Patent ID: 8286262

Claim:
A garment having: a base layer of stretchable elastic fabric having a torso portion that covers at least part of the torso of a wearer; a plurality of panels laminated on the outer surface of the base layer, the panels formed of a material having an outer surface that exhibits lower surface drag in water than the underlying base layer, each of the panels separated from the other panels by an exposed portion of the base layer, said panels including an abdominal panel covering the abdomen of the wearer and extending upwardly centrally to the wearer's sternum region, and a pair of chest panels which are generally triangular and which are located laterally one on each side of the abdominal panel and which extend downwardly to a level lower than the uppermost end of the abdominal panel, and wherein the panels cover at least 50% of a front side of the torso portion of the garment.