Stumbled on a thrifted 1980s prom dress that had this weird asymmetrical zipper placement

I read a comment from a vintage collector saying those off-center zippers were actually a design trick to make the fabric drape differently on the body, and now I'm wondering if we should bring back that kind of purposeful awkwardness instead of always hiding hardware.

3 comments

3 Comments

riverg752mo ago

I used to hate those zippers too but you seriously changed my mind.

nathan5452mo ago

Bring back purposeful awkwardness" - I mean, I get the idea but honestly most people just want a dress that fits without making them think about engineering principles. Those 80s zippers were probably a cost cutting move half the time, not some clever design philosophy. Your mileage may vary but I'll take a hidden zipper any day over something that constantly reminds me it's there.

richardknight25d ago

Wait, wait. Did you just call 80s zippers "cost cutting"? Those things were massive. Metal teeth. You could hear someone unzip from across the room. That was the whole point. My mom still has this dress with a brass zipper that weighs like half a pound. Definitely not saving money on that. Hidden zippers are fine for basic stuff but they feel cheap to me. Like the designer didn't want you to know how the thing actually works.