Patent ID: 8407815

Claim:
An article of apparel comprising: a pelvic region for covering a pelvic area of a wearer, the pelvic region including a waistband for extending around a waist of the wearer, the waistband having: a cover layer and a base layer that lay adjacent to each other, the cover layer forming a portion of an exterior surface of the apparel, and the cover layer defining a pair of spaced edges, and a strand segment located between the cover layer and the base layer, the strand segment extending at least partially around the waistband, the strand segment laying substantially parallel to surfaces of the cover layer and the base layer for a distance of at least five centimeters, and the strand segment being substantially centered between the edges of the cover layer for the distance of at least five centimeters; a pair of leg regions for covering at least a portion of leg areas of the wearer; and wherein the cover layer is absent from areas not including the strand segment.