The present invention relates to outer wear for the lower body, and more particularly, to pants including leggings and jeans, that redefine the appearance and reshape or sculpt a wearer's lower body, including the lower waist torso: i.e., the abdominal area and waist, the hips, thighs, buttocks and upper legs.
Material advances of the last century have allowed fashion to move toward garments that both shape and move with the wearer. In particular, this has included the drive toward lower outerwear that accentuates the feminine figure. However, this trend has created a gap in the plus-size market, in particular for women who want to appear au current, but who are intimidated to dress in clothing that reveals rather than covers their shape. One answer is the use of internal under garments which compress and shape the wearer so as to provide a smoother and cleaner fit and/or appearance of the respective outerwear and the shapewear industry is a multi-billion dollar. However, this solution is expensive and can be uncomfortable and inconvenient, especially when the wearer wishes to relieve herself. The present invention is designed to provide an option in garments, including for example, pants or leggings, that allow these people to participate in these fashion trends. The invention can be constructed in a stretch knit fabric or in twill or denim style pants or leggings.
The present invention relates to an outer garment for the lower body, including for example, hosiery, leggings, pants, slacks, jeans, trousers and even skirts or dresses, which are structured so as to provide support and definition to the wearer's body, including, the waist, hips, abdominals, buttocks, thighs, and legs. The garment may advantageously extend down the leg to the mid-thigh, knee, mid-calf or ankle, although it should be understood that inventive features may be incorporated into garments having differing configurations.
The outer garment broadly termed “pants” herein, is preferably a fitted lower garment intended to be an external garment, and so having an appearance that is sufficiently formal and modest to be worn out and in public (i.e. that does not appear to be a pajama bottom, girdle, or stocking).
The invention is illustrated in denim style lower garments, often referred to as “blue jeans”, where the color blue is traditional, but not necessary. In these embodiments, the garments may include more traditional side seams, rounded tab concealed front zipper openings on the center rise, and optional back and front pockets. In these styles, the garments may also feature a shallower stretch waist band with optional belt keeps, and pockets or pocket details in the back and front, which may be purely decorative or functional, depending, for example, on the desired profile and function.
In addition, in all embodiments, the lower garment includes mesh re-enforcement inner support which is integrated with the outer garment. In general, the lower garment includes a support assembly that provides 360° shaping, which means that the internal support system fully encircles the wearer such that the front, side, back, and waist, including the closure opening are all re-enforced, and the invention further includes full back coverage that helps to lift and smooth the wearer's butt. This control system has at least two (i.e. left and right) mating front side panels which are joined at the center rise seam or if present at the center zipper and the zipper includes the re-enforcement at the tab of the front closure, so as to form a front panel assembly, and mating back panels (i.e., left and right) which are joined at the back rise seam to form a back panel assembly. The front panel assembly is joined at the top to a stretch waistband and on the side to side seams. The rear panel assembly likewise includes corresponding left and right rear panels that extend substantially the full length of the butt area and are joined to the rear center rise, and in some embodiments, also on the inside to the crotch. Thus, the bottom of these control panels may be floating, or the panels join to form a crotch which is sewn together so as to form an under panty. The front and back panel assembly is joined together, either directly or through the medial side seams so as to encircle the wearer and form an inner belt assembly or panty that in some instances ends below the gluteal crease portion of the pant. Further, the control panels may be anchored along one or more vertical seams such as side seams (e.g., inside, outside), rise seams (e.g., front, back), and may be seamed at the crotch, either with the outer garment, or self-seamed. The control construct may also be fused to the outer fabric of the garment to form a single layer, and in this case, it is preferable that a stretch adhesive is used for the fusion.
The outer garment is preferably made of a stretch fabric that also provides shape and give, but which conceals the control panels that provide a greater degree of giving support so as to balance the degree of control with the wearer's comfort. In at least one embodiment, the control panels may comprise spandex and/or elastomeric, and preferably an open weave stretch mesh, and may be incorporated into the garment by sewing, gluing or adhering. Preferably, the controls panels are undercut (meaning that they are slightly undersized for the contour of the area that they cover) and are configured to accentuate the anatomy so that the transition between areas which include the control members and which do not form a smooth and un-intruded transition between the support and non-support sections of the garment. In particular, the bottom hem of the under panty is configured to either help to lift and tuck (for example in the back at the gluts) or to lie against a muscular transition (for example in the front and side at the top of the hip crease). Thus, the panels construction may include a set of back panels that end at a structural transition, such as at a natural transition such as below the gluteal tuck (i.e., the butt check crease) so as to provide support and definition to the muscle and adipose tissue that is superior to the bottom of the control panel and to the control panel hems. In addition, the front set of panels may include a front shape that curves upwardly from the side seam of the garment and which intersects the bottom of the front rise or zipper tab in the event that the garment includes a front closure, such as zipper opening which likewise includes the re-enforcement of a mesh panel. The side of the front panel can thus vary from being level to the front center depth to extending from 0.25 to 1, 1.5, 2, or as much as 5 inches below this level relative to a horizontal line taken across the front of the garment tangential to the highest point of the panel or panel assembly (or with a the low point below the crotch at the inner thigh) in front. Optionally, the garment may include pockets that overlay or incorporate the support panels.
Considered as a portion of a circle, the arc that is represented by the portion of the lower hem of the front panels may have a radius that is from 0.35 to 0.75, or preferably from 0.45 to 0.55 times the waist measurement of the garment, although it should be understood that the hem may be a rounded shape other than a portion of a circle. In a particular embodiment, the front control assembly may include two sets of front panel assemblies, such as an inner and an outer panel assembly having differing hem shapes, for example, where the inner assembly curves toward the center seam as described and the outer panel assembly extends below that on the wearer's inner thigh by a sufficient amount (from 025 to 3 inches or 2+/−0.5 inches) to avoid rolling. This feature is manifested in the garment by extending down the garment leg portion relative to the garment as compared to the user. Preferably in the design, the outer panels are also curved and cross over the hems of the inner panels so as to smooth the flesh thereunder. In a still further embodiment, the front control panels are integrated into the garment front fabric such as by fusing panels that extend from the waistband to a leg portion that represents the knee or the lower thigh (i.e. roughly to ¼ to ¾, or from ⅓ to ⅝s of the length of the leg portion of the garment.)
The further embodiments of the garments may also include style features such as back side yoke features, and optional darts to accentuate the rounded shape of the wearer's backside. The garment includes a back control panel assembly which may include, one or more of, left and right hip yoke control panels, and gluteal control panels which extend to the gluteal crease as previously described. The hip yoke typically has a left and right side where the yoke is seamed in the garment to a lower glut garment section. The bottom seam of the hip yoke panels may extend lower in the center from the mid-point of the panels and the lateral hem of the hip yoke panels may extend in a line up-ward toward the lateral side seam, or may curve downward, so that the lower hip yoke hem is round from the side seam to the center seam. It is preferred that the hip yoke panels of the present invention comprise a power fabric, such as a power mesh.
The control panels may form part of an interior lining or may be integrated with the exterior fabric of the garment and may extend from the top edge waistband seam of the outer garment to the lower control seams or even to the leg hems. The control panels may be anchored along one or more vertical seams such as side seams (e.g., inside, outside), center back seams, or any design seams (e.g., vertical stylish seams). One area of the interior re-enforcement sections may provide control to tone or more of the waist, abdomen, thigh and butt, which is advantageously achieved by a unique pattern and sizing of the control panels relative to the areas enveloped by them.
The present invention relates to lower outerwear, such as pants, trousers, leggings or skirts that have various features that collectively contribute to an outwear garment that redefines the appearance and the shape of the wearer.
Inside, the lower body garment 100 may comprise a support assembly or construct 109 comprising assembled internal support panels, for example comprised of a mesh having a substantial amount of support, and a little stretch. The exterior of the lower body garment 100 may be made from a stretch fabric or power mesh, such as Lycra or Spandex, or more particularly of a rayon/nylon ponte with from 2 to 12 spandex, and more preferably 5%+/−2% spandex, which provides for control, comfort, and coverage and which interfaces with the construct in a manner so that the construct 109 such that the control construct 109 is not visible from the outside. For example, the outer garment 101 may be made of lycra, spandex or similar stretch or elastomeric fabrics and the control construct 109 may be made of a non-stretch mesh or a stretch fabric such as a two or four way stretch fabric or mesh with for example, nylon and a higher percentage of spandex, such as 15-40%, or more particularly, 20%+/−5%, that has a limited amount of give. The fabric is preferably an open weave fabric cut on the vertical or horizontal grain, but not the bias.
Moreover, in addition to anchoring at the top, the control assembly 109 may be optionally anchored along one or more vertical seams such as side seams (e.g., outside seam 102), rise seams (e.g., front rise seam 108 and/or the back rise seam 110), as well as at its crotch or at the crotch of the outer garment. The dotted line may be stitched to the front rise seam 108 (
In some embodiments, the bottom edge of the assembly 109 may be floating, that is, not anchored to the outer garment 100, and therefore not include a seam that is observable from the exterior of the garment. For example, the assembly 109 may comprise two layers of lining fabric and the bottom of the two layers may be bound by stitching or glue, but may not be anchored to the outer garment 100. The bonding may be done by stitching (e.g., Merrow or purl stitches) or glue. In one embodiment, the two layers of fabric of the assembly 109 may be tricot mesh and these two layers may be bound together at the bottom edge by 1/16 inch Merrow edge stitch.
As illustrated in
The back panels 210, 212 extend slightly farther down the back body of the pant, i.e., below the crotch intersection and into the leg portions of the pants. The back assembly is joined at the crotch so as to form an interior panty and the panty is undercut relative to the buttock of the wearer to provide for lift and sculpting.
The present invention is shown as a pant including a front fly zipper and a button close waist, as well as bagged out top-stitched back pocket details. It is envisioned that this version of the lower garment of the invention is constructed from a woven fabric, such as a twill, and more specifically a woven stretch twill, including cotton, and synthetic denims and other relatively stiff woven materials.
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