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I was just wondering how you all find ways to zip up your dress at the back?
My SO has no problems reaching the middle of her back to pass the zip from one hand to the other. I however with my arms just cannot do it, so I have a lenght of boot lace with a small hook attached to it. I have not found a zip yet the hook will not fit, but if so a small paperclip can be used too. Once pulled up all is good, I have only ever lost the hook once when in a dress. Scary to find you cannot unzip but quite nice too feeling you cannot take it off.
@elaines Hi, Elaine, thanks for the tip. I only have a couple of dresses that have zips, the others being just pull on.
I'm currently dieting and exercising my way into one of them, I doubt I'll ever fit into the other one though cos I bought a size too small 🙄.
I'll give your suggestion a try soon as I'm nearly at my target weight 😊👗
Allie x
@elaines
Elaine, I quit even looking at anything that zips or buttons in the back, because the arthritis in my hands makes it impossible 😤. I have had to pass on a few cute tops because of the button in the back.
Cassie
@loneleycd My issue also, but the limited range of motion is in my elbows and shoulders…
@elaines when passing the dress over my head, I start the zipper. As I pull the dress down , I continue to fasten the zipper at neck level. I continue until done. The tricky part is pulling it over your boobs, sometimes tight. Other wise, just use a long shoelace.
@missylinda I do not have any issue with zips as I started early and had the ability. That was until recently when a pulled muscle made it difficult but I like your idea of passing and starting the dress over the head. Thanks as it wasn't something as a solution I'd thought of.
@ab123 yes, it seems awkward, but if you do it, 1. Before wig, 2, before earings, 3, keep any makeup clear ( I once made the mistake of having impossibly long lashes, the came loose LOL) , it will work. Once again , the key is pulling over the “ rack”. Hugs
@elaines
This is a combination of advice that I got from (I think) 'The Lazy Crossdresser' and the first of the 'Miss Vera' books:
Zipping up someone else’s dress is simple (usually). Zipping up your own dress can be discouraging, depressing and stressful. Women tend to be more flexible than men. They have a greater range of motion in their joints due to their smaller muscle mass. They also have more pliable ligaments. This flexibility enables them to easily secure a bra, tie a bow behind their back … or zip up a dress.
When cross dressers wear dresses with a zip-up back it can cause them difficulties. Some avoid buying dresses with zips altogether, opting to go for ones that zip up the side or that they can simply pull on over their heads. But there is a solution!
- Buy or find a small hook (one with a circular end) or, failing that, a large safety pin.
- Tie a three foot length of string or ribbon to the circular end of the hook/pin
- Secure the hook/pin through the hole in the zip.
- Put the dress on.
- Hold the string with one hand over your shoulder; with your other hand, hold the top of the dress at the nape of the neck.
- Pull straight up. Unless you are completely the wrong size, the dress should zip itself up completely
- Remove the hook or pin … you’re set to go.
You can reverse the process when you want to take the dress off again. Of course, if you’ve mislaid your zipping device by that point then you’ll be stuck in it for a while.
@elaines Elaine,there is a zipper pull on the internet called Zip Her.It consists of a large pearl handle and a 2or3 foot small chain with a hook on the end.Included in the kit isan envelope of small rings to thread thru the zipper pull on your dress.Its also on YouTube.For me its great,I have two of them.I sent one to my sister,she has Fibromialge.She loves it.Its the one time her crossdressed brother could teach a natural GG how to do it easier.LOLPlease try it,I think you will like it.
Elaine, Amazon have plenty of helpful gadgets. Just search 'dress zipper puller'. It would be completely impossible for me to slip into a nice dress without some help 😂.
Hugs, Chrissie xx.
@chrisfp99 I just had a look, basically same as what I made. However I like the clasp/hook that closes so should not fall out half way up your back LOL. I'm going to see if I have any similar clasps in my junk boxes. I guess HobbyCraft could be a good place to look if I have none stashed away.
@elaines those hooks and clasps you see on Amazon are easily worth the price.
When I was younger I could not do the zippers. Over the years however, I have managed to become more limber after continually trying. Now I can easily do the zipper as well as put on my bra with ease.
@dianas1960 The bra is easy, just put it on back to front (not the arms LOL) then pull it so the cups are at the front. Slip your arms in and insert your boobs. I watched my SO do it this way for years.
@elaines When I was young I did not know that trick, (way way way pre internet), so I practiced till I succeeded doing it behind my back.
Thanks for the tips. Frankly I just avoid zippers.
Gisela
I stopped wearing dresses eons ago for that very reason, I too cannot zip up the back zipper.
I find it cumbersome as I have to ask my wife to help me zip/unzip. I do have one dress in which the fabric is very stretchy, so doing up the back zip isn't a big deal. On the other hand, if the fabric has zero stretch, it is not going to be easy.
The ones I do have in my wardrobe they are loose enough that I can just pop it over my head despite being back zippered.
Side note, I'm also into zentais which has a back zip so that has helped me practice zipping up back zippers.
I attached a bobby pin through the little hole in the zipper tab and it usually provides just enough length to pass the zipper between hands and help me get in and out of dresses. I will be checking out the online gadgets that Chrissie described above, as I know my system is flawed…
I'm still zipping by hand at 66 and have a very nice selection of back zip dresses. Some of the body-con styles are a little more challenging but with a little squirming and twisting it always works.
I totally get the issue though and with tricks to help you should not let this deter a decision to wear or buy another.
Sandy
I'm lucky in having relatively skinny arms, so I can reach that awkward zip zone fairly easily. Though I do recall one dress which caused me some anxiety.
I normally take a UK12, but for some reason I struggled my way into a rather tight size 8 sleeveless bodycon minidress which belonged to my daughter. I somehow got the zip completely fastened, and checked my reflection in the mirror.
The dress looked horrendous on me, so I decided to take it straight off. Unfortunately I couldn't quite get hold of the zip, either from over my shoulder or from up my back. So, using some contortions which would have impressed Harry Houdini, I worked my arms out of the armholes and through the neck, then started pulling the dress upwards.
After about 10 minutes of frantic tugging I stood exhausted, the dress now totally covering my head so that I couldn't see. One or two stitches may have popped in the process. My aching arms were pinned together by the neck of the dress above my head. I was well and truly stuck, and shaking with fright. To make matters worse, my unsupportive wife was due home any minute.
Cutting my way out was not an option. My daughter's minidress had to come off in one piece. Besides, I doubted I could find a pair of scissors anyway, blinded as I was by the garment.
I finally managed to painfully bend one arm and reach the zip, working it downwards with my trembling fingertips. All at once the dress mercifully loosened. I took it off, sighed in relief, and hung it back up.
@jacquelinelarkspur talk about a wardrobe malfunction. I recall a similar thing happening to me when I was a teenager lol
@jacquelinelarkspur Hi, Jacqueline. A very descriptive -and hilarious post. If a picture paints a thousand words, your much fewer words create a short video in my mind. Especially because I had an almost identical experience with the dress I'm slimming into.
I just had to try it as soon as it arrived and got stuck. I also had to do a contortionist act to get out without damage! Lesson learned, if I have to squeeeeze into a dress, it doesn't fit...yet.
Thanks for brightening my day.
Allie x
You're welcome, hon, thanks for reading it!
Honestly, the things we do! What are we like, eh?
@jacquelinelarkspur I did use a spare bra once before I made my gadget, I just used the hooks on the bra band on the zipper "thingy" (I'm not sewing person LOL) and used the eyelet end to pull the zip down. Then relax.
@jacquelinelarkspur I got stuck in a skirt once. The zip got stuck in a shirt tail and there I was, stockings, heels, bra, breasts and all the rest with the return of an unknowing wife imminent. Nothing quite beats a bit of naked panic and after a few tugs without really knowing what the problem was, I managed to free the zip and start undresssing. I was still wearing stockings when the front door opened.......
After my wife's cancer death I've found a partner who loves the cross dressing world, so there is a way forward after disaster.
I was still wearing stockings when the front door opened.......
Ohh, been there, done that, only it was tights in my case. Did you hurriedly pull on trousers and socks rather than take off the stockings? That's what I did, then spent several nervous hours waiting for an opportunity to take them off before bedtime.
@jacquelinelarkspur I wore my stockings and suspender belt for a few hours, under trousers. While the threat of discovery was a bit unnerving it was also quite good fun. I also ended up wearing a bra under a t-shirt when she unexpectedly returned (I was on my back under the sink unblocking a drain, as you do in the world of crossdressing) and somehow got away with that too......It could have been a lot worse.
Anyway, today's world looks very different and a lot naughtier, with a side of nylons.
@jacquelinelarkspur Haha, yes I have been in that situation, pre-coming out - although fortunately it was one of my own dresses! It certainly gets the old adrenalin flowing. Even using a hook & string it wouldn't budge. It's highly likely that that dress went back to a charity shop.
Fortunately I am able to manage all but one of the zips on my dresses, and I have to admit that I do like having to ask to be zipped in or out of it. In fact, sometimes I ask for help getting out of my dress just for the hell of it! 🤭😉🤫
As Chrissy said, I have purchased two helpers from Amazon.. a ribbon style one with a hook, and a pearl strand one with a clasp. Some dresses, I can reach behind and get the zipper half way up, then reach over my shoulder and pull it there rest of the way.
Always enjoy the feeling when my dress is first zipped up. Kind of like the finishing touch of lipstick for me.
Emily
@emilysouthern Ohh that is a nice feeling to be secured in. I have one with a large'ish metal zip, the cold as it pulls up is a nice feeling.
@emilysouthern It's fun getting someone else to do that......different approach to helping.
Easy - just dislocate your shoulder! 😀
I have been in this situation twice - my GF zipped me in, but was asleep when it was time to unzip. In the first case I had to lean my elbow against the wall to just barely be able to reach the zipper. In the second instance Plan B above failed, so I managed to squirm out of the outfit.
Having said that, the suggestion has been made to me to buy 99¢ worth of fishing line and just permanently affix it to the zipper. When not in use, just tuck it inside the dress. I have yet to acquire that fishing line lol
And if you happened to find yourself by a river, you can attach a bobby pin to the line and catch a fish for supper.
@jacquelinelarkspur Give a girl a fish and she'll eat for a day, give her a fishing rod and she can sell it to buy more fish...
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.” ― Terry Pratchett, Jingo
😉
To avoid that problem, I will generally just pull the dress over my head without using the zipper on several of my dresses. As I rarely wear either makeup or a wig, pulling a dress over my head is not an issue. In the few time when I have worn makeup, I will usually do my makeup after donning the dress. That being said, I have asked my wife for assistance with the zipper as she does to me when the the zipper is required.
MacKenzie Alexandra
I’m quite lucky in that I’m still relatively flexible enough to, just about, zip them up, although it’s getting harder all the time.
Back in the day when I dressed about 3 times a year and didn’t have any of my own clothes, I used to sometimes wear clothes that my wife wouldn’t be wearing anytime soon, and with dresses it was because they were now too small for her.
There was a clue there, they were TOO small for my wife who is smaller than me.
One night while she was away, I got one of her dresses on, but gave up after a lot of painful effort with the zip. Getting it off however, was even harder.
I was quite frustrated by this time and I may have been a little too forceful trying to remove it, but it didn’t go well. At one point I was lying on the floor in tears with both arms stuck above my head unable to move with the rather expensive dress covering my face. I was so constricted I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
To this day I don’t know how it came off, I think I very nearly dislocated a shoulder in the process. After that I gave up for the evening and went to watch TV.
I don’t think I dressed for months after that
Yes I’ve just read your reply too.
It’s not the first time I’ve thought that tbh!
Even with the struggles we encounter, there is something nice about the feeling of “being put into a dress” that the zipper back provides…I enjoy it immensely!
I'm totally untested in this situation as I don't have any back-zippered dresses - yet! I've stayed away from them since I recognised the effort involved in getting out of my more form-fitting non-zippered ones. Now that @chrisfp99 has enlightened me about assistance gadgets, that definitely expands the range of possibilities for future dresses though. Thanks hon!
@finallyfiona I have back zip dresses 👗, I pull over my head. And zip the zipper when only halfway on. Works like magic. And feels so good when you pull it on the rest of the way.
I know exactly what all you ladies are saying about the difficulties of back zips on dresses. But I must say there is something very exciting about a dress tightening up around you as you zip it up. I guess I am one of the lucky ladies as I can manage pulling up the zips by myself…but for those rare dresses that prove difficult, I ask my wife to zip me up….and that is a simply wonderful feeling! Two girls helping each other look our best.
Hugs
Christine
