US2661468A - Maternity skirt - Google Patents

Description

INVENTOR. n. euswevs boL-L ATTORNEY,

Patented Dec. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE The present invention pertains to a novel maternity skirt of the type that permit enl r ement of the waist as needed.

The skirts generally made or offered for this purpose are provided with pleats at the front or back. The pleats in this position merely emphasize and add to the increased body dimensions in practically all adjustments of the skirt. Also, the mechanical operation of making the adjustment is often complicated or awkward, with the result that the wearer must contend with a skirt that is far from neat.

The principal object of this invention is to overcome these difficulties and in general to provide a skirt with as neat and trim appearance as possible under the circumstances. More particularly, the pleats for expansion are removed from the front and back, where they would be most conspicuous, and placed at the sides where they are least conspicuous. The pleats are not permanent or secured but rather in the form of loose gathers that can be opened out as required.

An unrufiled condition of the front of the skirt is provided by securing a strap or binding thereto at the waist. This member is extended from both ends as a belt passing through loops on the side portions of the skirt, preferably on the outside.

The back portion of the skirt is defined by a pair of slits through the waist, and the back portion also is unruflled. The ends of the belt pass through the slits and are tied together and concealed inside the skirt. Thus, there is no indication, in the early stages, that the garment is a maternity skirt. In the more advanced stages and while the skirt is still gathered, the gathers are at the hips where the least enlargement occurs and where the wearer can best afford, from the standpoint of appearance, to have the gathers.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the following description and in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective top view of the skirt;

Figure 2 is a plan view with the back portion turned outward;

Figure 3 is a front elevation with the belt ex tended; and

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characters which are employed to designate corresponding part throughout.

In Figure 1 the skirt material is illustrated as formed into a body I by sewing together a numher of panels or in any other suitable manner, with the particulars of construction that are described herein. For the purpose of description, the body of the skirt may be regarded as comprising a front portion 2, side or hip portions 3 andaback portion 4. a 1

At the waist line 5, the side portions 3 are formed with loose pleats or gathers 6, there being sufiicient material at the waist to provide for the pleats while the waist line of the wearer is in normal or nearly normal condition. The waist is slit at I at both sides of the back portion 4, for a purpose that will presently be described. A binding 8 may be secured on the upper end of the back portion, or at the waist, to maintain this portion in an unrufiled condition. In like manner a doubled binding 9 is fitted over and secured to the upper edge or waist of the front portion 2.

This member is actually a belt on the outside of the waistband, having loose prolonged ends or tying portions ID at the back, and bridging a gap H at the front of the waist portion 5.

The belt portions l0 pass through loops secured to the side portions 3 at the waist line and on the outside. It will be noted that two of these loops are located directly at the slits 7 so that the ends of the belt portions are easily guided through the slits to the inside of the skirt. The pleats 6 may be made larger or smaller by drawing the belt portions in one direction or the other through the loops [2.

When the waistlin has been adjusted as required, by means of the belt and loops, the ends of the belt are drawn through the slits l and tied together inside the skirt in a concealed position. The ends of the rear binding 8 are then attached where they reach on the belt, by any suitable means such as safety pins, for example. However, fastener hooks I3 are preferably attached to the ends of the rear binding 8 on the inside for engagement with eyes M on the belt. The eyes are located to be engaged by the hooks during the early stages of pregnancy. Thereafter, additional eyes or safety pins may be used, as the waist line of the skirt is enlarged from time to time.

The waist of the skirt is cut higher at the front than at the back, as shown in Figure 3 where the numeral l5 indicates the rear upper edge. Such a relation exists when the lower edge or hem of the skirt is at a constant distance from the floor. The higher front edge of the waist line may be dropped lower as pregnancy advances, to comp gate for the tendency of the front lower edge to The skirt is made in such a manner as to maintain a neat appearance at all times. Pleats and gathers are avoided at the front and back where they would exaggerate and emphasize the natural enlargement. Instead, they are provided at the hips where the enlargement is at the minimum and where they improve the outward appearance of the figure even under normal or nearly normal 'fcbfi ditions. The 'bdiltlld. bfiw removes the apronffect that *is distasteful to most women. It is easily smoothed out within the skirt so that it is inconspicuous from the outside. W

Although a specific embodiment of thir'fv'n tion has been illustrated and described} it":will-be understood that various alterations inithedetails of construction may be made"wi'thoi1t'diiarting from the scope of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

1 ',-.i;; 1. x 2 L1? lul', :n, 11;.

+1 1A skirt compri in a .fidnM-Plfifik bl Wit-9- rial providin front,.-ba si a d: derq z-t p isian -aiwaistasaid...bo yt eine slit thro gh fizhezwa between the,.bac1 =p i n.-end the; sidejnq ons,

a belt fixed to said front portiqnat theflvaist, 25

sleeps .ontthes aist ti e' s de q ti s-n a dp t mas in th ou h rsa di pp si endh vix e 9 ,91 99r- -tionsadapted to pass through the slits and to. tie

inside said back portion, fastening elements on said back portion at said slits, and complementary fastening elements on said belt.

2. A skirt comprising a body of pleatable mate- 5 rial providing front, back and side portions and side of-the-waist at theside porhaving end portions adapted to pass through the 'ESIits and to tie inside said back portion, fasteni elements on said back portion at said slits, a dcd'inplementary fastening elements on said '15 belt.

M. GENEVIEVE DOLL.

.References cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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