Stay system for bathing suit

Abstract

A loose-fitting bathing suit includes legs that resist riding up on a wearer and yet is comfortable to wear. The bathing suit eliminates the wide, trapezoidally-shaped stays worn on the front of the bathing suit to offer a more natural feel of the bathing suit, and its attendant comfort, while still resisting the problem of riding up. The suit preferably includes a long thin pocket on either side of the suit, and each such pocket retains a long, thin flexibly rigid stay to comfortably hold the bottom of the suit legs down along the thighs of the wearer. Alternatively, the suit may omit the stay in the side pockets, and instead include either of hem stays or inseam stays, or include all of such stays.

We claim:  
     
         1 . Shorts comprising: 
 a. a right leg defining a right side and a left leg defining a left side;    b. a first elongated pocket on the right side and a second elongated pocket on the left side; and    c. a first flexibly rigid stay adapted to fit within the first elongated pocket and a second flexibly rigid stay adapted to fit within the second elongated pocket.    
     
     
         2 . The shorts of  claim 1 , wherein the suit defines a waistband and a bottom hem on each of the right leg and the left leg, and the first and second elongated pockets and the first and second flexibly rigid stays extend from a point proximate the waistband to a point proximate the bottom hem.  
     
     
         3 . The shorts of  claim 1 , wherein the suit defines a waistband and a bottom hem on each of the right leg and the left leg, and the first and second elongated pockets and the first and second flexibly rigid stays extend between the waistband the bottom hem.  
     
     
         4 . The shorts of  claim 2 , wherein each bottom hem retains a flexibly rigid stay.  
     
     
         5 . The shorts of  claim 1 , wherein the suit defines an inseam on each of the right leg and the left leg and wherein each inseam retains a flexibly rigid stay.  
     
     
         6 . A bathing suit comprising: 
 a. a right leg defining a right inseam and a left leg defining a left inseam; and    b. a first flexibly rigid stay retained by the right inseam and a second flexibly rigid stay retained by the left inseam.    
     
     
         7 . The bathing suit of  claim 6 , wherein the suit defines bottom hem on each of the right leg and wherein each bottom hem retains a flexibly rigid stay.  
     
     
         8 . The bathing suit of  claim 6 , wherein the suit includes a right leg defining a right side and a left leg defining a left side and further comprising: 
 a. a first elongated pocket on the right side and a second elongated pocket on the left side; and    b. a first flexibly rigid side stay adapted to fit within the first elongated pocket and a second flexibly rigid side stay adapted to fit within the second elongated pocket.    
     
     
         9 . A bathing suit comprising: 
 a. a right leg having a bottom hem and a flexibly rigid stay retained by the right bottom hem; and    b. a left leg having a bottom hem and a flexibly rigid stay retained by the left bottom hem.    
     
     
         10 . The bathing suit of  claim 9 , wherein the right leg defines a right side pocket adapted to retain a right side flexibly rigid stay, and wherein the left leg defines a left side pocket adapted to retain a left side flexibly rigid stay.  
     
     
         11 . The bathing suit of  claim 9 , wherein the right leg defines a right inseam retaining a right inseam flexibly rigid stay, and wherein the left leg defines a left inseam retaining a left inseam flexibly rigid stay.