[Update on May 4, 2024: In this instance, I removed the zipper insertion pin, which cannot be replaced. The second time, I was able to make this modification without removing it.]

Zippers have been on my mind lately, not only because I am obsessed with metal zippers as decorative detail in general. I recently acquired a nice, longer blazer-style jacket at a great price at my local consignment store (new with tags!), and one of the perks in its design was a two-way zipper. It made me start to wish that all my other longer jackets had two-way zippers. Alas, this is not a feature on which mass-market clothing brands spend money.

However, having seen and felt the difference it makes when I sit down and still want to keep my jacket on without unzipping it all the way, there’s no going back to being content with the bottom part of the garment bunching up around my hips and thighs and the zipper bulging out at my stomach. After complaining loudly about it to the one person who’s obligated to listen, I decided to see if I could hack my zippers.

Well, first, I went to the dry cleaners most convenient to me and asked if they could convert the zippers. They said no, they would have to replace them. That’s an expensive job and involves taking apart perfectly good stitching and then redoing it, which I didn’t want. So, I turned to online research.

Maybe my search terms weren’t clear enough, but I didn’t get a lot of useful answers, although I learned some new zipper vocabulary along the way. An a-ha moment came from a video showing how to replace a zipper slider (on a one-way zipper). I realized I could simply add a second slider facing the other way before putting the first one back!

Of course, I wasn’t sure if it would work. Someone who sold me a slider said he wasn’t sure either.

So, did it work? Read on…

First, you have to know your zipper size. This is a number that corresponds to the width of the closed zipper in millimeters. For the first zipper I hacked, it was #3.

Also, make sure that you choose a slider specific to the material of your zipper, as the zipper teeth fit in it differently.

I also bought top stops because one had to be removed to fit the new slider. In theory, the same one can be put back on, but in practice, the zipper tape edge expands when you remove its metal constraint and it’s much easier to crimp a new one on. The main tool for removing metal pieces is needle nose pliers.

The next step is to place the second slider on the same zipper, facing the other way. There are threads and guides sold to help align the slider to the tape, but I didn’t have those on hand and wasn’t sure how they are supposed to be used anyway. The new slider didn’t want to go in that way, but luckily the old one did after some pushing and wiggling. Then the other slider could be replaced on top of it, as though nothing had happened.

The next question was whether the insertion pin on the other side would even go in through both sliders. It wouldn’t—it stopped firmly at the first one. So, with some trepidation, I removed it as well.

The exposed tape edge did go into both sliders, the top slider could be pulled up to close the zipper, and the bottom slider could reluctantly also be pulled up to unzip from the other end! Eureka?!

Not yet. The top end was misaligned by 4 zipper teeth. With more trepidation, I removed one tooth and tried again. Sure enough, the top was now misaligned by 3 teeth. I went ahead and removed the other 3 teeth.

Now the zipper was aligned. I cut off the plastic reinforcement, which was now loose without the insertion pin holding it in place, and burned the zipper tape edge to seal it (this works only with synthetic material like polyester—don’t try it on cotton twill!).

Finally, the top stop was replaced. Voilà—the jacket now has a working two-way zipper.

It feels a bit like a Pyrrhic victory because the tape end without a metal insertion pin is finicky to insert through two sliders, the bottom slider movement to unzip is very sticky, and, when fully closed, the zipper is visibly missing a few teeth.

It’s a hack job and far from ideal, but I think my seated self will find that it was worth the attempt on this jacket.

If you’ve read this far, I hope you found it somewhat useful or at least amusing. To reward your patience, I’ll now move on to describe the perfume that scented this project: Vanilla Shot by Olfactive Studio, from the Sepia Collection discovery set I purchased. The perfumer is Bertrand Duchaufour. I find this fragrance hard to characterize, so I’ll start by leaning on the brand’s copy:

Vanilla Shot boasts a fresh and sensual richness that blossoms thanks to myrrh resin. The fragrance is energized by top notes of coriander, saffron and aldehydes and enhanced by the presence of rose and dried fruits.

This is certainly not any cliché of vanilla—no cheery, artificial vanillin reminiscent of cake frosting. It starts boozy and herbal, as though dried fruits are soaking in a spicy mix preparing to become part of a holiday fruit cake. The slightly sour aspect of resins places this fittingly in the amber category. I also feel a hard and bitter edge that one gets when biting into the husk of some spices. It could possibly be orange peel. A heavier kind of sweetness builds in the background, as though promising harmony after the initial wave of cacophony.

It’s dubious whether harmony ever arrives, although with a hint of rose, Vanilla Shot mellows into more of the natural, still spicy facets of vanilla.

What kind of vanilla scents do you prefer?