Q: Which zipper suits pajamas?
Pajamas take a size 3 nylon coil or plastic zipper, open-end on a full-front jacket and closed-end on a short placket, with a fabric-covered pull and a plastic slider. Nightwear sits against the skin for hours, so smooth coil and plastic are preferable to metal, which feels cold at the throat and can pinch when the wearer rolls over. Pre-shrunk tape matters here because sleepwear is often washed hot and a tape that shrinks will pucker the front edge and distort the placket.
- Size 3 coil or plastic, open-end on a full front.
- Plastic slider with a fabric-covered pull.
- Pre-shrunk, soft tape with no exposed metal.
The usual mistake is a metal zip, which scratches at night and is a problem for anyone with a nickel sensitivity. The second is a tape that has not been pre-shrunk: after a few hot washes the placket waves and the zip no longer lies flat. Avoid a large pull as well; a long metal pendant will press into the chest when the wearer lies on their front.