AU2007100719A4 - Improvements in Clothing - Google Patents

Description

Improvements in Clothing Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in clothing. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement in women's clothing that allows the wearer to convert a swimsuit, and especially a bikini, into a complete outfit, such as a dress.

Background Art During warm weather, swimsuits such as bikinis are popular attire for women at the beach, by the pool or in similar outdoor situations. However, away from the beach or pool, such as in restaurants, cafes, shops and so on, a bikini is often not considered to be suitable attire. Thus, when a woman wishes to leave the beach or pool, she will usually need to wear an item of clothing over her bikini, wrap another item of clothing, such as a sarong, around herself or change her clothing entirely.

While getting changed or covering the bikini with other clothing is more suitable for activities away from the beach, the necessity of changing clothing is a particular chore if the woman intends to return to the beach or pool in the near future. In addition, some women spend a great deal of money on bikinis and may be reluctant to cover an expensive item of clothing even when not at the beach or pool.

Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide an item of clothing that allowed the wearer of a bikini to dress appropriately for activities away from the beach, pool and the like without entirely covering the bikini.

It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.

Throughout this specification, the term "comprising" and its grammatical equivalents shall be taken to have an inclusive meaning unless the context of use indicates otherwise.

2 Object of the Invention It is an object of the present invention to provide a garment which may overcome at least some of the abovementioned disadvantages, or provide a useful or commercial choice.

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a garment for covering at least a part of the lower half of the body, wherein the garment comprises at least one engagement means adapted to engage with a part of another item of clothing and at least one retention means adapted to retain at least a portion of the at least one engagement means after the engagement means has engaged the said part of another item of clothing.

The garment may be of any suitable form. However, in some preferred embodiments of the invention, the garment may be a skirt, pair of shorts, pair of trousers and so on.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the garment may adapted to cover at least the midriff of the wearer. In this embodiment of the invention, the garment may extend to the waist, or just below the waist, of the wearer.

The garment may be of any suitable length and may be fabricated from any suitable material. However, in some embodiments of the invention, the garment may be fabricated from quick-drying fabrics, either natural or synthetic.

The engagement means may include any suitable means for attaching the garment to a part of another item of clothing. Preferably, the engagement means may include a flexible member, such as an arm or loop. The engagement means may be constructed from any suitable flexible material, such as, but not limited to plastic, fabric, thread cotton, nylon etc), string, rope and the like. The engagement means may engage with another item of clothing in any suitable manner. However, in some embodiments of the invention, the engagement means may be looped around a part of the another item of clothing, such as the strap of a bikini top, swimsuit, bra, halter-neck top or similar items of clothing. In this way, the garment may be connected to another item of clothing.

Any suitable retention means may be used in the present invention. However, it is preferred that the retention means is of a suitable form for retaining the engagement means once it has engaged with the part of another item of clothing. The retention means may suitably comprise a button, clip, clasp, zip, post, hook and so on, or any combination thereof. Alternatively, the retention means may comprise a piece of Velcro adapted to engage with a corresponding piece of Velcro on the engagement means. Similarly, the retention means may comprise a press-stud adapted to engage with a corresponding press-stud on the engagement means. In some embodiments of the invention, the engagement means may be tied to, or hooked over, or wound around the retention means in order to retain the engagement means in place.

In some embodiments of the invention, the garment may comprise a plurality of engagement means. In embodiments of the invention in which a plurality of engagement means is present, the garment may comprise a plurality of retention means. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the garment comprises the same number of engagement means and retention means. In a most preferred embodiment of the invention, the garment comprises two engagement means and two retention means located adjacent an upper edge of the garment. Preferably, the two engagement means may be located substantially opposite one another at the sides of the garment when the garment is being worn.

The garment may further comprise tightening means. The tightening means may include any suitable means, such as a zip, clasp, buckle and the like. However, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tightening means comprises a drawstring.

In some embodiments of the invention, the tightening means may engage with the same item of clothing as the engagement means, although preferably the tightening means engages with a different part of the item of clothing than the engagement means. In some embodiments of the invention, the tightening means engages with the front of the item of clothing.

Alternatively, the garment may not require the use of tightening means, and additional support for the garment may be obtained through the use of any conventional method, such as, but not limited to, providing the garment with an elasticised waistband.

In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a garment for covering at least a part of the lower half of the body, the garment comprising a pair of flexible engagement means adapted to loop around a bikini top strap, and a corresponding pair of retention means adapted to retain the engagement means after the engagement means have been looped around a bikini top strap.

The garment may also include tightening means adapted to tighten the garment and to engage with a bikini top strap.

Brief Description of the Drawings An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1-5 illustrate the steps required for a wearer to attach the garment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 illustrates the garment according to an embodiment of the present invention when in use.

Detailed Description of the Drawings It will be appreciated that the drawings have been provided for the purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention and that the invention should not be considered to be limited solely to the features as shown in the drawings.

In Figure 1 of the drawings there is shown the first step in attaching a garment according to an embodiment of the present invention to another item of clothing in the form of a bikini top 11. The garment 10 comprises engagement means 12 in the form of a clear flexible plastic loop member which, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 1, is engaged under a side strap 13 of the bikini top 11 so that it is held between the strap 13 and the wearer's body 14.

In Figure 2 it is shown that after the engagement means 12 has been engaged under a strap 13 of a bikini top 11, the engagement means 12 may be folded over the strap 13 and then retained in the retention means, which, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 2, is in the form of a button 15. The engagement means 12 is retained on the button 15 by hooking the engagement means 12 over, or winding it around, the button 15. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the garment 10 will have two engagement means 12 and two retention means 15 located opposite one another on the garment 10 and adapted to engage with the strap 13 of a bikini top 11 on each side of the wearer's body 14. By doing this, the garment 10 may be attached to the bikini top 11 so as to give the impression that the garment 10 and the bikini top 11 are part of the same piece of clothing.

In Figure 3 there is shown the next step in attaching the garment 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention to a bikini top 11. Once the engagement means 12 has been retained on the button 15 at each side of the garment 10, the wearer then must gather the tightening means 16 at the front of the wearer's body 14 under the wearer's breasts 17. In the form of the invention shown in Figure 3, the tightening means 16 is a drawstring, although it will be understood that any suitable tightening means could be used.

Once the drawstring 16 has been gathered at the front of the wearer's body 14, the drawstring 16 is then slipped underneath the bikini top 11 at centre front and drawn up between the wearer's breasts 17, as shown in Figure 4. This has the effect of pulling the waistband portion 18 of the garment 10 tight.

In Figure 5, the drawstring 16 is tied in a bow or knot to ensure that the garment 10 is both retained in place and provided with an aesthetically-pleasing look. Once attached in this manner, the garment 10 and the bikini top 11 give the impression of being part of a single item of clothing.

In Figure 6 there is shown a garment 10, in the form of a skirt, when attached to a bikini top 11. By attaching the garment 10 to the bikini top 11 at the sides and also at the front, through the use of a drawstring 16, the impression may be given that the garment 10 and the bikini top 11 comprise a single item of clothing, such as a dress.

By doing this, the wearer will be appropriately attired to walk off the beach, for instance, and straight into a shop or restaurant without needing to change clothes. By contrast, wearing a sarong in the same situation will not necessarily give the wearer a sufficiently appropriate outfit for entering shops or restaurants. In addition the garment 10 of the present invention allows the wearer to be appropriately attired for other locations without requiring the wearer to entirely cover what may be an expensive and attractive bikini, bra or similar top.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It will be understood that the present invention encompasses all such variations and modifications that fall within its spirit and scope.

Claims (4)

1. A garment for covering at least a part of the lower half of the body, wherein the garment comprises at least one engagement means adapted to engage with a part of another item of clothing and at least one retention means adapted to retain at least a portion of the at least one engagement means after the engagement means has engaged the said part of another item of clothing.

2. A garment according to claim 1 wherein the engagement means comprises a flexible member.

3. A garment according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the garment further comprises tightening means.

4. A garment for covering at least a part of the lower half of the body, the garment comprising a pair of flexible engagement means adapted to loop around a bikini top strap, and a corresponding pair of retention means adapted to retain the engagement means after the engagement means have been looped around a bikini top strap. A garment according to claim 4, wherein the garment further comprises tightening means adapted to tighten the garment and to engage with a bikini top strap.