A garment including an inner layer of material adapted to be disposed adjacent to a wearer's skin. The inner layer preferably forms a body suit with legs formed of elastic, body-shaping material that includes a bodice portion and torso/legs portion. The garment also includes at least one exterior layer that may be fashioned as a skirt, a dress, a long-legged pants, a jumpsuit, or similar attire. A construction of a body suit with legs as well as a method for making the torso/legs portion is also disclosed.
1. A garment adapted to be used as swimwear, activewear, and casual wear, said garment comprising:
a body-shaping inner layer adapted to be disposed adjacent to a wearer's skin, said inner layer including a lower section adapted to cover a portion of the torso and upper thighs of the wearer and an inner bodice section joined to said lower section,
wherein the body-shaping inner layer is fashioned by folding and joining selected edges of a sheet of flexible fabric, wherein said sheet of flexible fabric is designed to have a specific shape consisting of
(a) an outer peripheral configuration including four corners and two pairs of opposing sides (1) a first of the pair of opposing sides, being linear and parallel (2) a second of the pair of opposing sides having a top, center, and bottom section, the top and bottom sections being curvilinear and including a first end at one of the four corners and a curved portion that forms a second end at the center section, the two ends spaced apart a distance of a substantially rectangular-shaped recess in the center section such that an inner edge of the substantially rectangular-shaped recess is aligned with the first end at one of the four corners, and
(b) an inner peripheral configuration defining a rectangular opening through said sheet, said rectangular opening having substantially the same dimensions as the substantially rectangular-shaped, recessed, center section and positioned centrally in said sheet substantially equi-distant between the two pairs of opposing sides, and
wherein said substantially rectangular-shaped, recessed, center section and said rectangular opening in said sheet are disposed in a crotch area of a person when the body suit is worn conformingly against and about, and compressively shapes a person's torso and upper thighs, and
an intermediate layer disposed over said inner layer, said intermediate layer including a lower portion of a dress disposed over said lower section and an intermediate bodice section including an upper portion of a dress joined to said lower dress portion and disposed over said inner bodice section; and
an outer layer permanently affixed to and disposed over said intermediate layer.
2. A garment according to claim 1 wherein said inner layer is permanently affixed to said intermediate layer and said outer layer substantially only along the upper edge of said inner bodice section.
3. A garment according to claim 1 further including a waist band interconnected between said lower dress portion and said upper dress portion.
4. A garment according to claim 3 wherein said waist band is fashioned of a substantially elastic material.
5. A garment according to claim 1 further comprising a layer of padding interposed between said inner bodice section and said upper dress portion.
6. A garment according to claim 1 wherein said inner bodice section possesses a pair of underwire channelings and a pair of underwires each extending through a corresponding one of said channelings and adapted to be disposed beneath and to support the breasts of a person wearing the garment.
7. A garment according to claim 1 wherein said inner layer is fashioned of a sheet of a substantially elastic material capable of stretching and contracting in two orthogonal directions extending through the plane of the sheet.
8. A garment according to claim 7 wherein said elastic material comprises a combination of nylon and spandex.
9. A garment according to claim 8 wherein said intermediate layer comprises a combination of nylon and spandex and said outer layer comprises a combination of nylon and spandex.
10. A garment according to claim 1 wherein said lower dress portion extends downwardly a distance sufficient to cover essentially all of said lower section.
11. A garment according to claim 1 further comprising means interconnecting said lower dress portion and said lower section for restraining said lower dress portion from moving away from said lower section.
12. A garment according to claim 11 wherein said means selectively restrains said lower dress portion from moving away from said lower section.
13. A garment according to claim 11 wherein said restraining means comprises at least one connecting band extending between said lower section and said lower dress portion.
14. A garment according to claim 1 wherein said lower section is adapted to substantially completely cover the upper thighs of the wearer to a point in the range of about three to eight inches below the wearer's crotch.
15. A body suit adapted to be worn conformingly against and about, and adapted to compressively shape, a person's torso and upper thighs, said body suit fashioned by folding and joining selected edges of a sheet of flexible fabric, wherein said sheet of flexible fabric is designed to have a specific shape consisting of:
(a) an outer peripheral configuration including four corners and two pairs of opposing sides (1) a first of the pair of opposing sides, being linear and parallel (2) a second of the pair of opposing sides having a top, center, and bottom section, the top and bottom sections being curvilinear and including a first end at one of the four corners and a curved portion that forms a second end at the center section, the two ends spaced apart a distance of a substantially rectangular-shaped recess in the center section such that an inner edge of the substantially rectangular-shaped recess is aligned with the first end at one of the four corners, and
(b) an inner peripheral configuration defining a rectangular opening through said sheet, said rectangular opening having substantially the same dimensions as the substantially rectangular-shaped, recessed, center section and positioned centrally in said sheet substantially equi-distant between the two pairs of opposing sides, and
wherein said substantially rectangular-shaped, recessed, center section and said rectangular opening in said sheet are disposed in a crotch area of a person when the body suit is worn conformingly against and about, and compressively shapes a person's torso and upper thighs.