How to single women dress on their own?!

[Happilyobtuse]

I bought a dress to wear for an event. It is a black tie event and the dress is a gown with the zip at the back. I have just realised I have no way of getting dressed for this event and leaving the hotel without help from another person! The event is in a different city from where I live. Made me think, how do single women get dressed when designers keep putting zips at the back! I have a few dresses with zips at the side but the one I want to wear for this event has a zip at the back. I am totally stumped. If I was at home my husband or kids would help. Wise mumsnetters give me a suggestion! Please don’t say change the dress! I love this one!

Coat hanger. Hook through zip, grab over shoulder, pull.

Being flexible enough to reach the whole length of a back zip? Or if not, purchasing clothes we can fasten alone.

I ve never understood how women can't do up a back zip.

I've honestly never had a problem doing up a zip at the back.

You reach behind your back and push it up as far as you can and then you put your arm over the top and reach down between your shoulder blades to grab the rest

You just need something with a string that will clip onto the zip. Then when you’ve zipped it up
unclip the string.

I once turned up to a black tie event, grabbed a friend and went to the loos for dress help before returning my coat to the cloakroom. Unfortunately my babysitter that evening was my 16yo male neighbour.

If zipper has a hole in the zip pull then thread through a cord/ribbon. You can then pull up further and transfer to the other hand which reaches down and grabs the cord from the hand that pulled up.

This!

Exactly this

OP I totally understand you on this. You could always pop down to reception or ask a nice passer by to help 😁

I've been known to arrive at a party (DH was away) and ask a friend on arrival to do me up!

Honestly I can do this with most of my clothes, I have reasonably long arms and quite flexible as I have done yoga since I was a child. But with this particular dress it is proving tricky as the zip is not one you can hook and is hard to pull. My husband helped me and it was easy for him but I just can’t seem to do it on my own. 😭

Silky ribbon through the zip pull, the ones you cut off tops that keep them on the hangar in the store work. Or amazon sell zip pullers.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QaTq5Mu4EVs

Short video clip showing you exactly how to do it OP.

This has probably made my arms very flexible. I usually pull it up halfway from the bottom. Then when it’s halfway I go over my shoulders and pull the zip from the middle of my back to the top.

A lot of my dresses (post kids) are stretchy or have front fastening these days - so I’m not sure if I’m as flexible.

I just put something through like a bit of string and just use that to pull. I learned that as a child.
Obviously this only really works for dresses, I once had a jumpsuit I struggled with and visits to the toilet were a nightmare. I just used to ask some random to help!

I’ve got one dress that is particularly tricky. Last time I wore it I went round to my neighbours!

A zip puller you say?! I must investigate this at once! Thanks! 🤗

Or you shimmy the dress upwards if possible, reach the zip and zip up and then drop it down and continue? Amazon have zip pulls that clip on as well as through I think.

Long thin cord through zipper hole, drape over shoulder, one hand on bum holding dress in place and gently pull on cord with other hand to pull zipper up.

Women have been able to dress themselves alone before zips were invented.

https://amzn.eu/d/gVH5AeB

With these

Previously used a straightened paperclip taped to a pencil but those concealed zippers require a finer hook.

It is a narrow fit. That wouldn’t work unfortunately. This is the dress.

Put it on back to front, then slide it round 🙂

It is quite a fitted dress so not one I can slide around and get my arms in. I think the zip puller from amazon is my best bet!

Just ask lady at front desk… or housekeeping. Common request.

I used to have a boss who would come back from the gym after lunch and get us to do her dresses back up

Absolutely this. I’m nearly 60 and never in my life needed another person to help me get dressed