초록 ▼

Maternity wear of the invention accommodates the changing shape of a woman's body during pregnancy, minimizing the need for maternity clothes. In one aspect of the invention, pants or a skirt are worn with the upper end unfastened so as to conform to the shape of the swelling torso in pregnancy, and

Maternity wear of the invention accommodates the changing shape of a woman's body during pregnancy, minimizing the need for maternity clothes. In one aspect of the invention, pants or a skirt are worn with the upper end unfastened so as to conform to the shape of the swelling torso in pregnancy, and an elastic band shaped similarly to a tube top is worn generally around the waist, so as to overlap the top of the unfastened pants or skirt and retain them on the body. A top, such as a blouse or shirt, can be worn with its tail end extending over the band. In another aspect of the invention, too-large maternity clothing is worn with the band garment engaged over the upper end. If desired the band garment can be folded over on itself, thus doubling its thickness.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method for accommodating changes in the shape of a woman during pregnancy and postpartum without the need for a series of different-sized maternity clothes, the method comprising: providing a cylindrical, band-shaped maternity garment manufactured from a smooth knit fabric that is flexible and

1. A method for accommodating changes in the shape of a woman during pregnancy and postpartum without the need for a series of different-sized maternity clothes, the method comprising: providing a cylindrical, band-shaped maternity garment manufactured from a smooth knit fabric that is flexible and stretchable and of a size so as to be expanded and stretched to be firmly but comfortably worn around the torso of a woman during pregnancy or postpartum approximately at the waist, so that the maternity garment can be stretched and worn over pre-pregnancy clothes of the woman that have become too tight to accommodate the swelling of pregnancy by: wearing the pre-pregnancy clothes unfastened at an upper end,stretching and placing the maternity garment over an upper portion and upper edge of the pre-pregnancy clothes, so that most of the height of the maternity garment resides over the pre-pregnancy clothes while an upper portion of the height of the maternity garment extends above the upper edge of the pre-pregnancy clothes and engages against the body of the woman, andholding the upper end of the pre-pregnancy clothes closely against the torso to retain the unfastened pre-pregnancy clothes in place while providing a fitted appearance allowing the woman to wear pre-pregnancy clothing that is otherwise too small to be fastened at the upper end. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the maternity garment is six to twelve inches in height. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the maternity garment is a worn as a single layer over the pre-pregnancy clothes. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the maternity garment is folded in half to provide an additional layer of fabric over the pre-pregnancy clothes. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional layer of fabric conceals bulky or cumbersome fabric. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional layer of fabric slightly increases tension over the torso of the woman. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the fitted appearance is a smooth belly surface. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the maternity garment is underneath a top garment, the top garment extending down over the maternity garment. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the top garment is a form-fitted top, shirt, blouse, or sweater. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the maternity band covers a bottom or tail end of a top garment. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the maternity band is seamless. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the maternity band covers an unfastened top area of the pre-pregnancy clothes. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the maternity band flattens and shapes any fabric underneath. 14. A method for accommodating changes in the shape of a woman without the need for a series of different-sized clothes, the method comprising: providing a cylindrical, band-shaped garment manufactured from a smooth knit fabric that is flexible and stretchable and of a size so as to be expanded and stretched to be firmly but comfortably worn around the torso of a woman approximately at the waist, so that the garment can be stretched and worn over clothes of the woman that have become too tight by: wearing the clothes unfastened at an upper end, andstretching and placing the garment over an upper portion and upper edge of the clothes, so that most of the height of the garment resides over the clothes while an upper portion of the height of the garment extends above the upper edge of the clothes and engages against the body of the woman, andholding the upper end of the clothes closely against the torso to retain the unfastened clothes in place while providing a fitted appearance allowing the woman to wear normal clothing that is otherwise too small to be fastened at the upper end.