piz or how do we flip it and keep the zip?

December 8, 2008 8:06 PM

What can I do with a plastic boot zipper that wont stay zipped?

My friend got a pair of comfy winter boots last year for Christmas that were perfect. Back then the zippers would slowly unzip and it was a rarity. It happened a handful of times in the couple months that followed so it was no big deal. Ok so they were slightly less than perfect. This year the unzipping happens all the time. She'll zip up and have to zip up again after a few minutes. The zippers are plastic so the suggestions we found online dealing with pliers pinching the pull and such don't help. Rubbing with wax didn't do anything either. The zippers don't have locks which is really dumb. Is there anything else we can try before taking them to the friendly not so close to the neighborhood shoe repair place?

posted by @homer to clothing, beauty, & fashion (8 comments total)

This is rocking my world. I think I'm in the 2nd grade again.

A safety pin? That's what my Mom would do.
posted by XMLicious at 8:10 PM on December 8, 2008

Get some needle nose pliers and squeeze the closing side of the zipper pull so it grips the zipper more firmly.
posted by TDIpod at 9:06 PM on December 8, 2008

edit- should have read more carefully, sorry....
posted by TDIpod at 9:07 PM on December 8, 2008

Oh safety pin, oh safety pin!
Hai, how about a big kilt pin. Make it a feature. Totally original scottish boots.
posted by Kerasia at 1:03 AM on December 9, 2008

She's not too keen on the safety pin idea. She doesn't want to pierce any part of the boot.
posted by @homer at 7:33 AM on December 9, 2008

If you safety pin through the fabric attached to the zipper on either side, you won't pierce the outside material of the boot. If the boot isn't too tight at the top, you could probably pin from the inside and not even be able to see it on the outside.
posted by illenion at 8:20 AM on December 9, 2008

How about a big spring clip that would slip over the entire zipper when it's zipped up at the top of the boot? You could even go with something as fancy as a money clip to ensure that it looks nice.
posted by XMLicious at 9:23 PM on December 9, 2008

Thanks for opening my eyes to the fact that zippers actually do have their own fabric. I never noticed until I took a close look at the boot! I think it'll work once we get some nice looking pins.
posted by @homer at 8:22 AM on December 10, 2008