Patent ID: 7516499

Claim:
A garment having an adjustable waist, comprising: an opening intersecting a waist section of the garment; the opening being in a narrowed position or a widened position to adjust the girth of the waist section and accommodate waist size changes; a flexible panel bridging across the opening and sewn to fabric on first and second edges of the opening, wherein the panel gathers or folds when the opening is in a narrowed position; and a closure mechanism holding the opening in either of said positions and stabilizing the girth of the waist section, wherein the closure mechanism comprises fasteners positioned at the first of the edges of the opening at respective locations along the waist section to correspond with adjustments in the widened position of the girth of the waist section, a waist band positioned at the second of the edges of the opening and extendable over the opening and along the waist section of the garment to form a partial belt, and a free end of the waist band being selectively attachable to the respective fasteners on said first of the edges of the opening.