US1989753A - Bathing suit - Google Patents

Description

W. D. lDE

Feb. 5, 1935.

BATHING SUIT Filed Dec. 12, 1933 l mv TOR Z4 Vww a JQ BY Gan/ i I49 ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 5, 1935 1 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE BATHING SUIT ticn of Ohio Application December 12, 1933, Serial No. 701,972

5 Claims.

This invention relates to bathing suits of the one-piece style, and is concerned more particularly with a one-piece suit of novel construction which is of attractive appearance, provides the '5. necessary protection to the wearer while giving the desired exposure of the back, and affords comfort and freedom of movement of all parts of the bedy.

One-piece bathing suits as commonly made heretofore include a body portion consisting of a top and a skirt, and trunks concealed within the skirt and held in place by being stitched to the body portion at the waistline. In that style of suit in which the top has a back, the line of stitching'securing the trunks in place extends entirely around the waist and this is objectionable for several reasons. The trunks fit the body much more snugly than does the body portion of the garment, particularly at the back of the waist,

and with the entire top of the trunks secured to the back, the latter is drawn in at the Waist and this makes an undesirable sharp break in the smooth lines of the garment. Also, with the trunks and back stitched together as described,

the movements of the wearer are considerably hampered, since movements of the legs in swimming place strains on the trunks which are resisted not only by the trunks but also by the body portion of the garment through the line of stitching.

Another style of one-piece suit is made without a back and this necessitates the use of straps of some sort, attached to the top of the trunks at the rear to hold them in position. While a garment of that type ofiers less interference to bodily movement, there are some swimmers who prefer not to have the entire back exposed and the backless garment, while perhaps more comfortable than one with a back as heretofore made, has by no means displaced the latter in popular favor.

The present invention is accordingly directed to the provision of a new one-piece suit having a back, which is of better appearance and affords greater freedom of movement than do the former suits of the same general style. The desired result is obtained by a novel trunks construction and a new method of supporting the trunks at the back and, by the use of these features, the neces- 50 sary support is afforded to the trunks without detracting from the appearance of the suit when worn, and without hampering the movements of the wearer.

The new garment includes a body portion consisting of a top and skirt and trunks lying within the skirt, the top preferably being cut low at the back to a point in or slightly above the waistline. The trunks are secured to the body portion along the front of the waistline by stitching in the usual way. At the back, the top edge of the trunks is secured at its mid-point to the body portion by stitching and on either side of the point of attachment, the top edges of the trunks are free, although they may be held snugly in against the body by elastic inserts. Preferably, the top edge of the trunks at the back has an upwardly projecting portion which extends to the lowest point of the back opening, and the upper edge of this projection may be cut to conform to the edge of the opening and is secured thereto by a short line of stitching. As the edge of the opening in the top is finished with the usual hem, the stitching forming the hem may also be used to connect the top edge of the trunks to the top of the garment and the connection is then hardly noticeable. While the back of the trunks preferably has its top edge secured at the mid-point to the body portion of the garment, it is to be understood that the back of the trunks could be connected to the body at more than one point, if desired, but the single central connection is preferred.

With the construction described, it will be apparent that as the trunks are secured to the top of the garment only at or near the median line of the back, the body portion of the garment is not drawn in sharply at either side of the waist over the hips and this gives the garment smooth flowing lines in the back. Also, the connection of the top of the trunks to the back at the central point does not interfere with the movement of the legs of the wearer since the top edge of the trunks is free on either side of the central connection.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view of the garment in front elevation with parts broken away;

Fig.2 is a rear view of the garment in elevation with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4. is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the garment illustrated comprises a skirt 10, trunks 11, and a top portion above the skirt and including a front 12 and a back 13 which are connected together over the shoulders by straps 14. In some cases, as

The trunks 11 are connected to the skirt por-- tion along the front of the waistline by suitable stitching l9 and in order that the trunks be prop erly supported, they must also be connected in some manner to the body portion of the garment at the back. In the usual construction of onepiece suits, the back of the trunks stitched directly to the back of the skirt along thewaistline, but this means of support is generally undesirable in suits of this type because the continuousline of stitching causes a break in the smooth lines of the body portion by drawing it in sharply around the waist, and the connection also hampers the movements of the legs of the wearer in swimming.

To obviate these difficulties, I connect the top edge of the trunks to the back of the body only at a point inward from the sides of the garment and this leaves a substantial portion of the top edge of the trunks free. Preferably, the trunks are cut-with an upward projection 20 at the back and this projection extends to the lower edge of the back opening 18 and the top edge of the projection conforms to the edge of the opening. The top of the projection may then be connected to the backer" the garment by the stitching21 which is usedto form the hem around the opening and the connection is thus not noticeable.

Withthe trunks thus connected tothe body portion of the garment at the back, the top edge of the trunks is freeon either side of the connection, as indicated at 22 and 23, and this avoids interference with the wearer in his movements, whereas on a garment in which the top edge of the trunks is connected throughoutits length to the back of the garment, any strain imposed on the trunks by the wearer in swimming is resisted the hem.- This material prevents the top edge of the trunks from gaping, but it yields freely and thus does not serve tohamper bodily movemerits. v

While Ihave described the trunks as being connected to the body portion of the garment at the middle or" the back and along the edge'of the back opening, itwill be understood that othertypes of connection may be employed. That described, however, is preferred since by its use, the garment both has an attractive appearance and affords the greatest degree of freedom to the wearer. f i

I claim:

l. A bathing suit which comprises a body portion made up of a topand a skirt, trunks within the skirt, said top having a back with an opening therein, said opening extending substantially down to'the waistline at the back,- a connection between the top of thetrunks and the body portion along the waistline in front, and'a connection between a portion of the trunks in back and said body portion along the edge of said opening.

2. A bathing suit which comprises a body portion made up of a top and a skirt, trunks within the skirt, said top having a back with an opening therein, said opening extending substantially down to the waistline at the back, a connection between the top of the trunks and the body portion along the waistline in front, a connection between a portion of the top of the trunks in back and the body portion along the edge of said opening, and resilientmeans at the top of the trunks inback for holding said top snugly against the" body.

3. A bathing suit which comprises abody portion made up; of a top and a skirt, trunks within the skirt, said top having a front and back with 4. A bathing suit which comprises a body portion made up of a top and a skirt, said top having a neck opening extending down substantially to the waistline'at the back of the garment, trunks within said skirt, a permanent connection between.

the top of the trunks and the body portion substantially throughout the length of the waist-' line at the front of the garment, at least a portion of the upper edge of the trunks substantially extending up to. and terminating along the lower back edge of the neck opening, and a permanent connection between at least a portion of the top edge of the back of the trunks and the body portion along the edge of said opening. j j

5. A bathing suit which comprises abody portion made up of a top and a skirt, trunks within the skirt, said top having a neck opening extending downwardly in the back as far as theupper edge of the trunks, said trunks having at least a portion of their upper edge in back shapeditcconform to the-edge of said opening, a connec= tion between the top of the, trunks in front and the body portion along the waistline, anda connection between the body portion and the top of the trunks in back along the edge of saidopening.

WALTER D. IDE.

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