Flexible Article of Apparel

Abstract

An article of apparel is provided and may be formed of a plurality of movable apparel members. The movable apparel members may be connected to each other via a fastener and may be movable or rotatable relative to each other. The movable apparel members may form a web-like structure having a plurality of apertures of varying sizes defined by the movable apparel members. The position of the movable apparel members may be maintained, such as via a friction fit between the movable apparel members and the fastener, until one or more of the movable apparel members are acted on by a force sufficient to overcome the friction fit. The article of apparel may be adjusted to a plurality of different configurations by moving the movable apparel members and may be worn as an exterior garment or may be worn beneath another garment to provide shape, structure, etc. to the other garment.

Description

BACKGROUND

Today's fashion trends are ever changing. People are often looking for the next great trend or are looking to push the envelope of fashion. Often times, the appearance of various articles of clothing may be improved, altered, etc. by the use of a foundation garment that provides shaping, structure, etc. In conventional systems, these foundation garments are often structured in a single configuration that cannot be altered. Further, the foundation garments are generally not suitable to be worn as an exterior garment, which may be seen or visible when worn. Accordingly, an adjustable or flexible article of apparel configured to be worn either under an article of clothing or as an exterior garment would be beneficial.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. The summary is not an extensive overview the invention. It is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention, nor to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the description below.

According to one or more aspects described herein, a flexible article of apparel is provided. In some examples, the flexible article of apparel may include a plurality of movable apparel members. The movable apparel members may be connected to each other, such as with a fastener. In some examples, the movable apparel members may be substantially identical in size and/or shape. The movable apparel members may maintain their position via a friction fit between the movable apparel members and/or the fastener. The position may be maintained until one or more of the movable apparel members are acted on by an outside force sufficient to overcome the friction fit.

In some arrangements, the movable apparel members may be movable or rotatable relative to each other about the fastener. Movement or adjustment of one or more movable apparel members may alter or adjust the overall configuration of the flexible apparel member. Thus, the flexible apparel member may have a variety of different configurations or appearances based on the position of the movable apparel members. These different configurations may also alter the appearance or configuration of another article of apparel worn over the flexible article of apparel in arrangements in which the flexible article of apparel is worn as a foundation garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates one configuration of one example flexible article of apparel according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of a portion of the flexible article of apparel of FIG. 1 according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 3A illustrates another example configuration of the flexible article of apparel of FIG. 1 in a first arrangement according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 3B illustrates the flexible article of apparel of FIG. 3A in a second arrangement according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates a plurality of movable apparel members joined or connected by fasteners to form the flexible article of apparel according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates another configuration of the flexible article of apparel according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 6 illustrates yet another example configuration of the flexible article of apparel having a shoulder portion according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates still another configuration of the flexible article of apparel having a shoulder portion according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates another configuration of the flexible article of apparel having a plurality of open regions according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 9 illustrates yet another configuration of the flexible article of apparel according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 10 illustrates still another configuration of the flexible article of apparel according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 11 illustrates another configuration of the flexible article of apparel according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 12A illustrates one example schematic drawing of a configuration of the flexible article of apparel along with a garment or other article of apparel that may be used with the flexible article of apparel according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 12B illustrates the garment of FIG. 12A when worn over the flexible article of apparel of FIG. 12A according to one or more aspects described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various illustrative embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, various embodiments in which the claimed subject matter may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present claimed subject matter.

Aspects of this disclosure relate to a flexible article of apparel. The flexible article of apparel may be worn as a foundation garment beneath another article of apparel, or as an exterior garment either alone or over another article of apparel. The flexible article of apparel may include a plurality of movable apparel members. The movable apparel members may be joined or connected to each other via a fastener and may move relative to each other.

FIG. 1 illustrates one example configuration of the flexible article of apparel 100. Although several configurations of the flexible article of apparel are shown and described herein, various other configurations may be used without departing from the invention. For instance, each portion of the flexible article of apparel 100 may be positioned or repositioned in a variety of different arrangements to alter the overall shape of the flexible article of apparel 100. Thus, infinitely many configurations are possible based on the adjustment of the various portions of the flexible article of apparel 100, etc.

The flexible article of apparel 100 may generally include a bodice portion 102 configured to be positioned in a chest area of a wearer. Further, the flexible article of apparel 100 may include a skirt portion 104 configured to be positioned in a waist and/or hip region of the wearer. In some examples, the bodice portion 102 and skirt portion 104 may surround or encircle their respective portions of the body. For instance, the bodice portion 102 may surround the chest area of the wearer, while the skirt portion 104 may surround the hip and/or waist region of the wearer.

In some examples, the flexible article of apparel 100 may be a single garment formed of a plurality, of movable apparel members 106. The movable apparel members 106 will be described more fully below. In another example, the flexible article of apparel 100 may be formed of multiple garments connected together or that may be worn separately. For instance, the bodice portion 102 may be a separate garment from the skirt portion 104 (e.g., may be removable, disconnectable, etc.). Thus, in this example arrangement, the bodice portion 102 may be worn separately from the skirt portion 104 (e.g., the bodice 102 may be worn alone or the skirt 104 may be worn alone). In some examples, a portion of the flexible article of apparel 100 (e.g., the bodice portion 102, the skirt portion 104) may be connected to or worn with a conventional article of apparel (e.g., flexible apparel bodice 102 with conventional skirt or pants, flexible apparel skirt 104 with conventional top, etc.).

In arrangements in which one or more portions of the flexible article of apparel can be separated from the remainder of the flexible article of apparel 100, the portions may be joined using known methods of attachment, such as fasteners, snap fits, zippers, buttons, snaps, and the like. In some examples, the fasteners (108 in FIG. 2) connecting the movable apparel members 106 may be removable or disconnectable such that one or more movable apparel members 106 may be disconnected from an adjacent movable apparel member 106 and may be reconnected to another movable apparel member 106 or reconnected to the movable apparel member 106 from which it was removed. The fasteners 108 connecting the movable apparel members 106 will be discussed more fully below.

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of a portion of the flexible article of apparel 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible article of apparel 100 is formed by a plurality of movable apparel members 106. The movable apparel members 106 may be joined or connected to an adjacent movable apparel member 106 using known attachments, such as snaps, buttons, snap fits, mechanical fasteners such as screws, rivets, etc., and the like. For instance, as shown in FIG. 2, adjacent movable apparel members 106a and 106b are connected via fastener 108.

In some examples, the fastener 108 may permit movement of the connected movable apparel members 106a, 106b relative to each other. For instance, movable apparel member 106a may be movable relative to movable apparel member 106b, or vice versa. In some arrangements, the movable apparel members 106 may be rotatable about the fastener 108. Movement or adjustment of the movable apparel members 106 may alter the configuration of the flexible article of apparel 100. The movable apparel members 106 may, in some examples, generally form a web-like arrangement with a plurality of apertures formed between the movable apparel members 106 or the plurality of apertures being defined by the movable apparel members 106. The apertures may have varying sizes depending on the position of the movable apparel members 106 forming any particular aperture.

For example, FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate alternate configurations of the flexible article of apparel 100. As shown in FIG. 3A, the flexible article of apparel 100 includes a bodice portion 102 and a skirt portion 104. Both the bodice portion 102 and the skirt portion 104 are formed of a plurality of movable apparel members 106 connected via fasteners 108. Similar to the arrangement discussed above, the movable apparel members 106 may be adjusted relative to each other to alter the shape or configuration of the flexible article of apparel 100.

For instance, as shown in FIG. 3A, the flexible article of apparel 100 may include downward pointing skirt portions 110a. The downward pointing skirt portions 110a may form a skirt or portion of a skirt or may alter a shape of a skirt being worn over the flexible article of apparel 100, as will be discussed more fully below. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3B, the downward pointing skirt portions 110a may be adjusted outward to form outward pointing skirt portions 110b. That is, the movable apparel members 106 comprising the downward pointing skirt portions 110a may be moved or adjusted to reconfigure the skirt portion 104 of the article of apparel 100. The movable apparel members 106 may be adjusted or moved by providing sufficient force to overcome a friction fit provided between the fastener 108 and one or more movable apparel member 106. However, when the force is removed, the movable apparel members will remain in place (e.g., via the friction fit) until another force is provided to adjust the movable apparel members 106.

The adjustability of the flexible article of apparel 100 provides for a variety of configurations, shapes, etc. to be formed. Further, the adjustability of the flexible article of apparel 100 allows for adjustment of various features of the apparel, such as arm holes, to be adjusted for size, fit, location, configuration, etc. In still other arrangements, various embellishments or structure/shape features may be added, removed, adjusted, etc. to the flexible article of apparel 100 by adjusting the movable apparel members 106. Examples of some arrangements will be discussed more fully below.

FIG. 4 is a close-up view of a portion of the flexible article of apparel 100 illustrating the movable apparel members 106 and fasteners 108. In some examples, the movable apparel members 106 may be formed of plastic, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PETE). Additionally or alternatively, various other plastics may be used. In some examples, the movable apparel members 106 may be formed of a variety of other materials, such as flexible metals, leather, rubber, composite materials, and the like.

The movable apparel members 106 may, in some examples, be identical or substantially identical to each other. That is, the entire flexible article of apparel 100 may be formed of movable apparel members 106 having an identical or substantially identical size, shape, configuration, etc. For instance, the movable apparel members 106 may be substantially rectangular but, in some arrangements, may also include rounded corners in order to improve comfort for the wearer. Additionally or alternatively, the movable apparel members 106 may be a variety of other shapes, such as square, circular, oval, and the like, without departing from the invention.

In some examples, the movable apparel members 106 may be between 1.5 inches and 4.5 inches, between 1.0 inch and 5.0 inches, or between 0.5 inch and 7 inches in length. In one example arrangement, the movable apparel members 106 may be 3.0 inches in length. Further, the movable apparel members 106 may be between ¼ inch and 2 inches wide. In one example arrangement, the movable apparel members 106 may be 0.5 inch wide. The movable apparel members 106 may be between 0.005 and 0.050 inch thick. In some examples, the movable apparel members 106 may be 0.010 inch thick. Although the arrangements discussed above include movable apparel members 106 that are identical or substantially identical, alternatively, the flexible article of apparel 100 may be formed of movable apparel members 106 having different sizes, shapes, configurations, etc.

In some arrangements, the movable apparel members 106 may be formed using a laser cutting process. Additionally or alternatively, the movable apparel members 106 may be molded, printed, etc. In some examples, the movable apparel members 106 may include a pre-cut aperture or puncture through which the fastener 108 may extend. The aperture may be any suitable size, shape, etc. to accommodate the fastener 108. In some examples, the aperture may be between ⅛ and % inch in diameter. In one example configuration, the aperture may be ¼ inch in diameter.

As discussed above, adjacent movable apparel members 106 may be joined or connected using a fastener 108. In some examples, the fastener 108 may be an aluminum post. Additionally or alternatively, the fastener 108 may be another mechanical fastener, such as a screw, rivet, and the like. In still other arrangements, the fastener 108 may be a button, snap, snap-fit, and the like. The fastener 108 may be formed of any suitable material including various metals, such as aluminum, titanium, steel, etc. or combinations thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the fastener 108 may be formed of various plastic materials, composite materials, etc.

The fasteners 108 may have a diameter between ⅛ and ¾ inch and, in some arrangements, may be ¼ inch in diameter. Further, the fastener 108 may be between ⅛ inch and ½ inch in length. In some arrangements, the fasteners 108 used throughout the flexible article of apparel 100 may be identical or substantially identical in size, shape, configuration, etc. For instance, the fasteners 108 may have a diameter of ¼ inch and may be ¼ inch in length. Additionally or alternatively, a variety of fasteners 108 may be used. That is, different types of fasteners 108 may be used or the fasteners 108 may vary by size, shape, configuration, etc. In some examples, the fasteners 108 may have identical or substantially identical diameters but may vary in length. For instance, the fasteners 108 may include different length fasteners 108 used in different regions of the flexible article of apparel 100. In some examples, the fasteners 108 used may include fasteners 108 that are ⅛ inch, ¼ inch and/or ⅜ inch in length. This may allow for easier adjustment of the movable apparel members 106 in regions having the longer length fasteners 108. That is, a fastener 108 having a longer length may provide a looser fit between the movable apparel members 106. Thus, less force may be provided to move the movable apparel members 106. This may be advantageous in the skirt portion 104 where additional movement or ease of movement of the members may be advantageous.

Additionally or alternatively, the shorter fastener members 108 may be used when a tighter friction fit is desired between the movable apparel members 106. For instance, in the bodice portion 102, less movement or ease of movement may be desired. Accordingly, shorter fasteners 108 may be used in order to provide a tighter friction fit between the movable apparel members 106 and thus may make the members stiffer or more difficult to adjust in that region than in regions having longer fasteners 108 and thus more ease of movement between the members 106.

In some examples, the movable apparel members 106 and fasteners 108 may have any desired color. For instance, if the flexible article of apparel 100 is to be worn as an exterior garment that is visible, the flexible apparel members 106 may coordinate with or contrast with the fasteners 108 to provide a pleasing aesthetic appearance. Color may be provided during manufacture of the movable apparel members 106 and/or fasteners 108, or may be applied in a separate process (e.g., via paint, or other known methods of adding color).

FIG. 5 illustrates another configuration of the flexible article of apparel 100. The flexible article of apparel 100 includes a bodice portion 202 and a skirt portion 204. In the arrangement shown, various movable apparel members 106 have been adjusted to create a shoulder region 212. In some examples, the shoulder region 212 may be a protrusion extending upward from the bodice portion 202 (e.g., extending upward from a top, front of the bodice region 202). Additionally or alternatively, the shoulder region 212 may include a strap arrangement in which the shoulder region 212 extends over a shoulder of the wearer and connects to the bodice portion 202 at both a front and a rear of the bodice portion 202.

As further shown in FIG. 5, the skirt portion 204 may include a large open area or aperture 214. The large open area 214 may provide a unique appearance of the flexible article of apparel 100 and may also affect how a garment or other article of apparel worn over the flexible article of apparel 100 may appear. The large open area 214 may be formed by adjusting one or more movable apparel members 106 of the plurality of movable apparel members 106 forming the flexible article of apparel 100.

FIG. 6 illustrates yet another configuration of the flexible article of apparel 100. Similar to the arrangements described above, the flexible article of apparel includes a bodice portion 302 and a skirt portion 304. As shown in FIG. 6, the flexible article of apparel 100 includes a plurality of movable apparel members 106 that have been adjusted to include a shoulder portion 312 extending upward from the bodice portion 302. The shoulder portion 312 may be formed by adjusting or moving one or more movable apparel members 106 of the plurality of movable apparel members 106 forming the flexible article of apparel 100. The shoulder portion 312 may extend upward from one side of the flexible article of apparel 100 or may extend over the shoulder of the wearer from the front to the rear of the flexible article of apparel 100. The shoulder portion 312 may provide a unique appearance of the flexible article of apparel 100 when worn as an external garment or article of apparel. Additionally or alternatively, the shoulder portion 312 may alter an appearance of another article of apparel (not shown) worn over the flexible article of apparel 100. That is, when the flexible article of apparel 100 is worn as a foundation garment, the garment worn over the flexible article of apparel 100 may have a shoulder portion that extends upward from the bodice and is held in place by the shoulder portion 312 of the flexible article of apparel 100.

The flexible article of apparel 100 of FIG. 6 may further include a skirt portion 304 having an embellishment 314 on one side of the skirt portion 304. The embellishment 314 may be formed by moving or adjusting one or more movable apparel members 106 to provide the desired appearance of the embellishment 314. The members 106 may be moved by providing a sufficient force to overcome the friction fit maintaining the position of the members 106. Once the desired new position is reached, the force may be removed and the friction fit will maintain the new position of the movable apparel members 106 until they are again acted on by an outside force sufficient to overcome the friction fit.

The embellishment 314 may provide a unique appearance for the flexible article of apparel 100 when worn as an exterior garment. Alternatively, the embellishment 314 may be, configured to alter a shape of a garment or other article of apparel worn over the flexible article of apparel 100. That is, a garment (not shown) worn over the flexible article of apparel 100 may protrude outward as it overlays the embellishment 314 of the flexible article of apparel 100. The garment may remain in that position until the shape and/or configuration of the embellishment 314 is adjusted by adjusting or moving one or more movable apparel members 106.

FIG. 7 illustrates yet another configuration of the flexible article of apparel 100. The flexible article of apparel 100 includes a plurality of movable apparel members 106 joined or connected via fasteners 108. Portions of the movable apparel members 106 may be manipulated to create a shoulder portion 412 extending from the bodice portion 402 and an embellishment 414 associated with the skirt portion 404. Similar to the arrangements above, the shoulder portion 412 and the embellishment 414 may provide a unique appearance for the flexible article of apparel 100 when worn as an exterior garment and may provide structure and/or shape to a garment worn over the flexible article of apparel 100.

FIGS. 8-11 illustrate additional configurations of the flexible article of apparel 100. As shown in FIGS. 8-11, a variety of shapes and configurations for the flexible article of apparel are possible by manipulating one or more of the movable apparel members 106. The various configurations and shapes may provide a unique appearance for the flexible article of apparel 100 and/or may provide structure or shaping characteristics for a garment (not shown) worn over the flexible article of apparel 100.

FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate yet another configuration of the flexible article of apparel 100 including a garment 550. FIG. 12A illustrates a schematic or simplified drawing of the flexible article of apparel 100 shown in FIGS. 1-11. The flexible article of apparel 100 includes a bodice portion 502 and a skirt portion 504. The skirt portion 504 includes outwardly extending skirt portions 510a, 510b. In addition, FIG. 12A illustrates a simplified garment 550 that may be used or worn with the flexible article of apparel 100 when the flexible article of apparel 100 is worn beneath an article of clothing as a foundation garment to provide structure, shape, configurations, etc. The garment 550 includes a bodice portion 552 and a skirt portion 554.

FIG. 12B illustrates the garment 550 being worn over the flexible article of apparel 100. The bodice portion 552 of the garment may fit over the bodice portion 502 of the flexible article of apparel 100, while the skirt portion 554 of the garment may fit over the skirt portion 504 of the flexible article of apparel 100. The end portions 560a and 560b of the skirt portion 554 may extend outward (as shown in FIG. 12B) as the skirt 554 fits over the outwardly extending skirt portions 510a, 510b of the skirt portion 504 of the flexible article of apparel 100. Although FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate one simplified arrangement of the flexible article of apparel 100 being worn beneath another article of apparel, a variety of configurations of the flexible article of apparel 100 may be used to alter the shape, structure, support, etc. of the garment 550 without departing from the invention.

As discussed above, the flexible article of apparel may provide a unique appearance in a variety of configurations. By moving or adjusting one or more movable apparel members, the flexible article of apparel may be adjusted to a variety of different configurations, positions, shapes, arrangements, etc. and may be worn as a garment that is visible. Alternatively, the flexible article of apparel may be worn under another garment or article of apparel to provide or alter the shape, configuration, position, arrangement, etc. of the garment. Thus, one flexible article of apparel may be used to provide a variety of appearances or visual configurations for itself as an article of apparel, or for another garment or article of apparel.

The flexible article of apparel shown and described herein may, in some examples, be one article that is configurable in the variety of different positions as shown and described herein. The various configurations may be formed by moving or adjusting the flexible apparel members to a desired arrangement. Although several example configurations of the flexible article of apparel are shown and described herein, infinitely many alternate configurations may be formed by adjusting one or more of the movable apparel members without departing from the invention.

Although the figures generally depict a dress shape for the flexible article of apparel, a variety of other articles of apparel may be formed without departing from the invention. For instance, the flexible article of apparel may be pants, shorts, long or short skirts, jackets, tops, and the like.

While the illustrative flexible article of apparel described herein embodying various aspects is shown, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to these embodiments. Modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. For example, each of the elements of the aforementioned embodiments may be utilized alone or in combination or sub-combination with the elements in the other embodiments. It will also be appreciated and understood that modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and score of the present invention. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of restrictive on the present invention.

Claims

1. An article of apparel, comprising:

a first movable apparel member;

a connecting fastener;

a second movable apparel member movably connected to the first apparel member via the connecting fastener;

wherein the first movable apparel member is movable relative to the second movable apparel member when acted on by an outside force.

2. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein a position of the first apparel member and the second apparel member is maintained by a friction fit between the fastener, the first apparel member and the second apparel member.

3. The article of apparel of claim 2, wherein the outside force is sufficient to overcome the friction fit.

4. The article of apparel of claim 3, wherein the position of the first apparel member and the second apparel member is maintained by the friction fit until at least one of the first apparel member and the second apparel member are acted on by the outside force.

5. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein the article of apparel is configured to be worn beneath a second article of apparel and is configured to provide at least one of shape and structure to the second article of apparel.

6. The article of apparel of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the shape and structure of the second article of apparel is adjustable based on adjustment of the first movable apparel member or the second movable apparel member.

7. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein the first movable apparel member and the second movable apparel member are substantially identical in at least one of size and shape.

8. An article of apparel, comprising:

a first movable apparel member having a first end and a second end;

a second movable apparel member having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second movable apparel member being connected to the first end of the first movable apparel member and being movable relative to the first movable apparel member, the first movable apparel member and the second movable apparel member being in a first configuration;

wherein the first movable apparel member and the second movable apparel member are movable to a second configuration, different from the first configuration, when at least one of the first apparel member and the second apparel member are acted on by an outside force.

9. The article of apparel of claim 8, wherein a position of the first apparel member relative to the second apparel member is maintained unless acted on by the outside force.

10. The article of apparel of claim 8, further including a third movable apparel member and a fourth movable apparel member, wherein a first end of the third movable apparel member is connected to the second end of the first movable apparel member, a first end of the fourth movable apparel member is connected to the second end of the second movable apparel member and a second end of the third movable apparel member is connected to a second end of the fourth movable apparel member.

11. The article of apparel of claim 10, wherein an aperture is formed between the first, second, third and fourth movable apparel members.

12. The article of apparel of claim 1, further including a second article of apparel configured to be worn over the article of apparel.

13. The article of apparel of claim 12, wherein the second article of apparel is in a first visual configuration when the first and second movable apparel members are in the first configuration, and the second article of apparel is in a second visual configuration when the first and second movable apparel members are in the second configuration.

14. An article of apparel, comprising:

a plurality of movable apparel members, each movable apparel member of the plurality of movable apparel members having a first end and a second end, wherein a first end of each movable apparel member is connected to a first end of another movable apparel member, and a second end of each movable apparel member is connected to a second end of another movable apparel member;

a bodice portion formed from a first portion of the plurality of movable apparel members; and

a skirt portion connected to the bodice portion and formed of a second plurality of movable apparel members;

wherein the bodice portion and skirt portion are configurable in multiple different arrangements by movement of one or more movable apparel members of the plurality of movable apparel members.

15. The article of apparel of claim 14, wherein the plurality of movable apparel members are connected via a fastener.

16. The article of apparel of claim 15, wherein the fastener is at least one of a screw, a rivet, a snap-fit, a snap, and an aluminum post.

17. The article of apparel of claim 15, wherein a position of the plurality of movable apparel members is maintained by a friction fit between the movable apparel members and the fastener.

18. The article of apparel of claim 14, wherein the plurality of movable apparel members form a web-like configuration having a plurality of apertures defined by the movable apparel members.

19. The article of apparel of claim 14, wherein the movable apparel members are generally rectangular in shape.

20. The article of apparel of claim 14, wherein the movable apparel members of the plurality of movable apparel members are substantially identical in size and shape.