CA2357437A1 - Blouse with decorative collar - Google Patents
Blouse with decorative collar Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2357437A1 CA2357437A1 CA 2357437 CA2357437A CA2357437A1 CA 2357437 A1 CA2357437 A1 CA 2357437A1 CA 2357437 CA2357437 CA 2357437 CA 2357437 A CA2357437 A CA 2357437A CA 2357437 A1 CA2357437 A1 CA 2357437A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- collar
- elements
- garment
- undercollar
- band
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A41—WEARING APPAREL
- A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
- A41D27/00—Details of garments or of their making
- A41D27/18—Cloth collars
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A41—WEARING APPAREL
- A41B—SHIRTS; UNDERWEAR; BABY LINEN; HANDKERCHIEFS
- A41B3/00—Collars
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Textile Engineering (AREA)
- Details Of Garments (AREA)
Abstract
A store front blouse provided with a collar structure that includes an overcollar having divergent edges that are set back from the throat area of the neck of the blouse and separate undercollar elements that are disposed below the wings of the conventional collar and shaped to simulate the appearance of a bow tie in the throat area of the blouse.
Description
Ti : BLOUSE WITH DECORATIVE COLLAR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to upper body garments such as shirts or blouses. The invention has been designed primarily, but not exclusively, in the context of so-called "career wear apparel"; specifically a "store front blouse" for wear by a server in the hospitality industry.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Restaurants or fast food outlets that operate at a number of different locations strive to maintain a consistent level of quality at all locations. This extends not only to the food itself and the level of service, but also to presentation of the premises and staff at each location. Normally, the staff members wear a uniform that is common throughout the organization. The uniform represents an important part of the image of the organization and should be immediately recognizable by customers irrespective of which particular location they visit.
Obviously, the uniform should be smart and eye-catching. At the same time, the uniform should be durable and capable of being cleaned easily and quickly. Each component of the uniform should be complete in itself; the uniform should not include small components that need to be handled separately. For example, it might be thought desirable to include a tie that would be worn with a shirt or blouse of the uniform. However, this would be awkward to deal with in terms of keeping track of the shirts or blouses and the ties that go with them; also there would be the problem of ensuring that ties are tied consistently and always look neat.
There are also the physical requirements of the job to consider, which make physically constricting garments impractical. A new design allowing for greater mobility and comfort was required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an upper body garment such as a shirt or blouse that addresses these criteria.
The garment provided by the invention has a neck opening provided with a collar comprising a band that is folded downwardly around the neck opening and has respective end edges that diverge from the throat area of the neck opening. The garment further includes undercollar elements that are disposed below respective portions of the collar adjacent said end edges, the undercollar elements extending towards one another outwardly of said end edges so that the elements are at least partially visible below the throat area of the garment in wear, the undercollar elements being shaped to provide a decorative visual effect below the throat area of the garment.
The garment may be essentially a conventional shirt or blouse with a down-turned collar but with the addition of undercollar elements or inserts that extend below the "wings" of the main collar and are visible between the edges of the main collar.
To accommodate the elements and provide the required visual effect, the edges of the collar wings may be set back (apart) to a greater extent than would normally be the case in a conventional shirt collar. This allows room for the undercollar elements to extend inwardly and be clearly visible between the edges of the normal collar.
The visible portions of the undercollar elements can be shaped in whatever manner is considered appropriate to provide the required visual appearance below the throat area of the garment.
Preferably, however, the undercollar elements are shaped and contrastingly coloured or otherwise finished with respect to the main collar of the garment to provide an appearance similar to that of a bow tie at the neck of the garment. For example, the elements may have edges that are shaped so as to extend parallel to the edges of the "wings" of the normal collar but set closer together and dimensioned to provide the appearance of "wings" that are similar to the wings of the main collar but somewhat smaller and inset therefrom, so as to simulate a bow tie.
It will be appreciated from this that the garment of the invention can be designed to meet the desired criteria of a smart and distinctive uniform, including a tie, while avoiding the need to provide a tie as a separate element, with the attendant disadvantages outlined above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readily carried into practice, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a particular preferred embodiment of the invention by way of example, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a ladies' store front blouse. in accordance with the invention, as seen in wear;
Fig. 2 is a a detail view of the collar area of the blouse;
Fig. 3 shows the collar turned up to reveal the collar structure;
and, Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the collar structure shown in Fig. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring first to Fig. 1, a blouse in accordance with the invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 20 and includes a neck opening 22 provided with a collar 24. The collar 24 is a fabric band that is folded downwardly around the neck opening 22 and has respective end edges 26 that diverge from the throat area of the neck opening. The edges 26, together with portions of the outer edge 28 of the collar band define what are sometimes referred to as "wings" 30 of the collar.
In accordance with the invention, the garment also includes undercollar elements 32 that are disposed below the respective "wings" 30 of the main collar 24 (overcollar) and which extend towards one another outwardly of the edges 26 so that the undercollar elements are at least partially visible below the throat area of the garment in wear. The elements 32 are shaped to provide a decorative visual effect to the garment overall.
Preferably, the undercollar elements provide the appearance of a bow tie, as specifically seen in Fig. 2.
Apart from the undercollar elements 32, the garment overall is of conventional construction and includes a main body portion 34 (Fig. 1 ) and raglan sleeves 36 (for comfort and mobility). The precise form and construction of these parts of the garment are entirely conventional and are not part of the invention. Preferably, the body portion 34 has a central front closure 38 provided with buttons 40 that effectively compliment the formal bow tie appearance provided by the collar elements 32.
With particular reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that, in this embodiment, the collar elements 32 are shaped to in effect replicate the shapes of the "wings" 30 of the collar proper, and have divergent edges 42 that extend parallel to the edges 26 of the collar band 24, and bottom edges 44 that extend parallel to the bottom edge 28 of collar band 24, but spaced upwardly to some extent from that edge. The edges 26 are set back (further apart) than in a conventional collar design to accommodate the collar elements 32.
Shading on the collar elements 32 in Fig. 1 is intended to indicate that the collar elements preferably are contrastingly coloured (and possibly of a contrasting material) to the overcollar band 24. Typically, the undercollar elements will be black or at least a dark colour to enhance the "bow tie" effect.
Figs. 3 and 4 show the construction of the collar structure of the garment. The neck opening 22 is defined by a neck band 46 that comprises two layers of fabric that are sewn together by lines of stitching indicated at 48 in Fig. 3. The lines of stitching join together the two layers of fabric and sew the neckband into the remainder of the garment.
Around the upper margin of the neckband 46, the collar band 24 and the undercollar elements 32 are inserted between the two layers of the neckband fabric and are secured to the neckband by the outer one (48a -Fig. 4) of the lines of stitching. In other words, the collar band 24 and the collar inserts 32 are sewn into the neckband between its two layers of fabric.
The collar band 24 and each of the collar inserts 32 is itself of double-layer construction as shown in Fig. 4 and has marginal portions (24a and 32a respectively) that are turned inwardly and stitched around their outer margins, to provide a high quality double-layer edge stitched appearance to the collar structure of the garment.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to upper body garments such as shirts or blouses. The invention has been designed primarily, but not exclusively, in the context of so-called "career wear apparel"; specifically a "store front blouse" for wear by a server in the hospitality industry.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Restaurants or fast food outlets that operate at a number of different locations strive to maintain a consistent level of quality at all locations. This extends not only to the food itself and the level of service, but also to presentation of the premises and staff at each location. Normally, the staff members wear a uniform that is common throughout the organization. The uniform represents an important part of the image of the organization and should be immediately recognizable by customers irrespective of which particular location they visit.
Obviously, the uniform should be smart and eye-catching. At the same time, the uniform should be durable and capable of being cleaned easily and quickly. Each component of the uniform should be complete in itself; the uniform should not include small components that need to be handled separately. For example, it might be thought desirable to include a tie that would be worn with a shirt or blouse of the uniform. However, this would be awkward to deal with in terms of keeping track of the shirts or blouses and the ties that go with them; also there would be the problem of ensuring that ties are tied consistently and always look neat.
There are also the physical requirements of the job to consider, which make physically constricting garments impractical. A new design allowing for greater mobility and comfort was required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an upper body garment such as a shirt or blouse that addresses these criteria.
The garment provided by the invention has a neck opening provided with a collar comprising a band that is folded downwardly around the neck opening and has respective end edges that diverge from the throat area of the neck opening. The garment further includes undercollar elements that are disposed below respective portions of the collar adjacent said end edges, the undercollar elements extending towards one another outwardly of said end edges so that the elements are at least partially visible below the throat area of the garment in wear, the undercollar elements being shaped to provide a decorative visual effect below the throat area of the garment.
The garment may be essentially a conventional shirt or blouse with a down-turned collar but with the addition of undercollar elements or inserts that extend below the "wings" of the main collar and are visible between the edges of the main collar.
To accommodate the elements and provide the required visual effect, the edges of the collar wings may be set back (apart) to a greater extent than would normally be the case in a conventional shirt collar. This allows room for the undercollar elements to extend inwardly and be clearly visible between the edges of the normal collar.
The visible portions of the undercollar elements can be shaped in whatever manner is considered appropriate to provide the required visual appearance below the throat area of the garment.
Preferably, however, the undercollar elements are shaped and contrastingly coloured or otherwise finished with respect to the main collar of the garment to provide an appearance similar to that of a bow tie at the neck of the garment. For example, the elements may have edges that are shaped so as to extend parallel to the edges of the "wings" of the normal collar but set closer together and dimensioned to provide the appearance of "wings" that are similar to the wings of the main collar but somewhat smaller and inset therefrom, so as to simulate a bow tie.
It will be appreciated from this that the garment of the invention can be designed to meet the desired criteria of a smart and distinctive uniform, including a tie, while avoiding the need to provide a tie as a separate element, with the attendant disadvantages outlined above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readily carried into practice, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a particular preferred embodiment of the invention by way of example, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a ladies' store front blouse. in accordance with the invention, as seen in wear;
Fig. 2 is a a detail view of the collar area of the blouse;
Fig. 3 shows the collar turned up to reveal the collar structure;
and, Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the collar structure shown in Fig. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring first to Fig. 1, a blouse in accordance with the invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 20 and includes a neck opening 22 provided with a collar 24. The collar 24 is a fabric band that is folded downwardly around the neck opening 22 and has respective end edges 26 that diverge from the throat area of the neck opening. The edges 26, together with portions of the outer edge 28 of the collar band define what are sometimes referred to as "wings" 30 of the collar.
In accordance with the invention, the garment also includes undercollar elements 32 that are disposed below the respective "wings" 30 of the main collar 24 (overcollar) and which extend towards one another outwardly of the edges 26 so that the undercollar elements are at least partially visible below the throat area of the garment in wear. The elements 32 are shaped to provide a decorative visual effect to the garment overall.
Preferably, the undercollar elements provide the appearance of a bow tie, as specifically seen in Fig. 2.
Apart from the undercollar elements 32, the garment overall is of conventional construction and includes a main body portion 34 (Fig. 1 ) and raglan sleeves 36 (for comfort and mobility). The precise form and construction of these parts of the garment are entirely conventional and are not part of the invention. Preferably, the body portion 34 has a central front closure 38 provided with buttons 40 that effectively compliment the formal bow tie appearance provided by the collar elements 32.
With particular reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that, in this embodiment, the collar elements 32 are shaped to in effect replicate the shapes of the "wings" 30 of the collar proper, and have divergent edges 42 that extend parallel to the edges 26 of the collar band 24, and bottom edges 44 that extend parallel to the bottom edge 28 of collar band 24, but spaced upwardly to some extent from that edge. The edges 26 are set back (further apart) than in a conventional collar design to accommodate the collar elements 32.
Shading on the collar elements 32 in Fig. 1 is intended to indicate that the collar elements preferably are contrastingly coloured (and possibly of a contrasting material) to the overcollar band 24. Typically, the undercollar elements will be black or at least a dark colour to enhance the "bow tie" effect.
Figs. 3 and 4 show the construction of the collar structure of the garment. The neck opening 22 is defined by a neck band 46 that comprises two layers of fabric that are sewn together by lines of stitching indicated at 48 in Fig. 3. The lines of stitching join together the two layers of fabric and sew the neckband into the remainder of the garment.
Around the upper margin of the neckband 46, the collar band 24 and the undercollar elements 32 are inserted between the two layers of the neckband fabric and are secured to the neckband by the outer one (48a -Fig. 4) of the lines of stitching. In other words, the collar band 24 and the collar inserts 32 are sewn into the neckband between its two layers of fabric.
The collar band 24 and each of the collar inserts 32 is itself of double-layer construction as shown in Fig. 4 and has marginal portions (24a and 32a respectively) that are turned inwardly and stitched around their outer margins, to provide a high quality double-layer edge stitched appearance to the collar structure of the garment.
The neckband 46 is also of unique design and construction in that it is shaped to define curved top and bottom edges 46a and 46b respectively and to provide a slightly elongated neck opening. As a result, when the blouse is buttoned up to the top, it appears neat and formal but is more comfortable to wear than a typical dress shirt. This results from the elongation of the neck opening and the fact that the top button (47) sits lower on the neck than would be the case with a conventional shirt.
Overall, the garment can be designed to fit almost any uniform design criteria. Colours, fabric qualities and textures can be selected as appropriate, as can the design of the overall body and sleeves of the garment. At the same time, the collar structure provided by the invention gives a crisp distinctive decorative appearance that can provide a highly recognizable chain-wide image when worn as a store front blouse by servers in a restaurant or fast food outlet.
The actual design of the collar band and collar inserts can vary widely depending on the "look" that is desired. In the embodiment illustrated, these components are shaped and contrasted to provide the appearance of a bow tie in the throat area of the garment. As noted previously, this adds the extra cache to the uniform of the appearance of a bow tie, while avoiding the use of a tie as a separate component. However, the collar components can be shaped differently if other effects are desired.
It will of course be understood that the preceding description relates to a particular preferred embodiment of the invention only and that many modifications are possible, some of which have been indicated and others of which will be apparent to a person skilled in the art. Preferably the undercollar elements 32 are separate from and lie below the main overcollar and are sewn into the neck band. However, the elements could be attached to the main collar and/or could be opposite end portions of an undercollar band.
Though the invention has been developed in the context of so-called "career wear apparel" (uniforms), the invention may be applied to garments for other uses.
Overall, the garment can be designed to fit almost any uniform design criteria. Colours, fabric qualities and textures can be selected as appropriate, as can the design of the overall body and sleeves of the garment. At the same time, the collar structure provided by the invention gives a crisp distinctive decorative appearance that can provide a highly recognizable chain-wide image when worn as a store front blouse by servers in a restaurant or fast food outlet.
The actual design of the collar band and collar inserts can vary widely depending on the "look" that is desired. In the embodiment illustrated, these components are shaped and contrasted to provide the appearance of a bow tie in the throat area of the garment. As noted previously, this adds the extra cache to the uniform of the appearance of a bow tie, while avoiding the use of a tie as a separate component. However, the collar components can be shaped differently if other effects are desired.
It will of course be understood that the preceding description relates to a particular preferred embodiment of the invention only and that many modifications are possible, some of which have been indicated and others of which will be apparent to a person skilled in the art. Preferably the undercollar elements 32 are separate from and lie below the main overcollar and are sewn into the neck band. However, the elements could be attached to the main collar and/or could be opposite end portions of an undercollar band.
Though the invention has been developed in the context of so-called "career wear apparel" (uniforms), the invention may be applied to garments for other uses.
Claims (8)
1. An upper body garment having a neck opening provided with a collar comprising a band that is folded downwardly around the neck opening and has respective end edges that diverge from the throat area of the neck opening, wherein the garment further comprises respective undercollar elements disposed below portions of the collar adjacent said end edges, said undercollar elements extending towards one another outwardly of said end edges so that the elements are at least partly visible below the throat area of the garment in wear, the undercollar elements being shaped to provide a decorative visual effect to the garment.
2. A garment as claimed in claim 1, in the form of a shirt or blouse having a conventional central front opening provided with buttons extending to the throat area of the neck opening, wherein said end edges of the collar band are set back from said throat area to accommodate said undercollar elements.
3. A garment as claimed in claim 2, wherein said undercollar elements have respective divergent edges that extend generally parallel to said end edges of the collar band, and bottom edges that extend generally parallel to but are inset above a bottom edge of said downwardly folded collar band.
4. A garment as claimed in claim 1, wherein said undercollar elements are shaped to provide the appearance of a bow tie between said end edges of the collar band.
5. A garment as claimed in claim 4, wherein said undercollar elements are a dark colour that contrasts with the collar of said collar band.
6. A garment as claimed in claim 1, comprising a neck band extending around said neck opening, and wherein said undercollar elements and said collar band are sewn separately into said neck band.
7. A garment as claimed in claim 6, wherein said collar elements and said collar band comprise double layers of fabric.
8. A store front blouse having a neck opening provided with a collar comprising a band that is folded downwardly around the neck opening and has respective edges that diverge from the throat area of the neck opening, the blouse having a central closure provided with buttons extending to said neck opening and further comprising respective undercollar elements disposed below said portions of the collar adjacent said end edges, said undercollar elements extending towards one another outwardly of said end edges so as to be visible below the throat area of the garment in wear, and being shaped to provide the appearance of a bow tie in the throat area of the blouse.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2357437 CA2357437A1 (en) | 2001-09-18 | 2001-09-18 | Blouse with decorative collar |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2357437 CA2357437A1 (en) | 2001-09-18 | 2001-09-18 | Blouse with decorative collar |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2357437A1 true CA2357437A1 (en) | 2003-03-18 |
Family
ID=4170002
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2357437 Abandoned CA2357437A1 (en) | 2001-09-18 | 2001-09-18 | Blouse with decorative collar |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2357437A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP2011026747A (en) * | 2009-07-27 | 2011-02-10 | Hiroko Hasegawa | Decorative collar |
-
2001
- 2001-09-18 CA CA 2357437 patent/CA2357437A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP2011026747A (en) * | 2009-07-27 | 2011-02-10 | Hiroko Hasegawa | Decorative collar |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Dead |