Shoelaces

Shoelaces allow a shoe to open wide to admit the wearer's foot, and then be tightened up to prevent the shoe from slipping off by accident. A common alternative to shoelaces is velcro. Shoelaces did not become widely popular until the 20th century, previously shoes were slip-on or buttoned. Buttoned shoes used a special tool, a button hook, to close the buttons.

Two other recent alternatives are "twirly" laces that are elasticized laces coiled into a tight helix.

The twirly laces can simply be pulled tight [1]. When made for children, they come in a large variety of colours and textures.

The small plastic sheath on the end of shoelaces that keeps the twine from unraveling is called an aglet.