US2928397A - Girdle or like article of apparel - Google Patents

Description

March 15, 1960 E. PUCCI GIRDLE 0 LIKE ARTICLE OF APPAREL Filed Nov. 27, 1957 I INVENTOR. Emdw 'PzzcczL,

BY BM 3001151.-

United States Patent GIRDLE OR LIKE ARTICLE OF APPAREL Emilio Pucci, Florence, Italy, assignor to The Formfit Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application November 27, 1957, Serial No. 699,328 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-523) This invention relates .to girdles or like articles of apparel which are used chiefly to support or control the body of the wearer.

Heretofore, it has been the practice among girdle manufacturers to provide a garment of the character described of such construction that it would, in effect, impose merely a repressive force on the abdomen and buttocks. As a consequence, the garment tended to push the abdomen and buttocks toward each other, thereby flattening the abdomen and tending to push the buttocks in a downward direction and out of their natural rounded configuration. In ordinary street apparel, the flattening effect on the buttocks is not unusually noticeable. But, for example, when the wearer of such a girdle is wearing sports clothes, tight slacks, or bathing suits, such flattening effect is quite apparent and calls attention to the fact that the wearer of the garment needs figure control. It is obvious that the very last thing a woman wants to do is to call attention to the fact that she needs figure control. The well-corseted figure should not be noticeably so.

Broadly, it is the object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a girdle of such a nature that it will control the body of the wearer yet withal will impart thereto a natural, youthful appearance which belies the presence of the girdle.

Specifically, one object of the present invention resides in the provision of a girdle of such a nature as to not only control and reduce but to shape and uplift the body of the wearer, whereby to avoid a noticeable flattening of the buttocks and instead to impart to the derriere of the wearer a rounded, natural, youthful appearance.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a girdle that will not squeeze the silhouette into a bulgy tubular shape, but will, follow the nature lines of the figure, controlling and molding to ideal proportions.

Briefly, the above and other objects of the invention are attained by the provision of a girdle composed of a body portion, preferably formed of a light but firm twoway stretch nylon elastic material.v This body portion extends across the front, and around the sides and part of the back, of the body of the wearer. An insert is set in the rear portion of the body portion over the buttocks,

and this insert is secured to the body portion with curved seams. The insert is also provided with a curved vertical seam in the central portion thereof. Preferably, this insert is formed of a cotton-Dacron batiste which is relatively non-elastic. The two-way stretch material across the front affords the necessary control or support for the abdomen. The insert with its curved seams imposes an uplift effect to the buttocks, thereby imparting to the buttocks a natural, rounded, youthful appearance-as distinguished from the downwardly forced and flattened appearance imparted to the buttocks by the common and customary type of girdle.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention, together with the means whereby the invention may be carried into effect, will best be understood in more detail:

from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: I

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a girdle embodying the principles of the present invention, as it appears on the body of the wearer; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but with the girdle divorced from the body of the wearer; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating in dotted lines the natural contours of a body, and in full lines the downwardly-forced, flattened effect imparted to the buttocks by the customary type of girdle heretofore employed;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, illustrating in dotted lines the natural contours of a body, but showing in full lines the uplifted and rounded effect imparted to the buttocks by the girdle of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectionalview on the plane of the line 5-5 of the girdle of Figure 2, showing the fullness of the insert; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of the component parts insert. I Referring now in detail to the drawings, the girdle of the present invention may be of regular waistv length, as shown, without garters, or it may be a high waist style with detachable garters. The' girdle has a main body portion 1 provided with the waist band 2 and the leg bands 3. Body portion 1 is adapted to extend completely over the abdomen, completelyover the sides of the body of the wearer, and up to the median line of each of the buttocks. By median line is meant an imaginary vertical line through the center of a leg projected up through the buttock. Preferably, the body portion of the girdle is formed from a material having a light but firm twoway stretch, such as nylon elastic. The front of the girdle may be perfectly plain, or it may be of the design and configuration shown in the design patent to Peck, No. Des. 174,054, granted February 15, 1955. I

The rear of the main body portion 1 of the girdle has an elliptical opening therein with its major axis extending from the top to the bottom of the girdle into which is set a supplementary body portion or insert 4. In general, the minor axis of the opening will be approximately one-half that of the major axis. In a typical garment, the major axis measures 10%" and the minor axis 5%" althoughthis may vary of course, within limits.

The aforementioned opening and the insert 4 overlie the portion of the buttocks not covered by the main body portion 1-that is, that portion of the buttocks between their respective median lines. Preferably, the insert is formed of a non-stretchable material such, for example, as cotton-Dacron batiste.

The insert 4 is formed of two substantially crescentshaped pieces of material 4a and 4b, as shown in Figure 6 of the drawings. The pieces are stitched together along their concave edges, thereby forming the central seam 5, and are stitched along their convex edges to the main body portion 1, as indicated by the scams 6 and 7. When tension is exerted upon the central seam 5 by the body of the wearer and that seam curves to conform to the natural curvature of the body, the crescent-shaped nonstretchable pieces of material 4a and 4b impart a controlled, rounded fullness to the portions of the buttocks held in this insert portion of the girdle. By reference to Figure 5, it will be appreciated that insert 4 would not be satisfied by the provision of a flat panel, even if stitched down the middle, for the insert must be of suflicient fullmess to receive a portion of the buttocks without distortion of the natural contours thereof. The central seam 5 is especially important, as it imparts the uplift effect to the buttocks.

Patented Mar. 15, 1960. v

of the Viewing Figure 3,-itwill be noted that the customary type of girdle has a tendency to push the abdomen and u o ks.fi m-mo ioned e? pss v a t the ull i p ns he abdomen is flattened out, as arethe' but tockiithelatter being forced downwardly, as well-"as tfss bs qme quite p nou R'eferring toFigure 4, it will be noted that with the girdle of the present inventionthere is no flattening or distortion Qf the natural contour of the buttocks; On the contr rythere is an enhanced appearance and a natural youthful look imparted thereto. The main body portion" 1 ofthe tworway stretch'material provides ample supportjor controlling'the abdomen. The leg and waist bands bear upon the body above and below the buttocks. The latter, in consequence, are free to flow into the fullness of insert 4 withoutcompression or distortion. This. is apparent by reason of thepronounced curvature of the bodyat portions 1 0 and11 thereof, above and below the buttockg respectively As the buttocks flow into insert r 4, the seam 5- imparts an uplift effect thereto, which adds to and enhances the roundness of the natural curves of the buttocks. It will be obvious therefore, that the instant girdle gives a natural shape to the figure as it controls.

Iclaimz' t A girdle of the class described comprising a main body 7' portion of'elastic material for encircling the. bodyof the wearer in the pelvic region, said body portion having a single elliptically-shaped opening in thetrear thereof positioned entirely'inwardly of themedian lines of the buttocks ,with its major axis extending from the top to the bottom of the girdle, anda n insert for closing said open W ing, said insert beingfoi'med of a pair of crescent-shaped pieces of non-stretchable material joined together by a seamvalongtheir concave edges, said insert having suffij cient fullness tosreceive a portion of the buttocks without i w fiQn of h na ura i i mq r t er 7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,565,856 7 Loftuset al Aug. 28, 1951 2,651,047 Emerson Sept. 8, 1953 FORE N AT T 1 64,826 France July 6, 1955

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