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A brassiere fashioned from a circularly knit fabric blank has a central panel between the breast cups that has a greater resistance to stretching than the remainder of the body of the brassiere. The brassiere preferably is formed from a blank that is knit to have two pairs of breast cups that are ar

A brassiere fashioned from a circularly knit fabric blank has a central panel between the breast cups that has a greater resistance to stretching than the remainder of the body of the brassiere. The brassiere preferably is formed from a blank that is knit to have two pairs of breast cups that are arranged in mirror image about a fold region at which the blank is folded to place one set of breast cups in overlying relationship with the other set of breast cups such that the resulting brassiere is a two-ply structure. The brassiere can be formed in either non-underwire or underwire form. When included, the underwires are attached either to an exterior side of one of the plies, or alternatively between the plies. The blank can be circularly knit as a two-ply tubular structure similar to a long turned welt.

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1. A substantially seamless brassiere, comprising:a body-covering portion constructed from a circularly knit fabric tube having circumferentially extending courses running in a coursewise direction of the fabric tube, wherein the fabric is manipulated into a two-ply structure and operated upon to fo

1. A substantially seamless brassiere, comprising:a body-covering portion constructed from a circularly knit fabric tube having circumferentially extending courses running in a coursewise direction of the fabric tube, wherein the fabric is manipulated into a two-ply structure and operated upon to form said body-covering portion having an inner ply and an outer ply integrally knit to each other at a bottom edge of the body-covering portion, said body-covering portion defining a pair of breast cups spaced apart in said coursewise direction, a central panel integrally knit to and extending between the breast cups, and a torso-encircling portion integrally knit to outer edges of the central panel and to the breast cups; and a pair of shoulder straps attached to the body-covering portion; wherein the breast cups and the torso-encircling portion are resiliently stretchable, and the central panel has a greater resistance to stretching than the breast cups and torso-encircling portion. 2. The brassiere of claim 1, wherein the inner and outer plies of the body-covering portion is formed of a circularly knit fabric blank folded upon itself are connected to each other along a fold line defining a said bottom edge of the body-covering portion, whereby the body-covering portion has an inner ply that faces a wearer's body and an outer ply that faces outward .3. The brassiere of claim 2, further comprising underwires sewn to the breast cups.4. The brassiere of claim 3, wherein the underwires are disposed against an exterior side of one of the inner and outer plies of the body-covering portion.5. The brassiere of claim 3, wherein the underwires are disposed between the inner and outer plies of the body-covering portion.6. The brassiere of claim 2 1, wherein the torso-encircling portion comprises a pair of lateral panels each having one end integrally knit to one of the breast cups and to the respective outer edge of the central panel and having an opposite free end, the free ends of the lateral panels having cooperative fastener members attached thereto for releasably securing the free ends to each other.7. The brassiere of claim 2 1, wherein the body-covering portion comprises a continuous tubular structure such that the torso-encircling portion comprises a single continuous panel.8. The brassiere of claim 2 1, further comprising a substantially unstretchable fabric layer disposed between the inner and outer plies in the vicinity of the central panel and affixed to at least one of the plies for increasing the resistance to stretching of the central panel.9. The brassiere of claim 2 1, wherein the central panel achieves the greater resistance to stretching than the breast cups and torso-encircling portion by a different knit construction of the central panel relative to that of the breast cups and torso-encircling portion.10. The brassiere of claim 2, wherein the circularly knit fabric blank body-covering portion has a fold region defining the fold line along which the blank is folded to define the bottom edge of the body-covering portion , the fold region being thinner than the rest of the blank body-covering portion to facilitate folding.11. A blank for making a substantially seamless brassiere, comprising a fabric structure having:a first series of courses defining a first pair of breast cup panels and a first central panel integrally knit to and extending between the breast cup panels, and defining a first torso-encircling portion integrally knit to the first breast cups and to the first central panel, the first series of courses beginning at a first end of the fabric structure and progressing toward an opposite second end of the fabric structure, an end of the first series of courses defining a bottom edge of the first torso-encircling portion; and a second series of courses knit to the end of the first series of courses and progressing to the second end of the fabric structure, the second series of courses defining a second pair of breast cups and a second central panel and a second torso-encircling portion arranged in mirror image to the corresponding portions of the first series of courses, whereby the fabric structure can be folded about a fold line located at the juncture between the first and second series of courses to create a two-ply structure having the first breast cups, first central panel, and first torso-encircling portion overlying the second breast cups, second central panel, and second torso-encircling portion, respectively. 12. The blank of claim 11, wherein the fabric structure comprises a circularly knit fabric tube.13. The blank of claim 12, wherein the fabric tube further comprises a turned welt knit at each end of the tube.14. The blank of claim 11, wherein the fabric structure comprises a flat piece of fabric.15. The blank of claim 11, wherein the breast cup panels and the torso-encircling portions are resiliently stretchable, and the central panels are more resistant to stretching than the breast cup panels and torso-encircling portions.16. The blank of claim 15, wherein the greater resistance to stretching of the central panels is achieved by a different knit construction of the central panels relative to that of the breast cup panels and torso-encircling portions.17. A method for making a body-covering portion of a substantially seamless brassiere, comprising:knitting a tubular blank by: circularly knitting a first series of courses to form a first tubular structure, wherein a portion of the first tubular structure is knit to be less stretchable than the remainder of the first tubular structure and is shaped as a central panel having opposite side edges knit to two circumferentially spaced portions of the first tubular structure that will form breast cups; and circularly knitting a second series of courses to an end of the first series of courses to form a second tubular structure as an extension of the first tubular structure, wherein the second tubular structure also includes a central panel knit to be less stretchable than the remainder of the second tubular structure and shaped similarly to and positioned in mirror image to the central panel of the first tubular structure about a juncture between the first and second series of courses; folding the blank about the juncture between the first and second series of courses such that the first tubular structure overlies the second tubular structure and the central panels are in registration with each other, so as to form a two-ply blank; cutting the two-ply blank along cut lines to define breast cups and a torso-encircling portion; and stitching peripheral edges of the two plies of the breast cups and torso-encircling portion together. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the central panels are knit with a different knit structure relative to that of the breast cup panels and torso-encircling portion such that the central panels have a greater resistance to stretching than the breast cup panels and torso-encircling portion.19. The method of claim 17, further comprising sewing underwires to an exterior side of one of the plies.20. The method of claim 17, further comprising sewing underwires between the plies.21. The method of claim 17, wherein a plurality of courses are knit at the juncture between the first and second series of courses so as to form a region that is relatively thin compared to the remainder of the blank to facilitate folding the blank at the juncture.22. The method of claim 17, further comprising slitting the tubular blank along a longitudinal line located generally diametrically opposite from the central panels and opening up the tubular blank into a flat configuration, whereby the torso-encircling portion of the brassiere is formed in two halves each having one end joined to one of the breast cups and an opposite free end, and further comprising attaching cooperative fastener members to the free ends of the two halves of the torso-encircling portion.23. The method of claim 17, wherein the brassiere is knit with a heat-settable yarn, and further comprising heating and molding the breast cups.24. The method of claim 17, further comprising affixing a substantially unstretchable fabric piece to at least one of the central panels.25. A blank for making a substantially seamless brassiere, comprising:a tubular two-ply fabric structure having a first series of courses defining a first tubular fabric ply and a second series of courses knit to one end of the first series of courses so as to define a second tubular fabric ply in overlying relationship with the first tubular fabric ply, at least one of the plies having a pair of defined breast cup panels, a central panel extending between the breast cup panels, and a torso-encircling portion, and wherein the central panel is knit to have a greater resistance to stretching than the breast cup panels and torso-encircling portion. 26. The blank of claim 25, wherein the two-ply fabric structure comprises a long turned welt produced on a circular knitting machine.27. The blank of claim 25, wherein the two-ply fabric structure comprises a single-ply fabric tube produced on a circular knitting machine and subsequently folded to form the two-ply structure.28. A substantially seamless brassiere, comprising:a body-covering portion constructed from a circularly knit fabric tube having circumferentially extending courses running in a coursewise direction of the fabric tube, wherein the fabric is manipulated into a two-ply structure and operated upon to form said body-covering portion having an inner ply and an outer ply integrally knit to each other at a bottom edge of the body-covering portion, said body-covering portion defining a pair of cups spaced apart in said coursewise direction and a torso-encircling portion integrally knit to the cups; and a pair of shoulder straps attached to the body-covering portion.29. The substantially seamless brassiere of claim 28, further comprising a central panel between the cups integrally knit thereto, the central panel having a greater resistance to stretching than the cups and torso-encircling portion.30. The substantially seamless brassiere of claim 29, wherein the central panel includes an additional piece of fabric disposed between the inner and outer plies and affixed to at least one of the plies, the additional piece of fabric being substantially unstretchable so as to impart said greater resistance to stretching of the central panel.31. The substantially seamless brassiere of claim 28, further comprising underwires affixed to the cups.32. The substantially seamless brassiere of claim 31, wherein the underwires are disposed between the inner and outer plies.33. A method for making a substantially seamless brassiere, comprising the steps of:circularly knitting a fabric tube inner ply having a series of courses extending circumferentially in a coursewise direction of the fabric tube, the inner ply defining a pair of cups spaced apart in the coursewise direction; circularly knitting a fabric tube outer ply having a series of courses extending circumferentially in a coursewise direction of the fabric tube, the outer ply defining a pair of cups spaced apart in the coursewise direction, and the outer ply being integrally knit to one end of the inner ply; manipulating the inner and outer plies to position the plies in overlying relation with the cups of the inner ply aligned with the cups of the outer ply so as to provide a two-ply fabric structure; and fashioning said substantially seamless brassiere from said two-ply fabric structure such that the brassiere has two plies internally knit together at a lower edge of the brassiere.34. The method of claim 33, wherein the fabric tube inner and outer plies are knit on a circular knitting machine as a continuous single-ply fabric tube, and the manipulating step is performed after removing the single-ply fabric tube from the knitting machine.35. The method of claim 33, wherein the fabric tube inner and outer plies are knit on a circular knitting machine and the manipulating step is performed by the knitting machine so as to produce a two-ply fabric tube from which said two-ply fabric structure is made.36. The method of claim 33, wherein the fashioning step includes cutting the two-ply fabric structure along cut lines and attaching trim to the two-ply fabric structure along the cut lines.37. The method of claim 33, wherein the fashioning step includes affixing a piece of substantially unstretchable fabric between the two plies of the brassiere in a central region between the cups so as to render said central region substantially less stretchable than the rest of the brassiere.38. The method of claim 33, wherein at least one of the inner and outer plies is knit to have a greater resistance to stretching in a central region between the cups than in the rest of the brassiere.