How to Tie Vans's Laces

Vans has a lot of interesting shoe designs, but there are some that are just so complicated. The shoes have a lot going on and their lacing patterns seem very tricky to understand. It’s not hard, though! Here’s how to tie them in no time.

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Shoe Size Measured in What? When looking at the inside of an old pair of shoes and wondering what size they were measured in, one might see something like this: 8 B(M), 9-1/2 D(W). What does this mean?

 

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The first thing you see is the size of the shoe, in this case, 8. B(M) is short for “boys',” meaning it's a children's shoe. The parenthesis around M states that these shoes were built to fit boys who are just a little bit smaller than average.

 

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The next piece of information is "D(W)." This means that the shoes are sized in decimal inches. For example, 5 D(W) is a size 5 that was sized using decimal inches - which means it would fit someone with feet 10 and 1/4 inch long (the placement of numbers for feet on a measuring tape will tell you how big an inch is).

 

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The last piece of information is "9-1/2". This means that the shoe is 9.5 inches from the toe to the heel. For example, a 9-1/2 inch shoe could be a size 9, a size 10 might be 10-3/4 or 11 and a 12 might be 13.Converting to Metric

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Measurements in feet and inches are common in the United States, but we need to convert these measurements into metric sizes to get an idea of the style of shoelace they were intended for. There is no one universal answer, but using this chart:

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D(W) Metric Size 5 cm (0.19") 0.5 10 cm (0.39") 0.75 12 cm (0.47") 1.25 15 cm (0.59") 1.5 18 cm (0.71") 2 20 cm (0.79") 2.25 22 cm (0.86") 2.5 25 cm (1) 3

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The D(W) sizes are the same as their American counterparts, but the metric sizes are different from foot to foot, so you will have to measure your feet yourself to determine the size of your shoe laces that will fit best with them.

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Using the chart above, a size 8 shoe is D(W) 22, a size 9 shoe is D(W) 23, and so on.The Type of Shoelace Used in These Shoes

The lacing pattern is actually quite simple and uses two basic types of shoelaces: flat shoelaces and round shoelaces. Flat shoelaces are ivory colored or brown with red or white stripes.

 

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 They come in two lengths: 6 inches and 10 inches; there are usually two pairs per pack. This type of lacing works well with American sizes ranging from 8 to 14.

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Round shoelaces are tan in color with a brown nylon tip. They come in lengths of 10 inches and 12 inches. The smaller laces are recommended for use 

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with American sizes ranging from 8 to 11, while the larger ones should be used with American sizes of 12 and above.

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Now that you know what size your shoes are (in American sizes) and the type of shoelace they will work best with, you can choose a pair for yourself. 

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When tying them, it's important to keep the bow knot tight so that your foot won't slip out when walking or running. You might want to consider using quick-ties or elastic laces if you have trouble keeping regular knots tight.

 

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