The present invention relates to a content-based lace retrieval system. The retrieval system comprises two parts: a mobile terminal and a server, and the two parts communicate with each other by using a wireless network. The retrieval system is characterized in that, a working process of the retrieval system is implemented according to the following steps: step 1, lace registration stage: acquiring lace images, preprocessing each image separately, extracting a feature and storing the feature in a feature database of the server; and step 2, identification stage: acquiring, by the mobile terminal, a retrieved lace image, preprocessing the image, extracting a feature and uploading the feature to the server, comparing the feature with all lace features stored in the feature database of the server, and then returning retrieval result information to the mobile terminal. According to the system provided by the present invention, not only lace can be managed with high intelligence and efficiency, but also lace identical with or similar to the retrieved lace can be found quickly and conveniently anytime anywhere, thereby improving efficiency.