Button-Fly

May 20, 2004 1:50 PM

Why the button fly? [mi]

So I see these jeans in my local denim emporium and they're a great colour and exactly what I want. The only problem is they have a button fly and the last time I encountered one of those it was not a happy experience. Sure enough they're taking some getting used to. When I go to the toilet I have to use a cubicle because the sight of me grappling with those stupid buttons is not pretty.

Anyway, I've been struggling with these for three days now and I just don't understand why anyone in the 21st century would actually request these damn things.

posted by dodgygeezer to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (27 answers total)

I always figured it was because most consumers are mindless sheep who will buy anything the TV tells them to buy.
posted by bondcliff at 2:04 PM on May 20, 2004

- you can get yourself stuck in a zipper
- it makes your package look bigger
- I think the original ones were button fly
posted by jessamyn at 2:10 PM on May 20, 2004

Stuck... heck, injured even!
posted by silusGROK at 2:12 PM on May 20, 2004

Why do we still tie our shoe laces after the introduction of velcro fasteners?

All is vanity!
;)
posted by squirrel at 2:22 PM on May 20, 2004

Because buttons don't unzip when you don't want them too.
posted by srboisvert at 2:26 PM on May 20, 2004

I prefer buttons, thank you very much.
posted by dobbs at 2:28 PM on May 20, 2004

Stuck... heck, injured even!

If you can't manage to get your goods back in your pants without injuring it with a zipper... do we, as a society, really want it operational?
posted by falconred at 2:33 PM on May 20, 2004

I like the buttons, although every once in awhile I encounter jeans on which one of the buttons doesn't like to stay fastened.

Give it some time and you'll probably get used to it, dodgy.
posted by me3dia at 2:34 PM on May 20, 2004

Well, when I was a kid I managed to pull my zipper up over a very sensitive bit of skin. I don't really like button flies though, the levi's I've had with them always suffered from button-hole failure before the actual jeans got to the level of lived-in-and-been-through-Hell I like. Once one or more button-holes are busted your jeans are relegated to the trash unless you like wardrobe malfunctions.
posted by substrate at 3:27 PM on May 20, 2004

Because buttons don't unzip when you don't want them too.

Yes, but forgetting that you're wearing a button-fly the day you decide to go commando can be embarassing, especially if one of the buttons inadvertenly opens.

I speak from experience.
posted by jammer at 3:34 PM on May 20, 2004

GEORGE: (bursting out of the bathroom, fumbling with his fly) Button fly! Why do they put buttons on a fly? It takes ten minutes to get these things open!
JERRY: I like the button fly.
GEORGE: (incredulous) What?
JERRY: That is one place on my wardrobe I do not need sharp interlocking metal teeth. It's like a mink trap down there.
posted by funkbrain at 3:50 PM on May 20, 2004

When I go to the toilet I have to use a cubicle because the sight of me grappling with those stupid buttons is not pretty.

After a while of wearing and washing, the holes on the fly will become looser, and undoing the buttons will become easier. I am able to undo all the buttons in one calculated tug (though i usually only undo three to use the facilities). I am female, btw, and prefer the buttons.
posted by rhapsodie at 5:27 PM on May 20, 2004

I believe Lee put the first zipper on jeans. Button jeans are so infinitely cooler. If you're paying $120 for a pair of jeans I don't think buttons would be what you're looking for in jeans.
posted by geoff. at 6:08 PM on May 20, 2004

I always figured it was because most consumers are mindless sheep who will buy anything the TV tells them to buy.

Bingo!
posted by five fresh fish at 8:50 PM on May 20, 2004

[mi] indeed.
posted by dg at 8:54 PM on May 20, 2004

When I was little I saw some button flys hung out to dry at a friends and immediately wanted a pair. So you can through the consumers are sheep reason out the window, at least for me.

Really, this is simple. If you have a big meal at a restaurant and are then going to the movies and you're wearing button flys, you just release one button (or two if you have a long shirt) and the rest of the buttons keeps your pants up.

If you have a zipper and you unbutton your one button, most flys wouldn't stay together, and your pants might fall down.

I wish button flys were on all jeans. I'm surprised to see a few people who still want zippers. Probably because that's what the grew up with.

Sheep.
posted by justgary at 9:02 PM on May 20, 2004

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the actual, honest-to-deity reason yet: Flexibility. A zipper is much more rigid than a set of buttons, making it harder to bend and therefor much less comfortable, especially on jeans which are generally reasonably tight.

As far as the buttons coming undone goes, if the jeans are new that's just shoddy workmanship. After a lot of wear this will happen to a lot of jeans though, just grab needle and thread and make the buttonhole slightly smaller on the outside (that's the right side for men's trousers). (That's where the wear and tear goes, so if you "repair" the other side there's a risk the button will slightly stick out from under the piece of fabric stuck over it. If you care about such things).
posted by fvw at 9:15 PM on May 20, 2004

I wish *all* trousers had button flys. Most of my better suits do. The design provides a better, um, "fit" and drape. I think zippers really came along only when clothes started to be bought off-the rack instead of from the tailor.

Getting stuck . . . yikes! Wasn't that in There's Something About Mary? Not a fun experience.

Like Jessamyn said it makes your package look bigger. Can't think of a downside to that.

You really do get used to the buttons and they get looser - you'll be able to fasten and unfasten them with one hand in the WC in no time!
posted by sixdifferentways at 9:27 PM on May 20, 2004

Button Fly is just plain sexier. I find that a man who takes the time to button and unbutton his fly takes time with other things as well.

:-)
posted by anastasiav at 9:36 PM on May 20, 2004

I've zipped my bits a couple of times -- yes, a couple -- over the years. Nothing dire, just some minor ouchies, thank goodness.

I like buttons.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:41 PM on May 20, 2004

if you're more, shall we say, ample, in the downstairs department, then the button fly is your friend. because if there are any, er, stirrings, in the area, then a zip fly has a tendency to work its way down. a button fly keeps you firmly and fully clothed.

though, it has its benefits (arf!), it's a hell of a pain when my boyfriend's looking for new jeans: often, he'll find the perfect pair, and then discover that it's only made with a zip fly. which is annoying. so, the one downside of a larger package - fashion restriction!
posted by kitschbitch at 12:25 AM on May 21, 2004

Yeah, I prefer the button fly for the flexibility. I find it hard to believe that anyone could actually prefer a zip fly on jeans.

Also, I've had the same problem as kitschbitch's boyfriend with respect to perfect jeans that don't come in a button fly model.

Turns out the world is composed of individuals with different tastes and preferences. Who'd have thought?
posted by nomis at 12:38 AM on May 21, 2004

extinguish all individuality! conform!
posted by crunchland at 3:32 AM on May 21, 2004

The thing about button flys though, a zipper, it's either up or down, and if it's down, you'll probably notice (hey, it's chilly in here!). With a button fly, it's possible to be partially done up.
posted by Capn at 8:22 AM on May 21, 2004

For your lighthearted consideration in the pro-button fly vein, chickssomeone who can:

Undo a Zip Fly Without Hands - Dime a dozen.
Undo a Button Fly Without Hands - Well, that's some serious lingual dexterity, isn't it?
posted by romakimmy at 9:35 AM on May 21, 2004

I always figured it was because most consumers are mindless sheep who will buy anything the TV tells them to buy.

or maybe that's why they buy the zipper fly... who knows which is personal preference and which is mindless conformity?

I like the buttons also, but, you know, I go both ways.
posted by mdn at 10:12 AM on May 21, 2004

Response by poster: Well I really didn't expect the button fly to get so much support. YOU INSENSITIVE BASTARDS - CAN'T YOU SEE I'M SUFFERING HERE!!!

Well maybe I'll get used to it and become an ambi-flyer.

Dodgygeezer
YKK Sales Executive
posted by dodgygeezer at 10:29 AM on May 21, 2004