Patent ID: 8505119

Claim:
A garment for wearing about a wearer's waist, the garment comprising: a garment body having a front side, a rear side, a waist portion defining a waist opening at an upper boundary thereof; an open notch depending into the waist portion of the garment body from the upper boundary of said waistband portion, the open notch having first and second sides that extend downwardly from the upper boundary of the waist portion and connect together at a bottom of the notch at a distance below said upper boundary of said waist portion; a notch border member having greater rigidity than the garment body and comprising first and second legs and a bottom end at which said first and second legs are connected together, the first and second legs and the bottom end of the notch border member being positionable to lie respectively along the first and second sides and bottom of the notch so as to align an open space between the legs of the notch border member with the open notch in the garment; a fly formed in the garment body and extending downwardly from the bottom of the open notch; a fastening arrangement at the fly for selective opening and closing of said fly; a connection formed between the first leg of the notch border member and the garment body at the first side of the notch, the notch border member being supported on the waist portion of the garment by the connection and the legs and bottom end of the notch border member being positioned externally of the garment at an externally visible location adjacent the open notch in the waist portion of the garment; and a securing mechanism installed between the second leg of the notch border member and the waistband portion of the garment body at the second side of the notch, the securing mechanism being operable between an engaged state securing the second leg to the garment body at the second side of the notch to hold the notch border member in a closed position bordering both sides of the notch and aligning the open space of the notch border member with the open notch in the garment body, and a disengaged state releasing the second leg from the garment body at the second side of the notch for swinging of said second leg over to the first side of the notch to reveal access to the fly at the bottom of said notch to enable opening of said fly.