Improvements in and connected with Blouses and similar garments.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1896-Accepted, 3rd July, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Blouses and similar garments.
I ALFRED WOLF, Merchant, of 115, Broadway, in the City, County and State of
New York, U.S.A., do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained.
in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of devices which are
designed for attachment to ladies' shirt-waists and similar garments to afford means
for supporting the waistband of the skirt at the rear part thereof, said means also serv-
ing to re-inforce the gathers at the rear of the waist and to prevent the waist from
working up beyond said waistband, so that a neat appearance is maintained at all
times.
The invention consists in the particular construction and arrangement of parts
as hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a view showing a shirt-waist provided with my improvements in
position on the wearer. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view drawn to a larger scale
and showing a portion of a garment provided with my improvements, and Fig.
3 is a sectional view on the line x-x in Fig. 2.
In these views 1 represents the shirt-waist or other garment to which my improve-
ments are applied. As herein shown the garment 1 is of a well known form, being
provided in the rear with a series of gathers 2 at its waist portion and over said
gathers 2 is secured by stitching or otherwise a flap or tab 3, the upper edge of
which is held to the garment 1 by means of stitching while the lower portion of said
tab 3 is free from the garment, as clearly shown is Fig. 3.
The tab or flap 3 may be formed of any material suited to the purpose, it being
conveniently made of the same goods as that employed for the garment 1, so as to be
as inconspicuous as possible, and the said tab or flap is provided in its lower part,
which is free or unsecured to the garment 1, with a series of aligned apertures or
eyelets 4, as clearly seen, there being as shown in the drawings, three of these apertures
4 arranged longitudinally of the tab or flap 3, and having their edges bound in
any way-as, for instance, by means of metal eyelets set through the goods of the
tab or flap or by means of buttonhole stitching.
To each end of the tab or flap 3 is secured in any preferred manner, one end of a
tape or waistband 5, the opposite ends of said bands or tapes 5 being free and adapted
to be passed around the waist of the garment when the said is in place on the person
and tied or otherwise secured together at their ends, so as to hold the waist portion
of the garment snugly in place and prevent the same from working up above the
waistband of the skirt or belt.
6 represents the skirt, having a waistband 7, at the rear part of which is formed a
placket-hole 8, and on opposite sides of said placket-hole hooks 9 of ordinary con-
straction or other equivalent fastening devices adapted to be engaged with the
eyelets or apertures 4 in the tab or flap 3 are secured, as clearly seen in Fig. 1.
The arrangement of said hooks 9 as herein shown is not material to my invention,
as they may be arranged in various ways without departing from the spirit of the
invention.

page_text: In using the device the tapes or bands 5 are first drawn tightly about the waist
and tied in front so as to hold down the lower part of the garment, after which the
skirt 6 is put on and its hooks 9 engaged with the eyelets or apertures 4 in the tab
or flap of the garment. After the skirt has been fastened properly a belt may be
passed around the waist in the usual way, and this serves to hide the tab or flap
should the same be visible.
The device constructed as above described serves to support the waistband of the
skirt against dropping in the back and enables the employment of pins and other
devices to be dispensed with, and the tab or flap being of flexible material is not
liable to tear or cut the garment when in use or being laundered, and when in use
does not press on the person as do the various metallic devices heretofore devised for
this purpose. Moreover, the said tab or flap 3, being secured over the gathers 2 at
the back of the garment acts as a re-inforce for the same and prevents said gathers
from being drawn out of place and the tapes or bands 5 serve not merely to keep
the waist portion of the garment in place but also serve as means for adjusting the
flap or tab 3 in position exactly at the center of the back.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A lady's shirt-waist or the like having a series of gathers at the rear of its waist
portion, and provided with a single tab or flap secured along its upper longitudinal
edge over the said gathers, said tab or flap being provided with a plurality of eyelets
ranging longitudinally thereof and adapted to receive hooks on opposite sides of the
placket of a skirt, whereby the gathers will be reinforced, provision being made for
readily and securely supporting the skirt from the rear of the waist, and the waist
prevented from working up beyond the waistband of the skirt, as set forth.
2. A lady's shirt-waist or the like having an elongated tab or flap secured directly
to the center rear portion thereof, said tab or flap being provided with a plur-
ality of apertures to receive hooks on opposite sides of the placket of the skirt,
whereby provision is made for securely supporting the skirt at the rear and
the waist is effectually prevented from working up beyond the waistband of the
skirt and with a tape at each end, said tapes being adapted to pass around the
waist of the wearer and tied at the front, whereby the waist portion of the gar-
ment will be held in place and the tab or flap held in the center of the back of the
wearer, substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents.