Could I have hook and eyes put on this jacket or is it a lost cause?

October 25, 2022 11:09 AM

I ordered this jacket online and it just came. I love it EXCEPT it has no closures! This is a cold weather jacket! (obviously) I feel like an idiot for not realizing that it had no closures (none of the pictures of it showed it closed --- DUH --- why did it not occur to me that it didn't close??) Anyway, this is fake fur. Do you think I could take it to a dry cleaner/tailoring place and they could put hooks 'n eyes on it, or would the fabric just tear? I actually have another fake fur jacket (black) and it does have hooks and eyes on it. But... I don't know, I'm disappointed. Should I just return it? Should I go to the tailors and trust them one way or another?
posted by DMelanogaster to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (16 answers total)

Hooks and eyes might well work, but will make the coat unreturnable if you find you don't like the way it closes with them. So it depends on how you feel about risking ~$150. I wouldn't, but that's not significant money to you, or if you're madly in love with the color, it wouldn't be insane.

Looking at the site, are you...hm. Are you sure the garment is meant to be functional outdoor wear?
posted by praemunire at 11:17 AM on October 25, 2022 [13 favorites]

Other relatively simple alteration options besides hook-and-eye:

- Add cloak clasps (like hook-and-eye, but fancier and with more robust attachment points)

- Add toggle closures

Other options that do not involve altering the coat:

- Wear it with a belt to help keep it shut

- Wear it with a thick, long scarf tied in such a way that the open front is covered
posted by BlueJae at 11:23 AM on October 25, 2022 [4 favorites]

If you can find a good tailor (i.e. someone with a lot of experience doing custom alterations, which won't necessarily be your neighborhood dry cleaners), they should be able to advise you on this -- they will be able to tell whether the fabric is strong enough to support adding a closure.

A belt is another possible solution -- you could even have belt loops added to the coat which I imagine it would put less stress on the fabric than adding closures to the front.
posted by mekily at 11:29 AM on October 25, 2022 [3 favorites]

I vote for seeing if a tailor can add a few toggle closures.
posted by phunniemee at 11:32 AM on October 25, 2022 [5 favorites]

THAT IS AN AWESOME COAT I WANT IT. Yes, any good tailor should be able to add closures. As it's fake fur, the base fabric layer should be some kind of strong material.
posted by Melismata at 11:35 AM on October 25, 2022 [4 favorites]

Magnet snaps!
posted by atomicstone at 11:41 AM on October 25, 2022 [5 favorites]

A single toggle -- you can test this essentially by sewing a large button on one side and a loop of elastic on the other -- would hold it closed at one point but leave the rest of it open. Multiple toggles would of course hold it more closed, but I think more than one would ruin the look.
posted by Medieval Maven at 11:42 AM on October 25, 2022 [2 favorites]

Magnet snaps!

Oh that reminds me, hijabi scarf magnets (get the large ones). I find them ridiculously strong - I've been using them as cufflinks because i got a couple of plus size cropped jackets that seems to be have very long split cuffs (probably designed to be rolled up) but that wouldn't do for the office purpose I wanted them for.

Speaking of design cues, are yours in fashion with sleeveless sweaters or large scarves? Maybe that's why it's not no closures...
posted by cendawanita at 11:52 AM on October 25, 2022 [6 favorites]

Best answer: A belt may, in the long term, rub the fake fur so it looks unattractive.

The great thing about hand-sewing hooks and eyes (I'd use those big thread-covered ones) or metal clasps or frogs is that anything hand-sewn can be taken off and changed without damage to the garment.
posted by Pallas Athena at 11:53 AM on October 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

Do not add toggle closures. Add hooks and eyes, which are invisible. Toggles will be visible and ruin the vibe of this magical coat.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:18 PM on October 25, 2022 [5 favorites]

Best answer: YOU ARE MAKING ME BUY THIS COAT TOO!! Velcro could work, too, though it might be hard to find it in purple. Perhaps just a small piece at the middle.
posted by Melismata at 12:20 PM on October 25, 2022

To clarify, I would use the elastic + Button method on the INTERIOR of the coat, not the exterior, so that it's invisible.
posted by Medieval Maven at 12:22 PM on October 25, 2022 [11 favorites]

If it's loose enough, I'd ask for hooks and eyes to be added where the lining meets the fur. Lining should be easily sturdy enough.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:23 PM on October 25, 2022

Those toggle closures could be on the inside, if done right you wouldn't see them in use. Then they would be barely visible when not in use.
posted by Oyéah at 12:33 PM on October 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I just got back from the tailor. he's going to put 4 hooks and eyes in. Thank you, those of you who love the jacket. It is not my usual thing! But I'm so TIRED of wearing all black and being the dreary old person in the park and so I splurged on this fun jacket. I'm going to wrap it up as a christmas present to -- MOI. (after wearing it if it still gets cold in NYC in December)
posted by DMelanogaster at 1:52 PM on October 25, 2022 [15 favorites]

Just wondering as a guy, would it be possible to add something from the inside, enough to make a shoe-tie knot, that can be tucked back inside the jacket so it's just about invisible, yet keeps it closed?
posted by kschang at 11:12 AM on October 26, 2022