Feel Five Years Old Again With No-Tie Shoelaces

I bought a pair of shoes earlier last year that didn’t have laces, just elastic across the top, and I was immediately obsessed with them. I began to resent my laced shoes. I had two pairs in my closet (worn but not worn out) and I donated them to Goodwill. I was a no-lace lady now.

So when I finally got a pair of AllBirds, I was torn. I wanted a pair for so long (they’re comfy, they regulate your body temperature, they’re Internet shoes, a genre I’m already a big fan of), but they had these big laces! One quick Amazon search later and I found these silicone shoelace replacements.

It took a few false starts to get the hang of installing these straps on my shoes, but once I had it down it was quick, simple, and easy. The set comes with two different instruction manuals, and a bobby pin to help you swap out your laces for silicone straps. I found the bobby pin to make things even harder, but it could vary based on what shoes you’re using. I also started with the largest four laces in the pack, but after trying on a shoe after all were installed I realized I went too large, so I sized down. Even with choosing the wrong size and having to re-do one whole shoe, and also having to go through a learning period for how to get the laces in, the entire process probably took me 10 minutes.

These shoelace replacements cost $8, come in a ton of colors AND child and adult sizes, and will turn any pair of laced shoes into slip ons. I haven’t had them for incredibly long, but they do hold their shape well, and if I need to adjust over time, I still have five that I’m not using, so I can switch them out.

I wear my new AllBirds all the time now, and I never have to think about shoelaces getting in my way again. Now I can wear gym shoes even when my arthritis is flaring up and I couldn’t tie a bow even if I wanted to. No-Lace Lady 4eva!