Punk shoelaces

Punk shoelaces aren’t just for Doc Marten boots. You can wear them as belts, wristbands, neck thongs – even hair art! 

Fancy turning your outfit upside down to create a fresh style that defies the natural order of things? Then I shall instruct you in the lost art of wearing shoelaces.

You see, if you want to turn convention upside down and rebel against those who try to keep things in their proper places, you must simply take something from the bottom and put it on top.

Remove the shoelace from its lowly place on your shoe and set it free. Stick it right on top and flaunt it; in your hair, around your wrist, waist, neck… any place from where it can scream your bona fide style and shoelace-convention-breaking individuality.

After all, the shoelace was invented over two hundred years ago, and surfers and skaters have been wearing thongs (which are only jumped-up shoelaces) around their wrists and necks since the late sixties – so the whole “shoelaces to be worn on shoes only” thing is getting a tiny bit old now.

Shoelaces come in all shapes and sizes. There are shiny laces, leather laces, rainbow laces, skull adorned laces, neon laces…shoelaces suited to just about every one of you mookychicks out there.

Tie your shoelace in a bow

Take a shoelace, (or even better, take several different shoelaces) and tie in a big bow. This can be tied into your hair or pinned to clothing using a safety pin. You could also tie it round your head like a headband, with a bow on top. To make the bow stiff, use more laces and tie smaller loops. To make the bow droopy, tie larger loops and use fewer laces.

A shoelace round the neck is a poor man’s silk tie / velvet choker

To make a bold statement, tie a selection of shoelaces around the neck (like a necktie,) knotting at the front so they hang down in all their shoelace glory.

Shoelaces around the wrist

Pretty obvious; tie shoelace(s) round your wrist /arm in whatever way pleases you most.

The shoelace belt

Use several shoelaces (the more the merrier for this one, I find.) You can plait them, twist them together or just wear them as they are. Wrap around the waist and tie at the front with the ends hanging down.

The key to pulling of shoelaces as outerwear not footwear is the ends of the laces, those little plasticy bits that say “I’m a shoelace”. Try to position these so that they’re on display; sticking out or dangling down in some way.

Shoelaces are fairly cheap; good places to get them include Primark and small accessory market stalls and London’s alternative Mecca, Camden. Google online for ‘punk shoelaces’ and you’re bound to find something to start off your online shopping odyssey.

Now, peoplies, go out into the world adorned with shoelaces in your own individual way. Re-appropriate the humble shoelace; it’s the first small step to being a dedicated

Crafting ideas: Shoelace hairclips!

Or just wear them on your shoes.