Polka dot shirt, thrifted – more polka dot shirts
Skirt- Banana Republic (no longer available) – similar
Shoes, Retro Story courtesy Heavy Machine
Bracelet, a gift – similar
Earrings, self-made – similar
Bag, hand-me-down Foley + Corinna Mid-City Tote
This thrifted shirt features a zipper instead of buttons at the placket. Initially, I found this feature a bit odd. I’m so used to the look and feel of buttons that the zipper seemed out of place. But button plackets cause many fit issues – including pulling and showing bits of naked torso through the openings – so eventually I wondered why there aren’t MORE zip-front shirts on the market. Not a perfect solution, but a potential alternative.
Would you wear a zip-front collared shirt? Think it might help with a few minor fit issues?
**Disclosure: Actions you take from the hyperlinks within this blog post may yield commissions for alreadypretty.com. See Already Pretty’s disclosure statement for more details.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I LOVE those shoes. Putting those on my wish list. They add a spot of whimsy to your outfit.
Cute shirt. My favorite shirt adaptation to reality is the new button front styles with knit under arms/across back, but I would totally wear a zip front if I found a cute one.
I’d totally love a zippered shirt. After making an agreement with myself to stop wearing hoodies, I miss the comfort of a zip-up – I think it would depend on how the shirt read though. If it were more casual, edgy, dressy, etc.
Those Heavy Machine pumps are so incredible. I wish I could handle wearing heels more.
I’m torn with zip-up shirts. Sadly there aren’t many of them. I do like that they do not gape and pull- I have never found a fitted shirt where this does not happen- and shirts are the most appropriate attire for in court and other formal business occasions (I’m a law student). However, I think the zip takes away a bit of the formality of a fitted shirt. Hard to know.
Incidentally, one of my friends was once reprimanded for wearing a zipped shirt to work. She wore it because they do not gape or pull so she thought it would be more appropriate for the office. However, this boss told her it made him and other men think about it being pulled down so it was inappropriate and overly sexual. I was peeved. Workplace dressing seems impossible for women at times.
I like the concept of a zipper front shirt. Is it an invisible zipper, or can you see the teeth?
It’s invisible. Except for a very small pull at the top!
I’m not a big fan of the very visible zippers that seem to be in a lot of clothes recently. I might consider a hidden zipper for the front of a shirt, but prefer to solve the gaping problem with a cami or a safety pin.
I used to wear zip-up dress shirts, but it can be hard to find ones where the zipper doesn’t curl or bulge oddly as you move. Yours looks like it works well though! If the zipper is invisible enough (!) it just looks like a sleekly-tailored pullover to me. I like it!
I also used to have a sharp-looking dress shirt that fastened with a closely-set row of tiny hooks and eyes that gave almost the same effect. Maybe when I alter some of the shirts I have (as I have planned on doing) I’ll do hooks or zippers instead of the snaps I’d intended…
I think the zip front button down is a brilliant idea! Because my boobs are far apart, almost all button down shirts (even those that are a little loose at the bust) gape on me right between the boobs. I admit I’ve resorted to sewing them shut there out of frustration on occasion (so long as I can pull them over my head it’s fine). If you wanted a button front look you could always sew some decorative buttons over the placket.
Those shoes are awesome.
I have the same issue with fit and always, ALWAYS have to sew snap fasteners in between the buttons so that there is no gap. And I’ve also occasionally sewn a placket shut. The problem has to do with button placement and not having enough fabric ease to provide proper coverage. I have occasionally made front button shirts & dresses, and then I’m able to put the button in the correct position and also add enough fabric for proper coverage. Manufactured clothing freed us all to do other things with our time, but it also means that most of us can’t pull something off the rack without tweaking it to fit right.
There was a time when that’s the only kind that I would wear. No worries of gaposis! I think they’re brilliant for ladies with large ladies…
It’s cute. I hate that even tho I am not at all busty many shirts pull and gap in the bustling. Also the blue shoes are the bomb (if we are still using that expression).
yes please! great idea.
I’d wear one- gaps are a constant issue for me. It looks like, with the place the zipper seems to end on top that I’d still want a tank-top underneath for coverage, but since I need one with button-downs because of the gaps, it’s certainly no more clothing than the buttoned equivalent would need, so no suffering there. And it seems to do fitted better than many button-downs.
I have a purple plaid dressy shirt with gold threads in it with a zip. It´s gorgeous and I often wear it just for being in a good mood, even though it´s usually a bit over the top for a regular Thursday. I often allow myself to sparkle a bit for no good reason other than wanting to give my fancy clothes a bit of a walk-about!
Hi Sal, nice look!
I don’t own any shirts with a zip in the front, but I own some with a slight retro/pin up look that I bought at Pin Up Girl Clothing, and they don’t have an opening at the front, but a zipper in the back. The good thing abouth those is that they fit perfectly at the front, but it is true that the zipper does a bit of weird bulging in the back, at least in my case (I have a hollow back). With a cardigan those are absolutely perfect!
Kirsty, that story about the non-appropriateness of zippers at the workplace is – well, what is it? Hilarious? Ridiculous? Sad? So now women have to take into consideration the possibly nasty minds of their male collegues? What about zippers in your pants, are they unacceptable as well? Sigh.
Diana, I also sew close most shirts in the bust area to avoid gaping.
I have two Cabi shirts from a few years back, they both have hidden zippers in the front. One is a white tuxedo shirt, the other is brown striped. I haven’t worn either one much. I will have to put them into rotation this winter.
I have two problems with zip-fronts: first one is the metal. I’m quite allergic and will get a rash if pretty much any metal touches my skin. So how about a cami or a tank top underneath? I’m also quite busty, so wearing something underneath gives me a sort of uniboob and then the zip makes a gigantic bulge on my front (or at least it seems gigantic to me). Plastic zips tend to be more wonky, so even if I don’t wear a cami underneath, they’ll still bulge.
I have a couple of shirts with the seam down the front looking completely normal and the zipper to the side, on the side seam under the arm. I am fairly busty, and these are by far the most comfortable and secure-feeling shirts I own. I’d buy all zippered shirts if enough were available.