The double zip: how to use it? What's the point ? – CDL#90

Published at Feb 19, 2021

By David Hao, maximum soft tailoring

We wear our new jacket in 5 different styles 📸 Reading The double zip: how to use it? What's the point ? – CDL#90 Next We wear our new jacket in 5 different styles 📸

Cover credit: AW17 Universal Works lookbook

We all have zipped clothing , whether it's a parka, a hoodie, a vest, a jacket, etc.

And we know how to close them: we push the slide into the slider and we pull.

What is more intriguing are the two-slider zips , which are also commonly called double zips .

They are intriguing because their presence poses two questions that we will answer:

How to use a double slider zip?
What's the point ? Why do you want to put two cursors rather than just one?

The zip glossary used in this article

zip hoodie blue

How to use a double zip?

We are sometimes asked about the use of the double zip, which we have in particular on some of our clothes:

double zip drive question

Here's how to operate it safely in three steps.

Step 1: Maintain

I have a first big revelation to make to you: to properly engage a double zip, the slide must pass through both sliders.

More seriously, the important information to remember here is that the two sliders must be well held at the bottom , stuck to each other.

To lock them securely and prevent them from moving, I recommend:

Hold the top zipper and apply downward pressure to stick it to the bottom slider
Optionally, hold the bottom of the bottom cursor with your middle finger

1. The top zip is held down

2. To lock everything securely, the middle finger holds the bottom

There must be no space between the two, otherwise the slide will not pass :

The two sliders are not properly glued to each other...

... the slide does not go well 🙁

Step 2: Push

The second step is to push the slide through both sliders.

You will have no problem moving the slider into the first slider. The challenge will be to get him through to the second.

To facilitate this nesting, you can push downwards with your right hand, and at the same time upwards with your left hand.

There are two ways to identify that the slide is in both cursors:

Hearing a noise, a sort of "click"
Feeling that you pass some kind of resistance that separates the two sliders

1. We push one side down, the other up

2. The slide passes well through both sliders

Step 3: Pull

The fateful moment has now come. Take a deep breath and pull.

The top zip...

...then the bottom one

An obvious fact that is worth remembering: if the zip does not go up, you should not force it. Remove the slide and repeat the operation.

To accompany these explanations, I offer you two short videos on using a two-slider zip.

The first shows how to use it properly:

I lock the two sliders at the bottom of the garment and I push as necessary (you can see that there is a jerk) so that the slide passes correctly.

The second shows a typical example of misuse:

I don't put pressure on the top slider, it's not stuck to the bottom slider. The slide does not go through.

In this part, I wear:

Blue shirt: BonneGueule

Blue hoodie: BonneGueule

Brown jacket: Editions MR

Green pants: Good quality

Gray sweatshirt: ABCL Garments

What is a double zip used for?

Now that we understand how to use the double cursor, we can wonder about its usefulness.

There are two main ones:

1. Practical interest

A double zip provides more comfort.

Unzipping the bottom allows for ease around the hips and buttocks.

This can be useful in several everyday situations:

If you are sitting

In a seated position, with clothing zipped all the way to the bottom, you are likely to end up with a bump in your stomach.

It's neither very aesthetic nor very pleasant.

Unzipping the bottom and opening it a little allows you to unblock this area and be more comfortable.

I exaggerated a little for the photo but you see where I'm going with this.

There it's already better ( Albam fleece)

If you cycle

When cycling, if it is cold and/or windy, closing your outerwear is advisable.

But if it has a single zip, it risks making you feel tight or riding up a little at the level of your stomach, hence the benefit of the double zip to be able to open the bottom a little:

We see here that it is a little compressed in the stomach/hips/buttocks area. Photo by Ralf Hirschberger/picture alliance via Getty Images

If you are in a hurry

Freeing the hips and buttocks by unzipping the bottom can also give you ease if you need to move quickly .

For example, it would be uncomfortable to run or have to climb stairs two at a time with a garment such as the K-Way long raincoat , worn completely closed: