US3304941A - Foundation garment - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21,1967 Q B 3,304,941

FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed July 8, 1965 //vv/v TOR. MA RIO/V M. CHI/BB) BY Waf /zwwm F H 5 l5- United States Patent 3,304,941 FOUNDATION GARMENT Marion M. Chubby, Chicago, Ill., assignor to A. Stein &

Company, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 8, 1965, Ser. No. 470,366 6 Claims. (Cl. 128528) The present invention relates to foundation garments and, in particular, to foundation garments such as girdles and pantie girdles.

Foundation garments of the type which encircle the body of the wearer, e.g., girdles and pantie girdles, originally were in the form of an unstretchable fabric tightly laced around the body to rigidly confine the body within fixed limits. Presently available garments, however, provide a positive support through the use of stretchable fabrics which, when in a stretched condition, exert a generally uniform pressure on the surface of those portions of the body with which they are in contact. In order for such fabrics to be effective, however, they must be in tension or stretch. For this reason, they are made deliberately small in size so that they will of necessity be placed in stretch when worn.

In most foundation garments a concerted effort is made to apply additional support for certain specific areas such as, for example, the lower abdomen. Thus, many garments include reinforcing panels of various shapes formed of a stretchable fabric and designed to cover the lower abdomen, it being contemplated that when the panels are in vertical stretch a lifting force will be applied to the abdomen. However, as noted above, sections of a garment formed of a stretchable fabric can only apply forces to the body of the wearer if they are in stretch and the aforementioned panels, as arranged in the garments, are only placed in vertical stretch by the weight of a sagging or misshapen section of the body, and then only if the panel is at least partially distended. Consequently, deviation from a trim appearance is a necessary prerequisite to even a small amount of additional containing force. Any benefit realized, therefore, comes at the expense of the trim appearance sought to be achieved.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide an improved foundation garment; to provide an improved foundation garment particularly adapted to flatten and contain specific portions of the body, such as the abdomen; to provide an improved foundation garment constructed to provide positive support to certain specific areas of the body without outward distention of the garment; and to provide an improved foundation garment which includes positive supporting sections which are automatically maintained in vertical stretch when the garment is worn irrespective of any pressures placed upon the sections by the portions of the body which they cover.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent with reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a girdle showing various of the features of the invention as the girdle might appear on the body of a wearer which is illustrated in dotted outlines.

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the garment of FIGURE 1 showing the distributing forces on that portion when the garment is being worn; and

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a pantie girdle also showing various of the features of the invention.

Foundation garments embodying features of the present invention may take various forms and may be adapted for use by either men or women. The foundation garlCC ment illustrated in FIGURE 1 by way of example is in the form of a womans girdle 12 which includes a generally tubular body portion 14 adapted to encircle the hip region of the wearer. The body 14 of the girdle 12 is preferably formed of two-way stretch fabric to provide positive support for all portions of the hip region, and is provided adjacent its lower edge with an elastic reinforcing strip 16.

In order to render the girdle capable of providing increased positive support for the lower abdomen, an elongated waistband 18 is provided. The waistband 18 is formed of a fabric stretchable only in the direction of its length and is incorporated into the generally tubular body portion 14 with its two ends secured at the front of the garment immediately above the crotch. The end portions of the band are disposed side-by-side in overlying relation to the lower abdomen of the wearer so as to provide abdominal supporting sections 20. The remainder of the band, -i.e., the mid-portion 22, extends upwardly, outwardly and rearwardly from the forementioned sections in encircling relation to the waist of the wearer. In the embodiment of FIGURE 1, the end portions or sections 20 are tapered slightly so as to extend outwardly gradually from their ends. The adjacent edges of the sections are secured together by stitching 21.

The band 18 is preferably of a single piece construction for reasons hereinafter set forth and, in order to facilitate the upward, outward and rearward curve of the hand, without in effect destroying its one piece construction, the band is preferably darted, as at 24, by removing triangularly shaped segments from its lower edge and restitching it. Darting may be accomplished at one or at several points in spaced relation to each end of the band.

Since the band is effectively a single piece, all tension forces and, hence, all stretch created within the band are transmitted throughout the band in the direction of its length as shown by the arrows. More particularly, tension forces and stretch created at the mid-portion 22 of the band where it encircles the waist of the wearer will be transmitted to the abdominal supporting sections 20. The mid-portion 22 is placed in tension (stretch) when the waist of the garment is expanded to fit the body of the wearer, as well as during breathing and other bodily movements of the wearer. Thus, when the garment is worn, vertical stretch is created in the abdominal supporting sections 20 which tends to impart an upward and inward pull on the abdomen of the wearer; The sections 20 are not dependent upon distention of the body to place them in stretch but, in fact, are always in stretch when the garment is worn, thereby preventing any such distention from taking place.

The band 18 may be stitched over an otherwise complete tubular body 14 so as to provide a double thickness of fabric in the area of the band, or the garment may be fabricated with the band 18 constituting one segment of a tubular body of single thickness. Either method is satisfactory.

Although the girdle of FIGURE 1 is designed to provide uplifting and flattening forces for the lower abdomen, the same principle might be applied to provide a lifting and flattening force for the buttocks instead, or for both the lower abdomen and buttocks.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGURE 3 in the form of a pantie girdle 26 fabricated of a two-way stretchable material to include a tubular body 28 provided with a pair of leg portions 30 which define a crotch provided with a crotch piece 32 formed of satin or similar material. The lower edge of each leg is reinforced by an elastic band 34.

The pantie girdle 26 also includes a waist band 36 which, like the waist band 18 of the embodiment of FIG- 3 URE 1, is formed of a single piece of fabric stretchable only in the direction of its length. The band 36 is incorporated into the generally tubular body 28 with its two ends secured at the front of the garment immediately above the crotch piece 32 and with the end portions of the band disposed side by side in overlying relation to the lower abdomen of the wearer to provide vertically arranged abdominal supporting sections 38. The sections 38 may be interconnected by stitching 39, if desired. The

remainder of the band 36 extends upwardly, outwardly and rearwardly from the sections 38 in encircling relation to the waist and is darted, as at 40, to provide a smooth flowing curve while retaining the effectiveness of a single piece construction.

The band 36 functions in the manner of the band 18 in that stretch imparted to the band at the waist is transmitted to the abdominal supporting sections 38, placing these sections in stretch so as to create an upward and inward pull on the abdomen of the wearer.

While various of the features of the invention have been shown and described with respect to certain specific constructions it should be apparent that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a foundation garment of the type which includes a generally tubular body adapted to encircle the hips of the wearer, the improvement which comprises an elongated waist band stretchable in the direction of its length incorporated into said body with its two ends secured in side by side relation at the front of the garment in overlying relation to the abdomen of the wearer to provide abdominal supporting sections extending upwardly toward the waist and with the remainder of said band extending outwardly and rearwardly so as to encircle the waist, said band being effectively a single piece so that stretch imparted to the waist portion thereof is transmitted through the band in the direction of its length, thereby stretching said supporting sections and causing same to impart an upward and inward pull on the abdomen of the wearer.

2. The foundation garment of claim 1 wherein the waist band comprises a single integral piece of fabric.

3. The foundation garment of claim 2 wherein the waist band is darted to enable it to extend upwardly, outwardly and rearwardly from the front of the garment in a generally smooth curve.

4. The foundation garment of claim 1 wherein the waist band overlies and is secured to stretchable fabric of said tubular body to provide said garment with a double thickness in the areas of the band.

5. The foundation garment of claim 1 wherein said tubular body is in the form of a girdle, and wherein the two ends of said waist band extend upwardly, outwardly and rearwardly from the lower front edge of the girdle.

6. The foundation garment of claim 1 wherein said tubular body is in the form of a pantie girdle including thigh encircling leg portions defining a crotch, and wherein the two ends of said waist band extend upwardly, outwardly and rearwardly from immediately above the crotch at the front of the pantie girdle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,721,325 10/1955 Trudeau 128-578 2,932,298 4/1960 Chubby 128 54l 2,953,134 9/1960 Kaupp 128548 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A FOUNDATION GARMENT OF THE TYPE WHICH INCLUDES A GENERALLY TUBULAR BODY ADAPTED TO ENCIRCLE THE HIPS OF THE WEARER, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES AN ELONGATED WAIST BAND STRETCHABLE IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS LENGTH INCORPORATED INTO SAID BODY WITH ITS TWO ENDS SECURED IN SIDE BY SIDE RELATION AT THE FRONT OF THE GARMENT IN OVERLYING RELATION TO THE ABDOMEN OF THE WEARER TO PROVIDE ABDOMINAL SUPPORTING SECTIONS EXTENDING UPWARDLY TOWARD THE WAIST AND WITH THE REMAINDER OF SAID BAND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AND REARWARDLY SO AS TO ENCIRCLE THE WAIST, SAID

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