US2049242A - Body-encircling undergarment - Google Patents

Description

Jul 28, 1936. G. A. BARCLEY BODY ENCIRGLING UNDERGARMENT Filed Nov. 2'7, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 E N R O Filed Nov. 27, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY G. A. BARCLEY I BODY EN CIRCLING UNDERGARMENT July 28, 1936.

Filed Nov. 27, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY Patented July 28, 1936 STATES TENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates in general to body encircling garments and more particularly, to corsets, brassieres, girdles and combination garments.

It being necessary that such garments accurately fit the figure, adjustments are frequently necessary to vary the circumference or girthwiserdimension of the garment as well as to shape thegarment to conform to the figure. In garments as they are generally constructed, the making of these adjustments is difiicult and time consuming, requiring considerable disassembling of the garment and ripping of seams, as well as cutting and trimming the garment sections; and therefore it is found necessary frequently to return the garments to the factory for the making of adjustments after the required measurements have been taken by the fitter or the corsetiere. These difficulties are especially troublesome in fitting garments to deformed or assymetrical figures where one side of the figure is of different contour than the other side. Moreover, it is often necessary to makeunsightly darts in the garment to effect the adjustments which seriously detract from the appearance of the garment; and entire new sections for the garment arelfrequently necessary where the garment has tobe made larger.

It is highly desirable that such garments be so constructed that these adjustments can be easily and quickly made by the corsetiere or even by the owner of the garment, without the necessity for disassembling of the garment or cutting or trimming of sections thereof, and therefore one object 'of'my invention is to provide a garment of ,the general character described embodying novel and improved construction and combination of parts whereby the girthwise or circumferential dimension of the garment as well as its shape may be adjusted either or both sides by simply removing'a few stitches and relatively moving juxtaposed sections of the garment to make the adjustment and then restitching the sections together. Other objects of the invention are to provide such a garment wherein the adjustments can be made on the exterior of the garment, and thus to provide a garment consisting of two main sections having their ends in overlapping relation 'so that the ends of one section constitute flaps or tabs underneath the end portions of the other section formed of the same material as the sections themselves and the two sections 'may be adjusted relatively to each other without detracting from the appearance of the garment andwithout evidence except to the expert eye that any adjustment has been made; and to obtain other advantages and results as will be brought out by the following description. Referring to the accompanying drawings in which'corresponding and like parts are designated throughout the several views by the same reference characters,

Figure l is a front perspective view of a combination corset and brassiere embodying my invention.

Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are horizontal sectional views on the lines 2-2, 3--3, 4-4, and 55 respectively of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a front perspective view of a. girdle embodying the invention. 5

Figure 7 is a schematic plan view of the girdle shown in Figure 6 illustrating the manner of making the girthwise adjustments of the garment and Figure 8 is a rear perspective view of a brassiere 2o embodying the invention.

Specifically describing the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 1 the garment comprises a main or body section A formed of suitable material to partially encircle the body and may be of predetermined fixed or non-adjustable circumferential length having its ends I in spaced relation. As shown, a diaphragm or abdominal support 2 is secured between the end portions l by lacing 3 in the usual manner. Secured to the exterior of the end portions of the body section A is a closure or front section B Which may be of predetermined fixed or nonadjustable length and has its ends flexible from its top edge to the bottom edge and stitched to the body section A as indicated at 4. Preferably the section B is formed of two parts 5 and 6 which have their adjacent edges separably connected as by hooks and eyes I.

The upper portion of the front section B constitutes a brassiere while the lower portion constitutes a corset, and preferably the brassiere portion has the bust pockets 8 formed of pieces separate from the lower portion of the front section and separately secured to the body section A by spaced side-by-side lines of stitches 4.

' It will thus be seen that the end portions l of the body section A form in effect fiaps underlying the front or closure section B, and these flaps are formed of the same material as the body section. The end portions of the front section B simply overlie the exterior of the main section A fiatwise and in a plane approximately parallel thereto and are secured thereto by the simple lines of stitches 4 that extend from top to bottom of the 55 garment so that the front section can be'easily disconnected from the main section by removing 4 and slide the end portions of the front section toward the extremities I of the body section, and then restitch the end portions of the front section to the body section; while to reduce the circumference dimensions of the garment the end portions of the front section :B will be moved away from the extremities of the body section. In Figure! these adjustments are schematically illustrated, the heavy solid lines indicating the medium circumferential dimensions of the gar ment while the light, and heavy dotand dash lines indicate respectively theadjustments to increase and decreasethe circumferential dimensions ofthe garment. It should be understood that these adjustments can be-made throughout the length of the garment or at only certain points in the length of the garment, and by making the adjustments at certain points, it will be understood thatthe shape of the garment may be varied; for example, the hip. dimensions may be increased or decreased without varying the waist dimensions, or the waist dimensions may beincreased or decreased without varying the hip or bust dimensions or the bust dimensions may be 7 increased or decreased without varying the waist or hip dimensions. tions with the separate sections Band securing them to the body section A with the lines of stitches 4 greatly facilitates the rather difficult adjustments of the bust portion relative to the waist and hip portions; o

' It will be observed that all of the above mentioned adjustments can "be madewithout materially affecting the'appearance'of the garment, because the end portions or flaps I of the. body section are of the same material as the body section, and noripping or tearing of material is necessary in removing the lines of'stit'ches 4. Also, all of the adjustments can be made at either or both sides of the garment, without cutting or trimming of anysections'of thegarment, and without the necessity of' forming unsightly darts, tucks and the like. The flexibility-of the end "edges of-the sections permits easy and different adjustments at diiferent points along said edges which would not be. possible if the edges were stiffened as by stays or lacing devices,.and.the fine adjustment or fitting of the garment made possible by the invention eliminates the necessity for'additional adjusting means, such aslacings or straps, and thereby'avoids the puckering of theedges of the garment. and discomfort to the wearer which arises from such adjusting means. The cost of thegarmentis also reduced. The sections are not connected except by the stitches 1l0,- so'that whenthe. stitches are iremoved the edges, of the front section are free and therefore doubling or, foldingof the material in making the adjustments is. obviated which makes it possible to effectdifierent adjustments at different points along the edgesof the front section with- ,out hindrance from relative adjustmentiand wrinkling voffolded superposed plies. of. material.

Theforming of the bust por- It will be observed that the end portions of the body section provide convenient means for attaching the abdominal support to the garment, although of course the abdominal support may be omitted if desired, and the attachment of the .belt to the ends of the body section make it possible to adjust the girthwise dimensions and shape of the garment without affecting the connection of the belt to the garment.

Figure 6 of the drawings illustrates a corset or g'irdleembodying the invention. The structure of the garment is similar to that shown in Figure l with the exception that no brassiere portion is included nor is there any abdominal support although one could be included if desired The garment includes the main section C preferably of predetermined and non-adjustable length and front or closure section D preferably of predetermined and non-adjustable length which has its edges secured to the body section on the exterior thereof by-lines of stitches 10 so that the end portions I l of the main section underlie the front section and constitute adjusting flaps. The front section is preferably formed of two parts 12 and I3 which are separably connectedby hooks 1 and eyesld to facilitate application and removal of the garment to and from the body. J The'inv'ention may also be embodied in brassieres as shown in Figure 8. Here the garment comprises a bodyv section E preferably of predetermined and non-adjustable length which is formed in two parts separably connected at the rear by hooks and eyes i5 with its end portions 16 underlying the front section I! which is pref erably of predetermined and non-adjustable length and formed in one piece'and has its longitudinal edges connected to the main section by lines of stitchesat l8. .It will be understood that the adjustments can be 'made in the garments shown in Figures Sand 8 in the same manner as described in connection with the garment shown inFig urel." v i While I have shown the'inventionas embodied V in certain types of garments, it should be understood'that thisis primarily for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention and that the invention may be embodied inrother types of garments without departing from the 1 spirit or scope of the invention. Furthermore, while I have illustrated the garments as formed 'with elasticstrips and gores I 9 and 20 respeclying one end of the body section on the outer side thereof, and removablelines of stitches penetrating both sections and extending from the top edge to the bottom edge of the front section at a points spaced from the ends of the body section so that the ends of the-body section form loose tabs extending from the top edge to the bottom edge of the'garment at each side-thereof beneath the front section, and an abdominal belt having each end adjustably connected to one of saidtabs, whereby the circumferential dimensions of the garment may be varied at any desired point from top to bottom of'the garment and'at either or. both" sides thereof without affecting'the con nection of said belt to the body section, by merely removing said stitches at the desired point, sliding the end portions of the two sections relative to each other and restitching the sections together.

2. A womans body supporting undergarment comprising a section to partially encircle the body with its top edge wholly below the shoulders and its ends in spaced relation, and a second section, one of said sections having each end overlying one end of the other section and all portions of the overlapping ends being in parallel planes and freely flexible in their own planes throughout their lengths, and a plurality of lines of stitches in spaced side-by-side relation penetrating said overlapping end portions of both sections in planes perpendicular to the planes of the overlapping ends of the sections and extending from the top edges to the bottom edges of the sections at points spaced from the ends of the underlying section to fixedly connect said overlapping ends, whereby the ends of one section form loose tabs extending from the top edge to the bottom edge of the garment at each side thereof beneath the other section and the circumferential dimensions of the garment may be varied at one or more desired points from top to bottom of the garment and at either or both sides thereof so as to accurately conform to the curves of the body by merely removing said stitches at the desired point, sliding the end portions of the two sections relative to each other and restitching the sec-

Images