US2794187A - Swim suit, incluiding puffed shirring - Google Patents

Description

June 4, 1957 w. EDELMAN swm surr, mcwnms PUFFEDSHIRRING Filed Aug. 25, 1954 11 1 til 05i uvwszvrom WALTER EDELMAN A T TORNE KS;

United States Patent 2,794,187 SWIM SUIT, INCLUDING PUFFED SHIRRING Walter Edelman, Portland, 0reg., assignor to Jantzen Inc., Portland, 0reg., a corporation of Nevada Application August 23, 1954, Serial No. 451,409 2 Claims. (Cl. 2-67) The present invention relates to an article of clothing, particularly a womans one-piece swim suit. The principal object of the present invention is to provide a construction of neat, attractive appearance having novel ornamentation thereon, so constructed that a standard garment may accommodate a wide range of variations in length, girth, and shape of wearers, while preserving the neat, attractive, ornamental appearance of the garment.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means in a garment of the foregoing character whereby the appearance of slimness of the wearer from the front is accentuated regardless of the bodily configuration of the wearer, all variations of the girth of the wearer being accommodated by lateral stretching of the back portion only of the garment, and all variations in length of the wearer being accommodated by vertical stretching of the front portion only of the garment.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means in a garment of the foregoing character in which the presence of longitudinal seams joining subpanels of the front portion of the garment is rendered inconspicuous, by including such seams in .puifed shirring serving as conspicuous portions of the ornamental appearance of the garment.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from inspection of the accompanying drawings, taken in connection with the following specification, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which a preferred form of the present invention is described and illustrated.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. l discloses a womans one-piece swim suit constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail enlargement taken from within the area included within the circle marked with the numeral 2 on Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially along line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4- isa rear view, on a reduced scale, of the garment illustrated in Fig. 1.

The garment herein illustrated comprises a womans one-piece swim suit including a bodice portion comprising breast cups 11, the lower portions of which are generally smooth and the upper portions of which are ornamented and made laterally stretchable by including a shirred area 12 having concealed elastic bands therein. The present invention is concerned principally with the portion of the garment below the breast cups, herein conveniently designated as an integral torso cover 13. The torso cover includes a front covering portion 14 and a back covering portion 15, the two portions being joined by elastic side seams 16 extending longitudinally from top to bottom of the garment, such side seams including elastic cords (not shown). The lower edge of the back covering portion is provided with a central tab 17 which provides a crotch portion for the garment, the tab being connected in front with a concealed front portion of a panty' constructed in accordance with the patent to Christensen 2,550,327, April 24, 1951, details thereof not being herein disclosed. V

The back covering portion 15 preferably comprises a pair of panels 18 and 19 joined by a central longitudinal seam 20. Each of the panels is formed of nonstretchable fabric gathered by elastic cords so as to be nonelastic in the vertical sense, but greatly elastic laterally. Elasticity is provided by a plurality of closely spaced, laterally extending elastic cords 21 secured by loop stitches to the inner surface of the panel while in stretched condition when the panel is laid out flat. The garment is formed when the elastic cords 21 are relaxed, whereby the entire back portion comprises a plurality of generally parallel, closely spaced shirring ribs running longitudinally of the garment. Preferably the number of elastic cords 21 per inch is much greater in the midriff section than toward the top and bottom of the garment, and the cords are stretched to a greater extent when being attached to the fabric in the midrifi section than at the top and bottom of the garment,.whereby greater confining force is providedat the midrifi. Preferably the panels are so cut that the elastic cords run generally normal to the side seams 16, whereby the cords 21 extend angularly from the central seam 20. Therefore, when the garment is stretched over the body of the wearer the majority of the shirring of the back covering portion runs generally vertical, so that the appearance of slimness from the back is advanced. It is to be stressed that the back covering portion is stretchable laterally of the garment only, except near the side seams 16 where the relaxed elastic therein has drawn the material. The back covering portion is generally longer than the front covering portion when the garment is not in use, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

While the panty construction disclosed in the Christensen patent permits the garment to accommodate itself to wearers having a wide range of torso length or girth, the present invention permits such adjustment without appearing to distort or stretch the front covering portion of the garment. The front covering portion comprises a pair of side panels 22 and 23 and a central panel 24,

terline of the front of the garment and the respective side seam 16. The side seams are shirred and include elastic means, and each of the midway seams 25 and 26 is shirred and includes elastic means whereby the entire front of the garment is provided with large gathers 27 extending from side to side thereof from the bodice portion to the lower edge thereof. The front covering portion is entirely nonelastic in the lateral sense but may be stretched longitudinally of the garment to the extent permitted by the elastic side seams and the elastic midway seams. Therefore, as the garment is worn by a person having .a short torso, the side seams and midway seams may remain relaxed, preserving the gathers 27 to their full extent; however, when the garment is worn by a person having a long torso, the side seams and midway seams permit longitudinal stretching of the front covering portion. The amount of stretch given to the elastic means when the side seams 16 and midway seams 25 and 26 are formed is greater than the amount of stretch which could be imparted thereto by the longest torso which could be accommodated by the garment, therefore the garment is always provided with lateral gathers regardless of by whom it may be worn.

The ornamental appearance of the garment is enhanced by accentuating the midway seams 25 and 26 from the bottom of the garment to the lower edges of the breast cups 11. This is accomplished by attaching I atented June 4, 1957 to the rear surface of the fabric at each of the midway seams an elastic band 28 of considerable width, for example approximately one inch in width. The band is so formed as tohave considerable longitudinal stretch, no stretch IateralIy and to behighly resistant to folding longitudinally. The elastic band is attached to the fabric by a pair of lines of stitches 29, applied when the band.

is stretched, the lines of stitches being parallel to each other and adjacent the respective longitudinal edges of the elastic band 28. The lines of stitches 29 are parallel to and substantially equally spaced from the midway seam, and are applied in such manner that the width of fabric of the sidepanel tpanel 23 as illustrated in Fig. 2) between the respective line of stitching 29 and the midway seam 26, and the width of fabric of the central panel 24 between the respective line of stitching 29 and the midway seam 26, is greater than one-half of the width of the band 28 between the lines of stitching 29. Therefore, when the band is relaxed and the garment formed, the fabric of the front covering portion between the lines of stitches 29 at each midway seam is drawn up into a puffed, tightly crinkled, ornamental ridge, and the loose gathers 27 are provided entirely across the front of the garment. The lines of stitching 29 are maintained parallel to each other by the lateral rigidity of the elastic band 28. When the garment is worn by a wearer having a long torso, no drawing or wrinkling is apparent since the loose gathers conceal any drawn portions.

The garment may, of course, be formed as a strapless garment or may, as illustrated, be provided with shoulder straps 30 attached to the upper edge of the front of the garment and provided with buttonholes 31 for connect-ion to concealed buttons 32 at the upper edge of the back of the garment, or equivalent means. It is likewise to be appreciated that in place of the ornamental shirring 12, any other desired ornamentation may be applied to the front of the bodice.

Having illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the present invention, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the same permits of modification in detail and arrangement. I claim as my invention all such modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A womans one-piece swim suit comprising a bodice portion and an integral torso covering portion, said torso covering portion comprising a front covering portion and a back covering portion, said front covering portion being stretchable only longitudinally of the suit and said back covering portion being stretchable only laterally of the suit, elastic side seams joining said portions to Y of stitching being gether at their side edges, and a pair of puffed shirrings extending longitudinally of said front covering portion, each lying midway between the longitudinal centerline of the garment and the respective side seam, each of said puffed shirrings comprising a fabric covering and a relaxed band of elastic web underlying the fabric and two lines of stitching joining said band to the fabric, said lines parallel to each other, extending longitudinally of the band, and being respectively adjacent the longitudinal edges of the band, said band being elastic the longitudinal direction only and being resistant to longitudinal folding, and the width of fabric between said lines of stitching being greater than the width of band between said lines of stitching.

2. A womans one-piece swim suit comprising a bodice portion and an integral torso covering portion, said torso covering portion comprising nonstretchable fabric throughout and comprising a front covering portion and a back covering portion, the fabric of said front covering portion being attached to elastic means extending longitudinally of the suit and the fabric of said back covering portion being attached to elastic means extending laterally of the suit whereby the fabric is gathered laterally throughout said front covering portion and longitudinally throughout said back covering portion, elastic side seams joining said portions together at their side edges, and a pair of puffed shirrings extending longitudinally of said front covering portion, each lying midway between the longitudinal centerline of the suit and the re spective side seam, each of said puffed shirrings comprising a relaxed band of elastic web underlying the fabric and two lines of stitching joining said band to the fabric, said lines of stitching being parallel to each other, extending longitudinally of the band, and being respectively adjacent the longitudinal edges of the band, said band being elastic in the longitudinal direction only and being resistant to longitudinal folding, and the width of fabric between said lines of stitching being considerably greater than the width of band between said lines of stitching.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 857,968 Wertheim June 25, 1907 1,177,952 Inman Apr. 4, 1916 1,583,551 Heck May 4, 1926 2,391,641 OHern Dec. 25, 1945 2,561,312 Laszlo July 17, 1951 2,613,357 Christensen Oct. 14, 1952 2,651,040 Block Sept. 8, 1953

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