Convertible closure for garments and garment utilizing the same

Abstract

A convertible closure capable of adjusting and / or converting to accommodate the expansion and / or contraction of the waist and / or abdominal region of the wearer is provided. The convertible closure includes a droppable flap having a second waist band portion configured to be capable of operably engaging a first waist band portion of the garment at one or more points to form a convertible and continuous waist band about the garment such that the overall waist size of the garment may be adjusted to accommodate a wearer having a varying waist size. The convertible closure may, in some embodiments, also include a stretchable front panel disposed behind the droppable flap and configured to be capable of supporting the waist and / or abdominal region of the wearer of the garment when the convertible closure is fastened about the waistline of the wearer.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to garments such as pants, skirts, dresses, shorts, and pajamas, having a convertible closure. More particularly, the embodiments of the present invention provide a convertible closure whereby the size, fit, and / or appearance of a garment may be adjusted using the convertible closure. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] There exist numerous types of closures for garments, such as trousers, skirts, dresses, and others, many of which provide for an adjustable sizing and / or fit about the waist of the wearer of the garment. For instance, conventional garments having adjustable waist sizes often include elastic materials disposed within a waist band or other component of the garment in order to provide adjustable sizing that may conform to the waist or abdominal region of a wearer of the garment. [0003] For instance, conventional adjustable garments sometimes include an adjustable fastening portion including a circumfer...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] Thus the various embodiments of the convertible closure and garment of the present invention provide many advantages that may include, but are not limited to: providing a garment which is capable of accommodating the expansion and / or contraction of the waist and / or abdominal region of a wearer without restriction of the waist or hips of the wearer; providing a convertible closure for garments which does not require the use of elastic material to accommodate expansion and / or contraction of the waist and / or abdominal region of a wearer; providing a convertible closure for garments such providing a clean and / or flat appearance; providing a convertible closure for garments such that the garment is comfortable for the wearer; and providing a convertible closure for garments which is easy to use and requires no special fasteners or complicated procedures for fastening.

Problems solved by technology

While such garments provide some degree of adjustability to the waist size of the garment, many such adjustable garments require the use of elastic, which may result in shirring and / or bunching of fabric about the areas containing reinforcing elastic material.

Finally, while some conventional adjustable garments provide for adjustability using buttons and / or notches defined in or around a waist band, such garments do not include provisions for the use of resilient fabric panels (such as, for instance, woven and / or knit materials blended with Lycra) to line the garment and provide extra support to a wearer without the use of elastic waist band components.

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