin hair ribbon, matching color names do not imply those colors will match. If you’ve got a particular combo in mind, just contact me via the customer services option at the shop you’re in, and I can confirm whether your combo is a good match or not. Actually that’s a great thing to remember. While I plan to slowly but surely provide information in this blog to answer your most frequent questions, don’t ever hesitate to contact me with more questions. You can reach me at Questions@TheBoutiqueProject.com for questions about any items at The Boutique Project shops, and I’m always quick to respond. I love hearing from my customers! – Ann Louise
Metallic Shoelaces – Time to Shine
Metallic shoelaces are a year-round customer favorite, but they really get popular as the holidays approach. When the days get shorter and darker, everyone likes an opportunity to shine during all of those seasonal parties and festivities.
All Over Metallic Sparkle
This selection of shoelaces tops everyone’s favorites list. The metallic threads are actually the color of the laces and not just some gold or silver threads woven into the ribbons. The white shade has a bit of an iridescent effect that makes it a frequent choice for wedding shoes. (Click on the picture above to view these shoelaces at the Ribbon Shoelaces shop.)
Silver Linings
At only 1/4″ wide, these silver-trimmed satin shoelaces don’t overshadow your fabulous new party shoes, but they do give them a hint of sparkle. (Click on the picture above to view these shoelaces at the All About Shoelaces shop.)
Heavy Metal
While many shoes have either gold or silver hardware (e.g. eyelets, buckles, etc.) that commit you to gold or silver with the rest of your accessories…belts, jewelry, purses, watches…most shoes come without the extra hardware. These gold and silver shoelaces let you choose, switch and mix your metal colors as you please. (Click on the picture above to view these shoelaces at the Lost in Lace shop.)
Good for Blue
Blue is great for any time of year, and I wear this navy pair every chance I get! We all have blue shoes that would look better with a little sparkle. 🙂 (Click on the picture above to view these shoelaces at the All About Shoelaces shop.)
Gold Rush
With a nearly invisible organza background, these delicate gold laces are all about the shine. (Click on the picture above to view these shoelaces at the Ribbon Shoelaces shop.)
Whether you’re the type who can pull off metallic shoelace bling on a daily basis or just for special occasions, they always bring a cheerful glint and gleam. And how easy is that? A change of shoelaces is such a simple way to sparkle and shine whenever you want. – Ann Louise
Animal Print Shoelaces – From Classic to Bold
Animal print patterns range from classic leopard and zebra prints – used often in accessories, clothing and home decor – to the bolder prints and colors meant to stand out and make a definite statement. When used in shoelaces, pretty much anything goes!
Classic Zebra and Leopard
These Zebra and Leopard patterns have some updated flair in these extra wide organza shoelaces. While we wouldn’t think twice to see such patterns on a purse or a pillow, using these shoelaces to replace an ankle tie in a pair of shoes gives a classic pattern a bold edge. (Click on the pictures above to view these shoelaces at the Lost In Lace shop.)
Subtle in Satin
For a classic pattern with a more subtle approach to accessorizing, these 3/8″ satin leopard print shoelaces are the right choice. Paired with any dressy brown shoes, you’ll always look well-appointed. (Click on the picture above to view these shoelaces at the Ribbon Shoelaces shop.)
And Now for Something Bolder
Sometimes you just want to stand out, and the bright colors in these animal print organza and satin laces aren’t going to let you blend in. With some colorful plastic tip options, you can’t miss the mark with these fun shoelaces. (Click on the pictures above to view these shoelaces at the All About Shoelaces shop.)
The bottom line is that we all have some room in our wardrobe from animal prints. Whether you’re the classic type or like to use a little color to express yourself, shoelaces are a great way get those animal prints into your wardrobe for a perfect “pop” of interest. – Ann Louise
Lost in Lace™ - Shoelaces Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.