GB2461755A - Underwear garment - Google Patents

Abstract

An underwear garment 10 for controlling the form of a wearer's body, the garment comprising an upper band element 11 and a lower band element 12, both formed of an elastic webbing material and sized to fit around a central region of the wearer's torso, wherein the lower circumferential edge 14 of the upper band element is connected to the upper circumferential edge 15 of the lower band element, and wherein the upper and lower band elements are formed to taper towards said circumferential edges, such that the upper circumferential edge 16 of the upper band element is longer than the lower circumferential edge thereof, and the lower circumferential edge 17 of the lower band element is longer that the upper circumferential edge thereof. The bands may be attached by elastic stitching to enable the upper band and lower band to move independently and the upper band may be arranged to stop above or below the breast line. A cut-out may additionally be provided for the breasts. The material to form the bands may be of braided elastic and the elastic elements in the material can be arranged to extend circumferentially.

Description

GARMENT

[0011 The present invention relates to a garment and, more particularly, an item of underwear.

[0021 A person's degree of social comfort and/or confidence is often influenced by their attitude to their body shape and the way they consider they may be perceived by others. With the percentages of many societies' populations that are considered to be overweight/obese being thought to be at record levels, there is an increasing number of individuals that may wish to be able to temporarily alter their torso body mass distribution.

[003] Underwear garments currently exist to address such ioucz by supporting or controlling the forTn f th wearer's body, but each has factors affecting its utility.

[004] For example, traditional style corsets and basques are primarily decorative, and thus tend to prioritise the aesthetics of the garment itself over the silhouette achieved by the wearer.

[005] Such garments have fastening mechanisms that can be difficult for a wearer to manage alone. Ties, zips and metal hooks can be awkward for a wearer to use to secure a garment, and there is always the possibility the fastenings will come undone while the garment is being worn. Such fastening elements also tend to press into the wearer's flesh, due to the inherently tight nature of the garment, causing discomfort for the wearer.

[006] Moreover, such fastening elements may also project from the surface of the garment to be visible through outer clothing. This is particularly undesirable when the wearer is trying to create the illusion that they are not wearing such support-style underwear.

[007] Traditional style corsets and basques typically also have rigid support elements, for example in the form of "bones", which are required to ensure that the garment retains the desired shape when worn by the wearer. Such elements can mean not only that the garment is difficult to put on but can also cause high levels of discomfort for the wearer. In particular, whilst the bones in a corset or basque may be comfortable while the wearer is standing up straight, as soon as the wearer relaxes, and especially when they sit down, the bones tend to press into the wearer's flesh, particularly around the sides of the bust area, and under the arms. Moreover, the bones tend be pushed outwards by tho body, uoh that they bend out when the wrr sits down, giving an awkward and undesirable appearance.

[008] Moreover, as with the fastening elements, such structural elements tend to project from the surface of the garment, and may thus be visible through outer clothing.

Again, this is particularly undesirable when the wearer is trying to create the illusion that they are not wearing such support underwear.

[009] Further, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, traditional style corsets and basques have a complex construction and are thus expensive to manufacture.

Moreover, the effectiveness of such garments is highly dependent on how well the item fits the wearer. For example, if a garment fits the wearer in the waist region, but is slightly too small at the top of the garment, the flesh in the back region and under the arms will tend to bulge over the top of the garment in an unsightly manner.

[0010] Corsets and basques are typically produced in a range of different sizes, either by bra size or dress size. It can thus be difficult for wearers who deviate from the standard shape, for example, in terms of their bust to waist measurement or in terms of their bust to waist ratio, to obtain a good fit unless they have the article specifically made to their measurements, thereby incurring further expense.

[0011] So-called "shape-wear" items such as control tights, control pants, strapless camisoles and waist-shapers are also known, and provide an alternative to basques and corsets for controlling the form of the wearer's body. Control tights and control pants are effectively tights or pants which extend higher up the body than their conventional equivciüLS, arid ar fcricd from otrongly elastic tri1; or have reinforced regions, so as to hold in the wearer's stomach. Strapless camisoles and waist-shapers are similar, but do not incorporate the pants or tights element.

[0012] Such items represent an improvement over corsets and basques, in that they do not necessarily require attachment means in the forms of hooks and eyes, or structural elements such as bones.

[0013] However, a common problem with such garments is their tendency for the top to curl over or roll down the body, due to the absence of structural elements for maintaining their form. This is uncomfortable for the wearer, as it effectively creates a tighter ring around the body at the top of the garment. Moreover, even a small roll of garment may be visible through the wearer's outer garment. Further, once the top of the garment begins to curl over, there is a tendency for the fabric to continue to roll down the body, such that the top eventually descends below the wearer's waist.

[0014] Some shape-wear garments address this problem by introducing structural elements such as bones in order to maintain the shape of the garment. However, this introduces the problems discussed above associated with such structural elements.

[0015] This problem can be reduced by reinforcing the upper edge of the garment to make it tighter. However, this can be uncomfortable for the wearer, and tends to cause the flesh to bulge out above and below the upper edge of the garment in an unsightly manner.

[0016] Other shape-wear garments such as control vests which iiiiuJ bia alernent with trps that pass over hrni1der are known to resolve this problem, since the straps prevent the top of the garment from rolling over.

[0017] However, these solutions are clearly inappropriate in cases where the wearer wants to wear a low cut, thin strap, or strapless outer garment.

[0018] It is an object of the present invention to overcome

the aforementioned problems of the prior art.

[0019] According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided an underwear garment for controlling the form of a wearer's body, the garment comprising an upper band element and a lower band element, both formed of an elastic webbing material and sized to fit around a central region of the wearer's torso, wherein the lower circumferential edge of the upper band element is connected to the upper circumferential edge of the lower band element, and wherein the upper and lower band elements are formed to taper towards said circumferential edges, such that the upper circumferential edge of the upper band element is longer than the lower circumferential edge thereof, and the lower circumferential edge of the lower band element is longer than the upper circumferential edge thereof.

[0020] When the garment is worn, the wearer locates the narrowest part around their waist, such that the upper band extends upwards from the waist to or towards the bust and the lower band extends downwards over the stomach.

[0021] With the essentially two-part construction of the garment, the lower band controls the form of the wearer's body below the waist, and the upper band controls the form of the wearer's body above the waist. The upper band is, to a UeyLt, incJ.ependant of thc 1c.:cr bend. As resu1; thp ability of the upper band to control the form of the wearer's body is not substantially affected by stretching of the lower band, and vice versa. That is to say, stretching of the lower band does not tend to cause any significant distortion of the upper band, and vice versa.

[0022] This represents an improvement over known shape-wear garments, which comprise a single continuous piece of material, with the result that a stretch in, for example, the stomach area can distort the upper regions of the garment, and thereby reduce the effectiveness of the garment in those regions.

[0023] Thus, the two-part construction of the garment of the present invention is more uniformly effective over the full extent of the garment than previously known shape-wear garments.

[0024] Moreover, this construction also reduces the tendency for the upper circumferential edge of the garment to curl over or roll down the body as compared with previously known shape-wear garments, since stretching in the lower band does not tend to be conveyed through the upper band to affect the upper circumferential edge of the garment.

[0025] As a result, the garment does not require structural elements, for example in the form of "bones" in order to retain its form.

[0026] The tapered construction of the upper band means that the garment holds in rather than pushes up the flesh in the region of the wearer's back and under their arms. As a result, the appearance of an unsightly roll of flesh above the garment in this region is avoided.

[0027] Similarly, the tapered construction of the lower band means that the garment holds in rather than pushes down the flesh in the region of the wearer's hips. As a result the appearance of an unsightly roll of flesh above the garment in this region is avoided.

[0028] Moreover, the inventor has found that the tapered construction of the upper and lower bands further reduces the tendency of the upper circumferential edge of the garment to curl over or roll down, thereby avoiding the requirement for structural elements such as boning for maintaining the form of the garment.

[0029] Since the garment is formed of a pair of band elements formed of elastic webbing material (ie two loops of elastic material which do not require fastening around the body), the garment can be stretched to pass over the hips or shoulders of the wearer, to be located around the wearer's torso. Thus, the garment does not require attachment means such as a zip, or hooks and eyes, which can be uncomfortable for the wearer, and may be visible through clothing worn over the garment.

[0030] The garment of the present invention thus achieves the advantages of previously known shape-wear garments over traditional style corsets and basques, whilst also overcoming the above discussed shortcomings of previously known shape-wear garments.

[0031] The upper and lower bands elements may be connected by a seam which extends along the lower circumferential edge of the upper band element, and the upper circumferential edge of the lower band element.

[003211 Tiit ar assists in provonting distortion f th upper band being conveyed to the lower band, and vice versa.

[003311 The seam may comprise stitching which extends between the bands in a zig-zag form. Such stitching allows for expansion of the seam when the garment is stretched.

[0034] As will be appreciated by the skilled person, alternative stitches may be used, provided the respective lower and upper circumferential edges of the upper and lower bands can still stretch sufficiently for the garment to be drawn over the wearer's shoulders/hips. For example, the seam may comprise a plurality of separate stitches, ie, stitches which are not connected to one another. Such stitching allows for expansion of the seam when the garment is stretched.

[0035] The seam may comprise elastic stitching. Such elastic stitching allows the seam to expand when the garment is stretched.

[0036] In certain embodiments, the upper and lower bands may be provided by sections of a single piece of elastic material constructed to have the tapered form described above.

[0037] The upper band may be formed to extend upwards from the waist to extend over a lower bust region of the wearer.

More particularly, the distance between the upper and lower circumferential edges of the upper band is preferably between approximately 1 and 5 cm greater than, and more preferably between 3 and 4 cm greater than the distance from the waist to immediately below the bust of the wearer.

[0038] With this configuration, the upper band extends over the lower portion of the wearer's bust, and acts to push up the bust, such that the wearer does not need to wear a bra.

[0039] In this respect, whilst the garment will tend to hold in rather than push up/down the flesh in the hip, back and under arm regions, because the garment extends over only the lower bust region of the wearer, the garment will act to push up the bust, rather than to hold in the flesh in this region.

[0040] Alternatively, the garment may be formed to extend upwards from the waist to a position immediately below the wearer's bust. In this case, the distance between the upper and lower circumferential edges of the upper band is preferably approximately equal to the distance from the waist to immediately below the bust of the wearer.

[0041] Further alternatively, in the case where the distance between the upper and lower circumferential edges of the upper band is greater than the distance from the waist to immediately below the bust of the wearer, the front of the garment may comprise a cut away portion, such that the garment does not extend over the wearer's bust. With both these configurations, the wearer is able to wear a bra with the garment.

[00421 The garment is preferably formed of two lengths of braided elastic which extend circumferentially to form said upper and lower bands.

[0043] Braided elastic comprises a plurality of elongate elastic elements formed of a suitable rubber, such as neoprene, which are braided into a substantially flat length of elastic material using a non-elastic material such as nylon thread. Thus, when formed of braided elastic, the upper and lower bands will each comprise a plurality of circumferentially extending elastic elements braided together Lu LULILL OiitiflUCUS pico of motoril. As such, th garment will be stretchable in the circumferential direction, but substantially inelastic in the perpendicular direction between the upper and lower circumferential edges of the garment.

[0044] The present inventor has found that using braided elastic is highly desirable, because the braided elastic is sufficiently strong to hold in the wearer's body to give a smooth appearance, and yet is sufficiently elastic that the garment can be stretched over the wearer's shoulders or hips in order to be located around their body. At the same time, the circumferentially extending elastic elements of the braided elastic assist in preventing the top of the garment from folding or rolling down. Further, the circumferentially extending elastic elements of the braided elastic assist in ensuring that the bands hold in, rather than push up/down the flesh in the region of the back, hips and under the arms, to prevent the appearance of unsightly rolls of flesh above/below the garment in these regions.

-10 - [00451 Moreover, when the bands are formed of braided elastic, the width of the bands (the distance between the upper and lower circumferential edges thereof) does not decrease when the bands are stretched in a circumferential manner.

[00461 Alternative types of elastic may be used in certain embodiments, for example, woven elastic.

[0047] The elastic material preferably comprises between 5.

and 10 circumferentially extending elastic elements per centimetre.

[0048] The elastic material preferably has a thickness of between approximately 0.2 and 1.5 mm, more preferably (L7m.

[00491 Preferably, the garment may be stretched to increase its circumferential dimensions up to approximately 1.5 to 3 times the corresponding un-stretched dimensions, and more preferably up to approximately 1.8 and 2.2 times..

[0050] As will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art, the more easily stretchable the garment, the less effective, the garment will be in controlling the form of the wearer's body. The present inventor has found that a garment that can be stretched to the extent specified above can be easily stretched to pass over the wearer's shoulders or hips, and yet still exerts sufficient control over the form of the wearer's body.

[0051] The upper and lower bands may each be made of elastic material having the same properties. Alternatively, the upper and lower bands may be made of elastic material having different properties depending on the requirements of the -11 -wearer. In particular, the lower band may be made less easily stretchable than the upper band, if greater control is required in the lower region of the body, or the upper band may be made less easily stretchable than the lower band, if greater control is required in the upper region.

[0052] The un-stretched length of the upper circumferential edge of the garment (the upper circumference of the upper band) is preferably between approximately 5 and 10 cm less than the measurement around the body immediately under the wearer's bust.

[0053] The un-stretched length of the lower circumferential edge of the upper band (and the upper circumference of the lower band) is preferably between approximately 5 and 10 cm 1 i-i--.i-- rriirir th hrrh, iih rti 1 1 v I r the region of the wearer's waist.

[0054] The un-stretched length of the lower circumferential edge of the garment (the lower circumference of the lower band) is preferably between approximately 5 and 10 cm less than the measurement around the body at the top of the wearer's hips.

[0055] Thus, the elastic material will be under tension when in place around the wearer's body, and thus exerts pressure, to hold in and control the form thereof.

[0056] Moreover, it has been found that by having the dimensions of the garment within the aforementioned ranges, the garment will be effective when worn be wearers whose relative dimensions may vary from the standard. For example, if the garment is made to the measurements of a standard dress size, the garment will be nevertheless fit a wearer who may have, for example, a waist measurement that corresponds -12 -to a UK size 14, whilst their hip measurement corresponds to a UK size 12.

[0057] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an underwear garment for controlling the form of a wearer's body, the garment comprising a band sized to fit around a central region of the wearer's torso, and formed of braided elastic material, the elastic elements of said material extending circumferentially of the garment.

[0058] The band preferably comprises upper and lower band elements, the lower circumferential edge of the upper band element being connected to the upper circumferential edge of the lower band element.

[G059] Tii up aici lower band clcmor.ts are preferably formed to taper towards said circumferential edges, such that the upper circumferential edge of the upper band element is longer than the lower circumferential edge thereof, and the lower circumferential edge of the lower band element is longer than the upper circumferential edge thereof.

[0060] The garment of the present invention is intended to be suitable for wearers whose figures may conform to any of a wide range of dress sizes. It will be appreciated that, for garments made to suit figures which substantially conform to a UK size 14, 16 or above, larger hip, waist, bust, bust to waist, and waist to hip measurements may need to be considered than for smaller figures, such that the corresponding dimensions of the garment will be larger.

Further, the higher end of the preferred ranges referred to herein, or even higher measurements, may be required for larger garment sizes, for example sizes corresponding to UK dress size 14 or 16 or above.

-13 - [0061] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- [0062] Figure 1 illustrates an underwear garment according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [00631 Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a section of the garment shown in figure 1; [0064] Figure 3 indicates the location of various measurements to be taken of a wearer's body; [00651 Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the elastic material from which the garment is formed in an embodiment of the present invention; [0066] Figure 5 shows a front view of a woman wearing the underwear garment of figure 1; [0067] Figure 6 shows a side view of a woman wearing the underwear garment, of figure 1; [0068] Figure 7 shows an underwear garment according to a second embodiment of the present invention [0069] Figure 8 shows a front view of a woman wearing the underwear garment of figure 7; and [0070] Figure 9 shows a side view of a woman wearing the underwear garment of figure 7.

[00711 Figure 1 illustrates an underwear garment 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] The garment consists of two bands of material 11, 12, -14 -which are attached together by means of stitching 13 along the lower circumferential edge 14 of the upper band and the upper circumferential edge 15 of the lower band.

[0073] Each band is formed of a length of braided elastic which is stitched together to form a continuous ioop of material via seams which are not shown in the figures.

[0074] The ends of each length of braided elastic are sewn together in such a way that the resulting bands have a straight-sided tapered form. In this respect, the upper band 11 tapers from a longer upper circumferential edge 16 down to a shorter lower circumferential edge 14. The lower band 12 tapers from a longer lower circumferential edge 17 up to a shorter upper circumferential edge 15. The lower ciirufeential dgc f tho uppcr band is substantially same length as the upper circumferential edge of the lower band. The upper circumferential edge of the upper band may be larger, the same size or smaller than the lower circumferential edge of the lower band, depending on the requirements of the wearer.

[0075] The stitching 13 which joins the upper band to the.

lower band comprises stitches which extend in a zig-zag pattern between the two bands, as shown in more detail in figure 2.

[0076] The garment is intended to fit tightly around the body of the. wearer, and to extend from the bust region at the top 16 of the garment to the top of the hips at the bottom 17 of the garment.

[0077] In this respect, the five measurements indicated in figure 3 are of particular importance. Namely, the measurements around the body immediately under the bust (the -15 -bust measurement") 30, at the waist, ("the waist measurement") 31, and at the top of the hips ("the hip measurement") 32, the distance from the bust measurement to the waist measurement ("the bust to waist measurement") 33, and the distance from the waist measurement to the hip measurement ("the waist to hip measurement") 34.

[0078] Due to the elastic nature of the garment, the dimensions thereof may vary between the natural or un-stretched dimensions, and the maximum stretched dimensions.

[0079] To obtain the most effective result, the following requirements must be met:-the un-stretched distance from the upper circumferential edge 16 to the lower circumferential edge 14 of Liie U1JL band 11 ("A") should bo I to 5 cm longer than the bust to waist measurement 33; the un-stretched distance from the upper circumferential edge 15 to the lower circumferential edge 17 of the lower band 12 ("B") should be 1 to 3 cm greater than the waist to hip measurement 34; the un-stretched length of the upper circumferential edge 16 ("C") of the garment should be 5 to 10 cm shorter than the bust measurement 30; the un-stretched length of the lower circumferential edge 14 of the upper band 11 (or the upper circumferential edge 15 of the lower band 12) ("D") should be 5 to 10 cm shorter than the waist measurement 31; and the un-stretched length of the lower circumferential edge 16 of the garment ("E")should be 5 to 10 cm shorter than the hip measurement 32.

[0080] To achieve this, the garment may be made according to the measurements of a particular wearer. Alternatively, garments may be made to a series of standard sets of -16 -measurements, such as standard dress sizes. As will be appreciated, the ranges specified above are sufficiently wide that a garment made to a standard set of measurements will still be effective for a wearer whose measurements deviate from the standard set. For example, where the wearer's waist measurement corresponds is a size larger than their hip measurement.

[00811 Since the circumferential dimensions C, D, E of the garment will be smaller than the corresponding measurements around the body of the wearer 30, 31, 32, the material will be under tension when the garment is worn, and will thus exert pressure on the wearer's body so as to control the form thereof by holding in excess flesh around the back, stomach and under the arms and by nipping in the waist.

[00821 In order to wear the garment of the present invention, the wearer will stretch the garment so that it can be drawn downwards past the shoulders. Alternatively, the wearer may stretch the garment so that it can be drawn upwards past the hips. This requires the garment to be stretched, such that its circumference stretches by between 1.2 and 1.7 times its natural or un-stretched dimensions.

[00831 To this end, the elastic from which the garment is formed is selected to ensure that the maximum stretched lengths of the three circumferences C, D and E are between 1.8 and 2.0 times the respective natural or un-stretched lengths. This enables the garment to be comfortably drawn over the shoulders or the hips, without having to stretch the elastic material to or beyond its elastic limit.

[0084] As previously mentioned, and as illustrated in figure 2, the upper band 11 is joined to the lower band 12 by means of zig-zag stitching. That is to say, the thread is drawn -17 -upward through the material of the lower band, at a position near to the upper circumferential edge 15, and is subsequently drawn downwards through the material of the upper band, at a point 21 near to the lower circumferential edge and located rightwards (as shown in figure 2) of point 20. The thread is then drawn upwards through the material of the lower band again, at a point 22 located rightwards of point 21. This is repeated until the upper and lower bands are joined together along the full length of the respective circumferential edges thereof.

[00851 The result is a stitch which has a zig-zag form, with the rightward (as viewed in figure 2) sloping stitches on the outside of the garment, and the oppositely sloping stitches on the inside of the garment.

[00861 The use of this stitch ensures that the circumferential edges 14 and 15 can still stretch between 1.8 and 2.0 times their natural or un-stretched lengths, despite the presence of the stitches.

[00871 Figure 4 shows a section of the braided elastic used to construct the bands of the present invention. The braided elastic comprises a plurality of lengths of elastic rubber material 40, which extend circumferentially around the garment. These lengths of rubber are braided into a continuous flat piece of material by means of thin nylon thread 41.

[0088J Figures 5 and 6 are respectively front and side views of a -woman wearing the garment of figure 1. As shown in figures 5 and 6, when worn, the garment should be located such that the narrowest circumference, D, coincides with the wearer's waist. The upper circumferential edge 16 of the garment should then lie approximately half way up the -18 -wearer's bust, and the lower circumferential edge 17 of the garment should be level with the top of the wearer's hips.

[0089] In this configuration, the narrowest circumference D acts to nip in the wearer's waist, whilst the lower band passes over and holds in the wearer's stomach. The upper band acts to push up the wearer's bust at the front, such that the wearerdoes not have to wear a bra. At the same time, the material is sufficiently elastic, and extends high enough at the back and under the arms, that the garment does not push up the wearer's flesh in these areas, thereby preventing the appearance of an unsightly rolls of flesh above the garment.

[00901 Moreover, the construction of the braided elastic is uii Liit th tcp of tho grmcrt will sit tihi gint the wearer's body, and will not curl over or roll downwards.

Thus, structural elements such as boning are not required in order to maintain the form of the garment.

[0091] Figure 7 illustrates a garment 70 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The garment is identical to the garment of the first embodiment, except that a section 71 at the front of the garment is cut away, to allow the wearer to wear a bra with the garment.

[0092] Figures 8 and 9 are respectively front and side views of a woman wearing the garment 70. As can be seen, the shape of the cut-away portion is such that the upper edge of the garment curves around and under the bust. As such, it does not provide support for the bust, but instead allows the wearer to wear a bra to provide any necessary support.