Maternity slip

Nov. 1, 1955

2,722,011

C. D. MAINES

MATERNITY SLIP

Filed March 2, 1953

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United States Patent Office

2,722,011

Patented Nov. 1, 1955

2,722,011

MATERNITY SLIP

Catharine :D. Maines, Knoxville, Tenn.

Application March ..2, 4953, Serial No. 339,785 ? 3 CIaims. (CI. 2—76)

I» t

This invention .relates to maternity .garments, and is particularly directed to.a shadowproof slip for wear during-pregnancy.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide .a novel form of maternity slip which not only can be worn -with -comfort, but also will present a neat appearance, throughout .the period of pregnancy.

Other Objects include dhe .provision of an improved garment of the character described which is of simple, attractive design and economical .to .manufacture, and which automatically adjusts itself to the changing size and shape of the body of the wearer as pregnancy increases.

The maternity slip of the present invention is characterized by the incorporation-of a “floating” inner panel of novel construction which -will remain in a frontal position, with -a substantially-even ^;hemline, regardless of The extent to which-the outer portion of the Slip may ride up or otherwise-become distorted as the figure of the wearer changes-during-pregnancy. The central portion of the panel below the waistline is cut out to avoid uncomfortable restriction of the abdomen, but the remainder of the panel is of sufficient area to provide security against unbecoming shadows when the slip is worn beneath a sheer dress.

These and other advantages features of the improved garment of the present invention will appear more fully upon consideration of the detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention which follows. Although only one specific form of slip is described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it is to be expressly understood that this drawing is _μ... exemplary only and is not intended to represent the full scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a maternity slip embodying the present invention as it would appear when worn during early pregnancy;

Figs. 2 and 3 are front and side views, respectively, of the garment of Fig. 1 as it would appear when worn during late pregnancy;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the skirt portion of the slip of Figs. 1-3 with the slip turned inside out so as to better illustrate the construction of the inner panel and its method of attachment to the outer body of the slip;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the skirt portion of the slip corresponding to Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the shadow panel of the slip of Figs. 1-5 as it would appear prior to attachment to the outer body of the slip; and

Fig. 7 is an enlargement of the upper left-hand portion of Fig. 4 showing in greater detail the connections between the inner panel and the outer body of the slip.

As shown in the drawing, the maternity slip of the present invention comprises an outer body 10 having a top portion 11 and a skirt portion 12 which are united at the waistline 13, and an inner panel 14 which extends downwardly behind the frontal area tof .skirt portion .12 so as .to .guard .against the creation of unbecoming shadows .when the slip is worn underneath a thin dress. 5 Since the characteristics of the outer body 10 of the .Slip, .other than the connections between it and inner panel 14, form ..no part of the .present -invention, said outer body, may be-of any desired, cut, pattern or design, and .may be made .of any- suitable material. The mate10 .rial from which .inner .panel 14 is made and the relative size and shape .of =said panel are likewise matters of choice, although the .panel. should be long enough to extend downwardly to about the lower edge of -.skirt .portion .12 of outer body 10 when ;the wearer is in the 15 early stages of pregnancy, and .should be wide enough to substantially span the hips.

The upper .central portion .of .panel 14 is -cut out to provide .a U-shaped opening,15-of sufficient-size to accommodate the abdomen of the wearer, particularly 20 that portion thereof which becomes enlarged and protrudes during .pregnancy. The upper edge portions 16 of .panel 14 on opposite sides of .opening 15 are sewn to outer body 10 by Pitching 17 :at or closely adjacent waistline 13, these sewn .connections constituting .the 25 only direct attachment of the panel to the outer body of the slip. .In.order that the slip may be worn with comfort throughout ;the period .df pregnancy and automatically adjust itself to 'the Chan^ing waistline of the wearer, the sewn together portions of panel 14 and outer body 30 10 are gathered into pleats ^;as indicated at 18 and elastic members 19 are sewn to -the pleated areas, preferably at the inner face of the panel. If desired, the waistline areas 'of outer ^{body 40 -immediately adjacent upper edge portions 16 of panel 14 may also be gathered -into pleats 35 by extensions of elastic members 19, as shown.

The side edges 20 and lower edge 21 of panel 14 depend freely from the upper edge portions 16 which are sewn to outer body 10, but means are provided for maintaining the panel in its proper frontal position, 40 with a substantially even lower hemline, regardless of the position of outer body 10. To this end, each side edge 20 of panel 14 is connected at vertically spaced points therealong to the overlying portion of outer body 10 by a plurality of flexible tape-like elements 22, each 45 of said tapes being sewn or otherwise attached at one end to the side edge of the panel and at its other end to the inner face of the outer body, the portion of each tape intermediate its ends being unattached to either the panel or the outer body.

5θ As shown best in Figs. 4 and 6, tapes 22 are graduated in length between the upper and lower edges of panel 14, the upper pair of tapes being relatively short, on the order of about one inch in length, while the lowermost pair may be three or more inches long. The 55 tapes 22 not only maintain the panel 14 in laterally spread position at all times, but also permit it to hang straight even when the outer body 10 rides up. In order to present an attractive appearance when the outer body of the slip pulls up in front and forms an uneven hemline, 60 as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5, the lower edge 21 of panel 14 is preferably provided with a suitable decorative finish or trimming 23.

With a maternity slip of this construction, it will be evident that the “floating” character of inner panel 14, ₆₃ including the tape-like connecting elements 22, will enable the panel to maintain a properly centered, evenly hanging position throughout the period of pregnancy, the U-shaped opening 15 permitting the abdomen of the wearer to increase in size and protrude without affecting 7θ the position of the panel, even though the outer body of the slip becomes distorted in shape. The pleated, elastic-backed connections between the upper edge portions

2,722,011 of the panel and outer body 10 also assist in maintaining a neat appearance of the slip and provide a comfortable, automatic adjustment of the waistline area as the size and shape of the body of the wearer change.

While only one specific form of maternity slip embody- 5 ing the invention has been described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it will be obvious that the inventive concept is not limited to the particular garment shown, but is capable of embodiment in a variety of specifically different patterns and designs. Various 10 changes, which will now suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, may be made in the form, details of construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. Reference is therefore to be had to the appended claims for a defini- 15 tion of the limits of the invention.