GARMENT WITH INTEGRAL BELLY FLATTENING AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING SAME

Abstract

A belly-flattening garment includes a legging garment having an upper waistline and an upper portion, an elastic waistband having a lower edge fixed to the waistline and an upper edge above the waistline, a zipper extending from the upper portion to the upper edge, and a elastic girdle insert disposed within the waistband and within the upper portion and having opposing fastening portions releasably securing to one another and free from both the waistband and the upper portion and a securing portion opposite the zipper and having a top edge fixed to the waistband to form the only fixed connection of the girdle insert to either the waistband or the garment. The garment is one of the group consisting of pants, jeans, sports pants, shorts, chinos, slacks, khakis, capris, leggings, jeggings, skorts, jumpsuits, long skirts, and short skirts. The waistband is between 2⅜ and 3 inches in height.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/014,934, filed Jun. 20, 2014; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present systems and methods lies in the field of clothing. The present disclosure relates to a garment (e.g., pants, skirt) that flatten the wearer's belly and methods of manufacturing same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The problem of fat accumulated at the waist and torso is an issue for some people who would like their waist to look small and slender. This is especially difficult when the overweight person is seated at a seat for a long period of time. Prior art girdles have been used to cinch in the excessive fat but such devices are uncomfortable and, in extreme instances, the girdle can cause damage to the internal organs, not only where the girdle is placed, but also adjacent thereto. Further, when worn, a girdle significantly restricts the wearer's mobility, preventing the user from bending over or turning through a full extent. Girdles also affect blood flow, not just where the girdle is tightening, but also to the legs and extremities such as the feet and toes. There are significant medical consequences to experiencing such disadvantageous conditions for extended periods of time that are typical for girdle use. Existing girdles and other waist cinching devices do not solve such problems. For example, Chinese Patent Utility Model CN 201139064 to Dai discloses a female underwear with a waist girdling function. A corset is used to girdle the waist, abdomen, and buttocks and can be applied to other underwear products. Dai places the corset device entirely below the waistband of the underwear.

Great Britain Patent No. 2356552 to Hales provides an integral abdominal support lining that is integral to a pair of trousers. This lining extends only part of the way down the seat and front of the trousers to cover only the upper buttocks and lower abdomen. It is attached to the trousers at the seam of the waistband 6, the side seams 4, 5, along the back seam 3, and at the crotch 12. Hales device is entirely below the waistband of the trousers.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,158 to Gattuso also provides a lower abdominal support for trousers but this has a first portion that is detachable from the trousers after other portions are secured at the side seams. The support takes the form of an insert extending downward from the belt line. In other words, the Gattuso device exists entirely below the waistband of the trousers.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,448 to Thomson provides a pair of slacks with a built-in girdle panel to support and hold in the stomach and abdomen. The girdle is sewn into the slacks and extends from below the top of the slacks downward. The Thomson device exists entirely below the waistband of the slacks.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,086 to Woodard provides a kit for retrofitting a detachable insert to a standard garment (jeans/pants/shirts/shorts) that supports and compresses the lower abdomen at a user-selected level below the waistline. A waistband 20 is secured to an upper portion 14 of a garment 10 starting at approximately the waistline 12 and extending one or one and one half inches below the waistline 12. A connector 54 is sewn into both of the side seams 26, 28 below the waistband. The connector provides eyelets 64 that releasably attach to a respective stretchable panel 30, 32 that have hook and loop fasteners 52 for securing one panel 30 to the other panel 32. This device, like the others, exists entirely below the waistline 12 of the various garments into which it is attached.

A common problem with each of these devices is that the wearer's fat bulges out of the top of the garment, referred to as a “muffin-top”—which is a visually unappealing look.

Thus, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art systems, designs, and processes as discussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The systems and methods described provide a garment that that flattens the wearer's belly with an integral flattening device and methods of manufacturing same that overcome the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and that provide such features with a novel torso configuration.

As used herein, the words garment and pants are not limited to trousers with full-length leg portions extending to the ankles. Garment and pants are also defined herein to include jeans, sports pants, shorts, chinos, slacks, khakis, capris, leggings, jeggings, skorts, jumpsuits, and skirts (both long and short).

With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, a belly-flattening item of clothing comprising a garment having at least one leg portion and an upper portion connected to the at least one leg portion and having a waistline defining a top of the upper portion and a cut at an angle to the waistline defining a pair of first zipper edges, an elastic waistband having a lower edge fixed to the waistline to define an interior surface and opposing second zipper edges aligned with and adjacent a respective one of the pair of the first zipper edges, a zipper having zipper opposing parts connected to respective adjacent pairs of the first and second zipper edges, and an elastic girdle insert disposed within the waistband and within the upper portion and having a body extending vertically from the waistband through the waistline and to an extent below the waistline at the upper portion. The body has a pair of opposing fastening portions releasably securing to one another at different fastening positions and free from both the waistband and the upper portion of the garment and a rear portion opposite the fastening portions and having a top edge fixed to the interior surface of the waistband.

With the objects in view, there is also provided a belly-flattening item of clothing comprising a legging garment having an upper portion and an upper waistline having a circumferential length and defining a first zipper opening at an angle to the waistline to segment the circumferential length and permit opening of the upper portion, an elastic waistband having an upper edge and a lower edge fixed to the waistline to define a second zipper opening aligned with the first zipper opening and an interior surface, a zipper at the first and second zipper openings forming a single zipper connector from the first zipper opening of the upper portion to the upper edge of the waistband, and a elastic girdle insert disposed within the waistband and within the upper portion and having a body extending vertically from the waistband through the waistline and past at least some of the upper portion. The body has a pair of opposing fastening portions releasably securing to one another at different fastening positions and free from both the waistband and the upper portion of the garment and a securing portion opposite the fastening portions and having a top edge fixed to the interior surface of the waistband to form the only fixed connection of the girdle insert to either the waistband or the garment.

With the objects in view, there is also provided a belly-flattening garment comprising a legging garment having an upper waistline and an upper portion, an elastic waistband having a lower edge fixed to the waistline and an upper edge above the waistline, a zipper extending from the upper portion to the upper edge of the waistband, and a elastic girdle insert disposed within the waistband and within the upper portion and having opposing fastening portions releasably securing to one another and free from both the waistband and the upper portion and a securing portion opposite the zipper and having a top edge fixed to the waistband to form the only fixed connection of the girdle insert to either the waistband or the garment.

In accordance with another feature, the at least one leg portion is one of two leg portions forming a pair of pants and one leg portion forming a skirt.

In accordance with a further feature, the garment is one of the group consisting of pants, jeans, sports pants, shorts, chinos, slacks, khakis, capris, leggings, jeggings, skorts, jumpsuits, long skirts, and short skirts.

In accordance with an added feature, the waistline has a circumferential extent and the elastic waistband is connected along the entire circumferential extent.

In accordance with an additional feature, the elastic waistband is between approximately 1 inches and approximately 5 inches in height.

In accordance with yet another feature, the elastic waistband is between approximately 2⅜ inches and approximately 3 inches in height.

In accordance with yet a further feature, the girdle insert is fixed only to the waistband at the top edge of the rear portion.

In accordance with yet an added feature, the upper portion has opposing side seams and a back seam and the top edge of the rear portion of the girdle insert is fixed to the waistband from a first of the side seams to the back seam and to the other of the side seams.

In accordance with yet an additional feature, each of the fastening portions have a top edge and a bottom edge both free from both the waistband and the upper portion.

In accordance with again another feature, the pair of opposing fastening portions comprise an adjustable fastener selected from one of the group consisting of at least one eyelet and a row of horizontal hooks, a row of eyelets and rows of hooks, a vertical row of eyelets and vertical rows of hooks, and a hook-and-loop fastener.

In accordance with again a further feature, the lower edge of the waistband is fixed to an entirety of the circumferential length of the waistline.

In accordance with a concomitant feature, the upper portion has opposing side seams and a back seam and the top edge of the securing portion of the girdle insert is fixed to the waistband from a first of the side seams to the back seam and to the other of the side seams.

Significant advantages are provided by the herein-described systems and methods. First, control panels of the girdle insert do not extend to the legs or any part thereof. The girdle insert is not detachable from the garment. The girdle insert is secured only to the elastic waistband; it is not secured to the fabric of the pants below the waistband. The top edge of the girdle insert is secured (e.g., stitched) to the elastic waistband in the rear of the garment only—from the right side seam to the back seam to the left side seam of the pants. The bottom edge of the entire girdle insert is not affixed and hangs free. The front of the girdle insert is not secured to the elastic waistband or to any material therebelow.

Second, the control panel is adjustable, for example, with rows of hooks and a row of eyelets to control the strength and hold of the girdle insert. The girdle insert controls the abdomen and the elastic waistband shapes and contours the hip area. No buttons are needed, thereby making buttons irrelevant.

Third, the waistband and girdle insert do not compromise the front and rear sections of the right and left legs when they are sewn together at the side seams and the inseam.

The elastic waistband and girdle insert for a garment as described herein supports and holds the stomach and abdomen and shapes and contours the hip area.

Although the systems and methods are illustrated and described herein as embodied in that flatten the wearer's belly and methods of manufacturing same, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the systems and methods.

Additional advantages and other features characteristic of the systems and methods will be set forth in the detailed description that follows and may be apparent from the detailed description or may be learned by practice of exemplary embodiments. Still other advantages of the systems and methods may be realized by any of the instrumentalities, methods, or combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.

Other features that are considered as characteristic for the systems and methods are set forth in the appended claims. As required, detailed embodiments of the systems and methods are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the systems and methods, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one of ordinary skill in the art to variously employ the systems and methods in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting; but rather, to provide an understandable description of the systems and methods. While the specification concludes with claims defining the systems and methods of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the systems and methods will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, which are not true to scale, and which, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to illustrate further various embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages all in accordance with the systems and methods. Advantages of embodiments of the systems and methods will be apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments thereof, which description should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a pants with girdle insert and waistband in a zipper-open/girdle-open state;

FIG. 2 is a photograph of the rear of the pants of FIG. 1 on a wearer with the zipper and girdle in a closed state;

FIG. 3 is a photograph of a fragmentary front portion of an exemplary embodiment of a pants with girdle insert and waistband on a wearer in a zipper-open/girdle-closed state;

FIG. 4 is a photograph of the front of the pants of FIG. 3 on a wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 5 is a photograph of a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a pants with girdle insert and waistband on a wearer in a zipper-open/girdle-open state;

FIG. 6 is a photograph of a side view of the pants of FIG. 5 on the wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 7 is a photograph of a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a pants with girdle insert and waistband on a wearer in a zipper-open/girdle-open state;

FIG. 8 is a photograph of a side view of the pants of FIG. 7 on the wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 9 is a photograph of a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a pants with girdle insert and waistband on a wearer in a zipper-open/girdle-open state;

FIG. 10 is a photograph of a front view of an upper portion the pants of FIG. 9 on the wearer;

FIG. 11 is a photograph of a side view of the pants of FIG. 9 on a wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 12 is a photograph of a front view of the upper portion the pants of FIG. 11 on the wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 13 is a photograph of a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a pants with girdle insert and waistband on a wearer in a zipper-open/girdle-open state;

FIG. 14 is a photograph of a front view of an upper portion the pants of FIG. 13 on the wearer;

FIG. 15 is a photograph of a side view of the pants of FIG. 13 on the wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 16 is a photograph of a front view of the upper portion the pants of FIG. 15 on the wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 17 is a photograph of a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a pants with girdle insert and waistband on a wearer in a zipper-open/girdle-open state;

FIG. 18 is a photograph of a front view of an upper portion the pants of FIG. 17 on the wearer;

FIG. 19 is a photograph of a side view of the pants of FIG. 17 on the wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 20 is a photograph of a front view of the upper portion the pants of FIG. 19 on the wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 21 is a photograph of a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a pants with girdle insert and waistband on a wearer in a zipper-open/girdle-open state;

FIG. 22 is a photograph of a front view of an upper portion the pants of FIG. 21 on the wearer;

FIG. 23 is a photograph of a side view of the pants of FIG. 21 on the wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 24 is a photograph of a front view of the upper portion the pants of FIG. 19 on the wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 25 is a photograph of a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a pants with girdle insert and waistband on a wearer in a zipper-open/girdle-open state;

FIG. 26 is a photograph of a front view of an upper portion the pants of FIG. 25 on the wearer;

FIG. 27 is a photograph of a side view of the pants of FIG. 25 on the wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state;

FIG. 28 is a photograph of a front view of the upper portion the pants of FIG. 27 on the wearer with the zipper and girdle in the closed state; and

FIG. 29 is a photograph of a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a skirt with girdle insert and waistband on a wearer with a zipper and girdle in the closed state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the systems and methods are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the systems and methods, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the systems and methods in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting; but rather, to provide an understandable description of the systems and methods. While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the systems and methods that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the systems and methods will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the systems and methods.

Before the systems and methods are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element. The terms “including” and/or “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The description may use the terms “embodiment” or “embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments.

The terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact (e.g., directly coupled). However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other (e.g., indirectly coupled).

For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “A/B” or in the form “A and/or B” or in the form “at least one of A and B” means (A), (B), or (A and B), where A and B are variables indicating a particular object or attribute. When used, this phrase is intended to and is hereby defined as a choice of A or B or both A and B, which is similar to the phrase “and/or”. Where more than two variables are present in such a phrase, this phrase is hereby defined as including only one of the variables, any one of the variables, any combination of any of the variables, and all of the variables, for example, a phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, and C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).

Relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of disclosed embodiments. Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent.

As used herein, the term “about” or “approximately” applies to all numeric values, whether or not explicitly indicated. These terms generally refer to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited values (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances these terms may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure.

Herein various embodiments of the systems and methods are described. In many of the different embodiments, features are similar. Therefore, to avoid redundancy, repetitive description of these similar features may not be made in some circumstances. It shall be understood, however, that description of a first-appearing feature applies to the later described similar feature and each respective description, therefore, is to be incorporated therein without such repetition.

Described now are exemplary embodiments. Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a first exemplary embodiment of garment 10 in the form of pants that flatten a wearer's belly. In this exemplary embodiment, the garment 10 is in the form of a pair of jeans as shown in FIG. 2. However, the embodiment of the garment 10 as a pair of jeans is equally applicable to sports pants, shorts, chinos, slacks, khakis, capris, leggings, jeggings, skorts, jumpsuits, and skirts (both long and short). Accordingly, when the word “pants” is used herein, it is equally applicable to and is to be understood as applying to each of sports pants, shorts, chinos, slacks, khakis, capris, leggings, jeggings, skorts, jumpsuits, and skirts (both long and short) and can, therefore, be referred herein as a legging garment as well.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the fabric 12 of the pants 10 is a stretchable denim. The pants 10 has a waistline 14 that defines the top of the fabric 12. This waistline 14 is set to be the waistline that a standard pair of pants would have if not including the features of the instant embodiment. As used herein, a standard pair of pants is one that can be referred to in the art as high-rise pants, in that the waistline 14 is not lowered to a position that is referred to in the art as “low-rise” pants. In an embodiment where the features described herein are for pants as opposed to skirts, the pants 10 includes leg portions 11 that surround the wearer's legs and an upper portion 13. As used herein, the leg portions 11 and the upper portion 13 are not to be construed as separate parts, although they could be in various fashion designs and sewn together, for example. In the embodiments described in FIGS. 1 and 2 and others herein, the two leg portions 11 and the upper portion 13 are made from the same fabric 12. In an embodiment where the inventive garment is a skirt (i.e., where a leg portion does not individually surround one of two of the wearer's legs), in contrast, the garment has the upper portion 13 but only one leg portion 11. Here the upper portion 13 has a front side, a back side with a back seam 18, the waistline 14 defining a top of the upper portion 13, and a cut that is at an angle to the waistline 14 to define a pair of first zipper edges for a zipper 30. The upper portion 13 has opposing side seams 16 between the front and back sides. The waistband 20 can have side seams as well aligned with the side seams 16, but the waistband 20 is shown without seams at the sides.

Attached to the waistline 14 of the pants 10 is a stretchable (e.g., elastic) waistband 20 that extends the top of pants 10 higher than the waistline 14. In an exemplary embodiment, the waistband 20 extends the pants 10 higher by between approximately one inch and approximately five inches, in particular, approximately two and three-eighths inches to approximately three inches. The waistband 20 has a lower edge fixed to the waistline 14 and, by extending around the waistline defines an interior surface. At the ends of the waistband, herein the front) are opposing zipper edges aligned with and adjacent a respective one of the pair of the zipper edges of the upper portion 13.

It is noted that the jeans are in a high-rise configuration. In general, there are two “kinds” of pants or jeans with regard to the waistline, high-rise and low-rise. High-rise pants are was traditionally known to be pants waistlines and low-rise pants are those that have been in fashion in the past decade or so where the waistline is very low. The intent of the waistband 20 is to extend the waistline 14 higher into the torso than standard garments for the legs. Thus, the pants are high-rise.

The pants 10 have a zipper 30 (here, in the front) that starts at the bottom of the abdomen and extends upwards along the fabric 12, past the waistline 14, and continuously along the entirety of zipper edges 22, 24 of the waistband 20 to the top of the waistband 20. Thus, in an exemplary embodiment, the zipper travels continuously from the bottom of the abdomen and past the waistline 14 by approximately two and three-eighths inches (although it can be more or less). There are no buttons in the front when the zipper 30 is on the front of the pants 10. In an exemplary embodiment, the rear of the pants 10 includes four small decorative buttons at the back pockets, two at each pocket.

In addition to the waistband 20, a girdle insert 40 is attached to the pants 10. The fabric of the girdle insert 40 is a stretchable mesh (e.g., elastic) and is fastened (e.g., sewn, glued) on the sides of the pants 10 (e.g., at the side seams 16) and at the middle back stitching 18 of the pants 10. The girdle insert 40 is disposed within both the waistband 20 and the upper portion 13. The body of the girdle insert 40 extends vertically from the waistband 20 past the waistline 14 and past at least a portion of the upper portion 13 sufficient to surround a portion of the abdomen for applying the girdle reduction feature. The body has a pair of opposing fastening portions 44, 46 that are releasably connected to one another with an adjustable fastener. In an exemplary embodiment, the releasable securing of the two fastening portions 44, 46 occurs at different fastening positions to provide different levels of adjustability. Each of the fastening portions 44, 46 has a top edge and bottom edge free from both the waistband 20 and the upper portion 13. A rear portion opposite the fastening portions 44, 46 has a top edge that is fixed to the interior surface of the waistband 20. The entire body can be one integral stretchable part or portions of the body can be fixed to others. For example, the rear of the body opposite the fastening portions 44, 46 can be fixed to first and second (e.g., left and right) portions which are fixed to the fastening portions 44, 46. In such a configuration, the first and second portions would be disposed opposite one another at the side seams 16. The bottom 42 of the girdle insert 40 is not fastened to the pants 10 or to the leg portions of the pants 10. The bottom 42, instead, hangs freely. In this way, the bottom 42 of the girdle insert 40 does not create visible lines or creases on the outside of the pants 10 opposite the bottom 42. The front 44, 46 of the girdle insert 40 is entirely unattached to the pants 10. In this way, the girdle insert 40 can be easily fastened and adjusted as described below.

This configuration provides comfort and ease when the wearer is sitting, and the girdle insert 40 is invisible to others when worn; others cannot see marks or lines on the pants 10 from the girdle insert 40. The front of the girdle insert 40 includes left 44 and right 46 portions. The left 44 and right 46 portions are removably attachable to one another in a way that can adjust the tightness/looseness of the girdle insert 40. For example, hook-and-loop fasteners can provide a relatively “infinite” range of adjustment such as the example of the material known under the trade name VELCRO®. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in contrast, the left 44 and right 46 portions are provided with loops or eyelets 45 and rows of hooks 47, respectively (although the loops 45 and hooks 47 can be reversed). In particular, there are four rows of hooks 47 and one row of eyelets 47 to adjust the control and hold of the abdomen area and to smooth and contour the hip area in contrast to the waistband 20 contouring and shaping the waist as shown in FIG. 2 to create a balanced look with the hip area. In other words, the control of the abdomen by the girdle insert 40 and the control of the hip area by the waistband 20 forms an exterior hourglass shape shown in FIG. 2 that entirely prevents muffin-top and is pleasing to the eye. The pants 10 and the girdle insert 40 are easy, flexible, and comfortable to wear and move with a wearer's individual curves.

FIGS. 3 and 4 respectively show the pants 10 in a semi-closed state and a closed state. In FIG. 3, the pants 10 are worn, the girdle insert 40 is fastened to control the abdomen, and the zipper 40 is open. In FIG. 4, the girdle insert 40 is fastened to control the abdomen and the zipper 40 is closed to allow the waistband 20 to control the hip area and provide the smooth hourglass shape at the transition from below the waist, through the hips, and above the hips.

FIGS. 5 to 8 show other exemplary embodiments of the pants 10 in an unzippered state (FIGS. 5 and 7) and in a fully zippered state (FIGS. 6 and 8)

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 24, various exemplary size embodiments of the pants 10 allow the combination of the girdle insert 40 and the waistband 20 to reduce circumferences of the abdomen by at least two inches to approximately eight inches. In the large size pants embodiment of FIGS. 9 to 12, the pants 10 reduces the circumference of the abdomen by five and one-half inches. In the large size pants embodiment of FIGS. 13 to 16, the pants 10 reduces the circumference of the abdomen by four and one-half inches. In the medium size pants embodiment of FIGS. 17 to 20, the pants 10 reduces the circumference of the abdomen by three inches. In the medium size pants embodiment of FIGS. 21 to 24 the pants 10 reduces the circumference of the abdomen by three and one-half inches. In the medium size pants embodiment of FIGS. 25 to 28 the pants 10 reduces the circumference of the abdomen by three inches.

The girdle insert 40 and the waistband 20 are attached to a skirt in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 29. Here, the zipper is on the back of the skirt and, therefore, is not visible.

An exemplary configuration of the fabric comprising the girdle insert 40 is as follows:

• • Composition: Nylon 85%; spandex 15%
  • Construction: Rachel 4 Bar Powernet
  • Gauge: 48GG
  • Denier & filaments/yarn count: spandex 280D; Nylon semi-dull 70D/24F
  • Course: 55 per inch +/−2
  • Wale: 32 per inch +/−2
  • Fabric weight: 160 grams per sq. meter (m²)

It is noted that various individual features of the inventive processes and systems may be described only in one exemplary embodiment herein. The particular choice for description herein with regard to a single exemplary embodiment is not to be taken as a limitation that the particular feature is only applicable to the embodiment in which it is described. All features described herein are equally applicable to, additive, or interchangeable with any or all of the other exemplary embodiments described herein and in any combination or grouping or arrangement. In particular, use of a single reference numeral herein to illustrate, define, or describe a particular feature does not mean that the feature cannot be associated or equated to another feature in another drawing figure or description. Further, where two or more reference numerals are used in the figures or in the drawings, this should not be construed as being limited to only those embodiments or features, they are equally applicable to similar features or not a reference numeral is used or another reference numeral is omitted.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings illustrate the principles, exemplary embodiments, and modes of operation of the systems and methods. However, the systems and methods should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the systems and methods as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A belly-flattening item of clothing, comprising:

a garment having: at least one leg portion; and an upper portion connected to the at least one leg portion and having: a waistline defining a top of the upper portion; and a cut at an angle to the waistline defining a pair of first zipper edges;

an elastic waistband having: a lower edge fixed to the waistline to define an interior surface; and opposing second zipper edges aligned with and adjacent a respective one of the pair of the first zipper edges;

a zipper having zipper opposing parts connected to respective adjacent pairs of the first and second zipper edges; and

an elastic girdle insert disposed within the waistband and within the upper portion and having a body extending vertically from the waistband through the waistline and to an extent below the waistline at the upper portion, the body having: a pair of opposing fastening portions releasably securing to one another at different fastening positions and free from both the waistband and the upper portion of the garment; and a rear portion opposite the fastening portions and having a top edge fixed to the interior surface of the waistband.

2. The clothing according to claim 1, wherein the at least one leg portion is one of:

two leg portions forming a pair of pants; and

one leg portion forming a skirt.

3. The clothing according to claim 1, wherein the garment is one of the group consisting of pants, jeans, sports pants, shorts, chinos, slacks, khakis, capris, leggings, jeggings, skorts, jumpsuits, long skirts, and short skirts.

4. The clothing according to claim 1, wherein the waistline has a circumferential extent and the elastic waistband is connected along the entire circumferential extent.

5. The clothing according to claim 1, wherein the elastic waistband is between approximately 1 inches and approximately 5 inches in height.

6. The clothing according to claim 1, wherein the elastic waistband is between approximately 2⅜ inches and approximately 3 inches in height.

7. The clothing according to claim 1, wherein the girdle insert is fixed only to the waistband at the top edge of the rear portion.

8. The clothing according to claim 1, wherein:

the upper portion has opposing side seams and a back seam; and

the top edge of the rear portion of the girdle insert is fixed to the waistband from a first of the side seams to the back seam and to the other of the side seams.

9. The clothing according to claim 1, wherein each of the fastening portions have a top edge and a bottom edge both free from both the waistband and the upper portion.

10. The clothing according to claim 1, wherein the pair of opposing fastening portions comprise an adjustable fastener selected from one of the group consisting of:

at least one eyelet and a row of horizontal hooks;

a row of eyelets and rows of hooks;

a vertical row of eyelets and vertical rows of hooks; and

a hook-and-loop fastener.

11. A belly-flattening item of clothing, comprising:

a legging garment having: an upper portion; and an upper waistline having a circumferential length and defining a first zipper opening at an angle to the waistline to segment the circumferential length and permit opening of the upper portion;

an elastic waistband having: an upper edge; and a lower edge fixed to the waistline to define: a second zipper opening aligned with the first zipper opening; and an interior surface;

a zipper at the first and second zipper openings forming a single zipper connector from the first zipper opening of the upper portion to the upper edge of the waistband; and

a elastic girdle insert disposed within the waistband and within the upper portion and having a body extending vertically from the waistband through the waistline and past at least some of the upper portion, the body having: a pair of opposing fastening portions releasably securing to one another at different fastening positions and free from both the waistband and the upper portion of the garment; and a securing portion opposite the fastening portions and having a top edge fixed to the interior surface of the waistband to form the only fixed connection of the girdle insert to either the waistband or the garment.

12. The clothing according to claim 11, wherein the legging garment is one of the group consisting of pants, jeans, sports pants, shorts, chinos, slacks, khakis, capris, leggings, jeggings, skorts, jumpsuits, long skirts, and short skirts.

13. The clothing according to claim 11, wherein the lower edge of the waistband is fixed to an entirety of the circumferential length of the waistline.

14. The clothing according to claim 11, wherein the elastic waistband is between approximately 2⅜ inches and approximately 3 inches in height.

15. The clothing according to claim 11, wherein:

the upper portion has opposing side seams and a back seam; and

the top edge of the securing portion of the girdle insert is fixed to the waistband from a first of the side seams to the back seam and to the other of the side seams.

16. The clothing according to claim 11, wherein the pair of opposing fastening portions comprise an adjustable fastener selected from one of the group consisting of:

at least one eyelet and a row of horizontal hooks;

a row of eyelets and rows of hooks;

a vertical row of eyelets and vertical rows of hooks; and

a hook-and-loop fastener.

17. The clothing according to claim 11, wherein each of the fastening portions have a top edge and a bottom edge both free from both the waistband and the upper portion.

18. A belly-flattening garment, comprising:

a legging garment having an upper waistline and an upper portion;

an elastic waistband having: a lower edge fixed to the waistline; and an upper edge above the waistline;

a zipper extending from the upper portion to the upper edge of the waistband; and

a elastic girdle insert disposed within the waistband and within the upper portion and having: opposing fastening portions releasably securing to one another and free from both the waistband and the upper portion; and a securing portion opposite the zipper and having a top edge fixed to the waistband to form the only fixed connection of the girdle insert to either the waistband or the garment.

19. The clothing according to claim 18, wherein the legging garment is one of the group consisting of pants, jeans, sports pants, shorts, chinos, slacks, khakis, capris, leggings, jeggings, skorts, jumpsuits, long skirts, and short skirts.

20. The clothing according to claim 18, wherein:

the elastic waistband is between approximately 2⅜ inches and approximately 3 inches in height;

the upper portion has opposing side seams and a back seam; and

the top edge of the securing portion of the girdle insert is fixed to the waistband from a first of the side seams to the back seam and to the other of the side seams.