LEISURE GARMENTS

Abstract: A leisure garment characterised in that it consists of a flexible, stretchable material, whereby one or more edges of the garment is adapted to be selectively turned over on itself or turned back in the reverse direction, so as to vary the area of the garment effectively available for covering a wearer's body. The material may be a woven, synthetic fibre such as a nylon Lycra. The garment can be worn in different ways according to the area selected e.g. shorts or a bikini. The invention also includes a sashband which can be worn as a hipsash, waistbelt or top.

Description: LEISURE GARMENTS This invention relates to leisure garments and in particular to leisurewear typically worn in warm or hot locations, for example swimwear and/or general sunwear. On the one hand conventional female swimwear comprises one-piece costumes and two-piece bikinis while male swimwear comprises trunks, typically all made from a light, flexible material. On the other hand conventional general swimwear includes shorts and tops, often made from a light, cool material such as cotton. Although swimwear can be worn other than for swimming, conventional swimwear tends to cover low or minimal surface area on the body especially for ease of movement in the water and for general sunwear, a higher body surface area is often required to be covered, particularly for warmth and protection. Thus, it is an object of this invention to obtain leisure garments, the area of which can be varied. According to the invention, we propose a leisure garment characterised in that it consists of a flexible, stretchable material, whereby one or more edges of the garment is adapted to be selectively turned over on itself or turned back in the reverse direction so as to vary the area of the garment effectively available for covering a wearer's body. The material may be turned over by folding, or preferably, rolling, the material over itself one or more times. Thus, the area provided may be reduced and/or subsequently increased by unfolding/unrolling as desired. One conventional garment may be interchangeable with another. In particular the trunk and/or legs of a garment having a bottom may be varied. Moreover, general sunwear is interchangeable with swimwear. In particular, male and female shorts can be converted into respectively a bikini bottom and swimming trunks, and vice versa, by turning the top and leg edges over. Similarly, a strapless female one-piece swimming costume may be converted into a bikinibottomTy turning in the leg edges and turning down the top edge as far as required, or vice versa. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a one-piece sashband also consisting of flexible stretchable material is provided which can be selectively worn as a bikini top, a waist belt or a hipsash together with one of the aforementioned shorts and one-piece strapless costume or other similar garment. Leisurewear according to the invention is therefore versatile and is thereby afforded a plurality of uses. The wearer can select the area of the garment to be available for covering his or her body in accordance with his or her location. In particular, the wearer might sometimes want a low covering area, for example for ease of swimming, sunbathing or the like but at other times the wearer might prefer the garment to occupy a higher body area, whereby greater mobility, warmth and protection is provided, for example for going further afield for sightseeing, shopping or walking or playing sports. The flexible, stretchable material is preferably relatively thin and formed out of woven, synthetic fibre, stretchable in respectively warp and the weft directions, which impart a stretchability to the garments in generally all directions. This allow the garment to be self-supporting on the body in ail variations of the area , of the garment. Suitable materials are elastomeric such as lycras (Tlφ, in particular nylon lycras e.g. 80% Nylon 20% 129 lycra (TM) _2 (with a preferred density of 170 gm ). The garment may be cut so that the warp and weft will be longitudinal and transverse of the wearer's body. Also, the garment may be generally cut on the small side so that it can cling tightly to the wearer. The ability of the material to be turned over upon itself is allowed by the seams of the garment being slacker than normal, achieved by using a lower sewing tension. A typical tension is approximately 0.75 to 0.8 x the normal tension used for sewing elastomeric material. In a particular instance, a Rimoldi System 27 industrial sewing machine employs a tension setting of 5.5 turns of the tension disc in comparison with a normal setting of 7 turns. The top edge of the leisure garment does not need any substantial or additional band(elasticated or non- elasticated)or fastener, as this inhibits the turning over capability. Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of a converible shorts/ bikini according to the invention shown laid flat; Figure 2 is a rear view of the convertible shorts/ bikini of Figure 1; Figures 3, and 5 are perspective views of the garment of Figures 1 and 2 in various modes of use; Figure 6 shows the cutting pattern for one side of the garment of Figures 1 to 5. Figure 7 shows the cutting pattern for one leg cuff of the garment of Figures 1 to 6; Figure 8 is a rear view of an alternative, one-piece garment according to this invention; Figure 9 is a rear view of the garment of Figure 8; Figure 10 is a front view of a sashband for use with either the garment of Figures 1 to 7 or Figures 8/9 ; Figure 11 is a rear view of the sashband of Figure 10; Figure 12 shows perspective views of the one- piece garment of Figures 8/9 and the sashband of Figures 10/11 in different modes of use A to E. Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings are front and rear views of a convertible shorts/bikini 1, shown laid flat made from a 80% Nylon 20% 129 Lycra (Ω-), having a density 2 170g/m ; the diaiensions are in millimetres and show the proportions of the garment, particularly its depth. There is no special waistband, due to the importance of keeping the upper part free of any substantially thicker or bulky material which might hinder rolling-down. The dotted lines adjacent the waist indicate seams rather than additional elastic material. In this embodiment, separate leg cuffs 2 are sewn to the main body of the garment, but these are optional. The seams may be sewn on a Rimoldi System 27 industrial sewing machine which employs a tension setting of 5.5 turns of the tension disc in comparison with a normal setting of 7 turns. Figures 3, 4 and 5 are perspective views of the garment of Figures 1 and 2 in various modes of use. Figure 3 shows the garment used as a pair of shorts, with the top edge 3 at or a little below the wearer's waist. The nylon/elastomer fabric from which the whole garment is made moulds itself to the wearer's body, and by virtue of its elastic properties above, the garment is self supporting. Figure 4 shows an intermediate mode in which the waist 3 has been folded down and the sides 4 pulled up under the folded section to reduce body coverage. Figure 5 shows the garment substantially in its briefest form as a bikini with very narrow sides 4. In this case the entire upper part of the garment has been folded and rolled inwardly so that the sides 4 of the garment are twisted at the front and at the rear. Inward twisting as shown is preferred since in this way the garment more readily retains the desired bikini shape. This rolling, folding and/or twisting of the garment is possible due to the lack of bulk and elasticity of the fabric. Figures 6 and 7 are cutting patterns for one side and the leg cuff 2 respectively of the garment of Figures 1 to 5. Identical patterns are used for the other side and the other leg cuff 2. The two sides are sewn together along central seams at front and rear along the curved lines 5 of the outline. The dimensions are in millimetres, and are given as a guide only of a typical size and proportions. An alternative embodiment of the invention is a one-piece costume 6, shown in Figures 8, 9 and 12. The one-piece garment has a maximum depth such that it can be used to cover the wearer's chest and bottom, with OMPI WIPO the top edge 7 lying just below the shoulders of the wearer and a slight waist 8 and curved leg edges 9. The garment is made of the same material as the shorts/bikini under the same sewing tension. Modes A, B and C, shown in Figure 12, show the garment having maximum depth and area. The top edge 7 can be rolled down to provide any desired depth, for instance to the waist as shown in mode D of Figure 12. The leg edges 9 can also be rolled up and the rolled material twisted round in the same way as for the shorts/bikini to provide narrow portions 10 between the front and back of the bikini covering minimal area. A sashband 11, shown in Figures 10 and 11 (dimen¬ sions in millimetres) can be used in addition to either of the aforementioned garments or any other similar garment. The sashband 11, in one-piece, may be used as either a bra top (modes C, D and E), a waistbelt (mode A) or a hipsash (mode B) as shown in Figure 12 or in any other desired mode, such as a headband. This sashband is made of the aforementioned Nylon/lycra and i-ts free ends 12 may be tied into a knot 13 in use, which can be worn at the front if desired. The costume patterns are in the shapes shown in Figures 8 and 9. These are examples of leisure garments which can be made according to the invention. Modifications and further embodiments are also within the scope of theclaimed invention. For example, a one-piece garment could have longer legs or a low back edge. As previously mentioned the garment could be in the form of men's brief trunks which could be convertible to legs brief shorts and vice versa. These leisure garments are highly versatile so that they can be adapted for wear in different environments and the area to be provided for covering the wearer can be varied so as to selectively expose more or less of the body as required. It should be noted that any desired other garments may be worn in combination with a leisure garment according to this invention although of course leisure garments according to this invention are not primarily intended to be covered over.In particular any desired bikini top or other top may be worn with the first embodiment.

Claims: CLAIMS : 1. A leisure garment characterised in that it consists of a flexible, stretchable material, whereby one or more edges of the garment is adapted to be selectively turned over on itself or turned back in the reverse direction, so as to vary the area of the garment effectively available for covering a wearer's body. 2. A leisure garment according to claim 1, characterised in that it consists of a woven, synthetic fibre. 3. A leisure garment according to claim 2, characterised in that the fibre is elastomeric. 4. A leisure garment according to claim 3, characterised in that it includes Lycra (Trade Mark). 5. A leisure garment according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that it is a Nylon Lycra (Trade Mark). 6. A leisure garment according to any preceding claim, characterised in that its seams are sewn under a slack tension. 7. A leisure garment according to any preceding claim, characterised in that it includes a bottom which is convertible to or from a bikini. 8. A sashband comprising a one-piece band of flexible stretchable material, which can be worn round the body. O PI 9. A sashband according to claim 8 for a leisure garment according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Inventors: BANFIELD PEGGY, BRIGHT WILLIAM, CAWTE MIRANDA, BANFIELD, PEGGY, BRIGHT, WILLIAM, CAWTE, MIRANDA
Applicants: TRULO SPECTATOR SPORTS LTD, TRULO SPECTATOR SPORTS LIMITED
Application year: 1984
Main classification: A41D7
IPC codes: A41D7