Article of clothing

Abstract

An article of clothing for the upper portion of the body, of the type having an outer envelope at least partially covering the upper portion of the body, and an arrangement for holding / supporting the bust connected to the outer envelope by a substantially horizontal seam in the area of the back, and by at least one substantially vertical seam in the zone located between the two breasts of the wearer.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is based upon French Patent Application No. 03.08368, filed Jul. 9, 2003, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The invention relates to an article of clothing, in particular an article of clothing to be worn by a woman, adapted to cover at least partially the upper portion of the body, and designed more specifically for a sports activity. [0004] 2. Description of Background and Relevant Information [0005] An article of clothing of the aforementioned type must meet several requirements and assure, in particular, the support / hold of the bust, including during sporting activities, and ensure a thermal comfort during exertion. [0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,538 describes an article of clothing of this type which consists of an outer envelope of the bod...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015] An object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks and to propose an article of women's clothing with means for holding the bust which is more comfortable to wear, does not excessively compress the bust, and is easier to put on while offering a required degree of hold / support.

[0017] In contrast with known constructions having suspended holding / supporting arrangements, the holding / supporting arrangement in the article of clothing according to the invention is attached by seams, such as stitching, to the outer envelope in very limited zones, namely a portion of the back and the front. These seams are designed so as to make the necessary connection with the envelope without having a negative effect on the freedom of movement and ventilation.

[0018] In this way, the suppression of attaching seams in the area of the arm holes or underarms allows additional freedom as the holding / supporting portion can be adapted to the morphology of the body independently of the outer envelope, and further allows the possibility of supplemental ventilation in a zone of substantial perspiration.

[0019] Likewise, the attaching of the holding / supporting arrangement by at least one vertical seam at the front guarantees a hold over the entire height of the bust, and therefore a better hold.

[0021] The elastic band allows optimizing stability in the transverse direction, and the fact that this band is made with the material of the outer envelope eliminates a thickness of material and thus improves thermal comfort of the article of clothing.

Problems solved by technology

Nonetheless, it has certain drawbacks, particularly a problem of thermal comfort in the area of the entire brassiere zone for supporting the bust, because two thick layers of material are superimposed in this zone, namely that of the brassiere and that of the singlet / outer envelope.

The result is a feeling of heat, excessive perspiration, and a substantial thermal discomfort.

In addition, this type of garment, with the brassiere in the form of a band, is very difficult to put on due to the elastic material constituting the brassiere which compresses the breasts during this step.

The larger the user's bust, the more difficult it is to put it on.

Furthermore, the very band-shape of the brassiere presses on the breasts and gives a feeling of compression that is very uncomfortable depending on the bust size.

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