How to Navigate Buttons, Zippers, and Closures with a Disability

Like most people these last few years, athleisure has become a staple in my wardrobe.

Like most people these last few years, athleisure has become a staple in my wardrobe. And it’s a great thing, who doesn’t love comfy clothes that always have some amount of spandex?! As comfy as all of this is, sometimes you want to get dressed in something a little more sophisticated, a little more professional, maybe even something fancy. As anyone who has tried to get dressed or undressed while sitting or lying down will know, it’s not easy, and then we throw closures into the mix. Now imagine you don’t have full function in your hands and fingers. Sounds like a recipe for disaster right? 

Closures can be one of the most frustrating things for anyone with something like a quad level-injury or even something more common like arthritis. Often, for purely aesthetic reasons, designers like to put zippers in where they are difficult to reach, annoyingly add buttons where a zipper would have been easier, use tiny little clasps and hooks made for baby-sized hands, and wrap us up in laces, straps, and ties. There is an endless array of crazy ways to get in and out of our clothes. 

Of course, they are entirely necessary, we can’t shrink ourselves down and slide into our clothes. Not every look a designer might try to achieve can be done with knitwear. I would love to avoid buttons and zippers at all cost but that’s not always possible. Often times with vintage, there are even zippers in the knitwear and buttons on sweaters because fiber contents were different than they are today and things did not shrink back to their original shapes the same way more modern pieces do. Similarly, vintage denim and other woven fabrics usually did not have the benefit of spandex and therefore don’t give us the same level of stretch we’re used to now.

When looking for a piece I know will have some type of closure, the most important thing to consider is the placement. In dresses, skirts, and pants, I prefer a side zipper if I can find it. Yes, a zipper down the front of anything is the easiest to access, but they tend to not lay smoothly if you are always sitting and dig uncomfortably. Side zippers are still fairly easy to reach and means the fabric will lay more the way it had be designed to, even if you’re not standing up. If I choose anything with buttons, I look for something sturdy, because I know I will likely be tugging at them a bit harder than delicate buttons can handle. 

Even if something I choose meets those criteria, sometimes I still need a little help. I don’t necessarily mean someone, but rather some “thing.” There is no shame in doing anything that will make your life easier! I have a handy little tool that is both a button holer, to help pull buttons through and a zipper hook to pull zippers more easily. They are easy to find and great for limited dexterity, and best of all, they’re often small enough to slip right into your bag! While that is my obvious go-to, I have also made small adjustments to clothes to make things easier. You or someone who sews can add loops to waistlines, as they can help to pull things into place for easier fastening. I’ve also added loops of ribbon directly to a zipper pull, which can be tucked in so I don’t always have to keep my tool on my person.  

If you are still looking to avoid zippers and buttons entirely, there are certain eras and styles of vintage where you will find lots of great options! Polyester knit was used in the 1960s and 1970s vintage  to make pretty much anything you could possibly want to wear. Vintage dresses, skirt suits, and pants suits in floral patterns, polka dots, and plaids, options for any taste. Bohemian styles of the same era are a great option. They tops tend to pull on loosely over the head and many skirts feature elastic waistband. The retro streetwear styles mean lots of tees and sweatshirts which are of course easy to wear. Sweaters had a major moment in the 1980s and '90s as well, and they are much less likely to have any buttons that older, more closely fitted sweaters.

As you may have also experienced, getting dressed isn’t always easy. Yes, depending on your functional ability some things may be easier than others.  Sometimes some of us simply don’t have the energy or the motivation to spend five extra minutes on zippers, buttons and hooks. Sometimes you will feel that extra five minutes is worth the effort to wear something you love that makes you feel amazing, inconveniences and all. I hope some of these little tips will help you dress exactly as you want as often as possible.

______________________________________

Caitlyn Pallas is a guest blogger. Barbies and Stevie Nicks were her first fashion icons, and watching Anthony Bourdain (against parental warnings) inspired an interest in cultural anthropology. She studied textiles, merchandising, and design at University of Rhode Island and received a Master's in dress and textile history from University of Glasgow. "I am still trying to carve out a space for myself in the world of fashion," she says. "I can’t say everything has gone to plan, but as some wise dudes who were probably just stoned once said, 'There are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road you’re on.'"

Back to Style Archive