Neutral Spine Support Garment

Abstract

A fashion garment is constructed for use as comfortable outerwear and promotion of neutral-spine posture. The garment includes an outer shell comprising a soft, stretchable material shaped to fit snuggly around a wearer's torso and having a bust region positioned to cover and place tension across the wearer's chest; a lower front region positioned to cover and place tension across the wearer's abdomen; an upper region positioned to cover and place tension across the wearer's shoulders; and a lower back region positioned to cover and place tension across the wearer's lower back. The garment also includes at least two elastic bands, each having two ends, where one end connects to the upper region of the outer shell on one side of the wearer's body and the other end connects to the lower region of the outer shell on the other side of the wearer's body, such that the elastic bands criss-cross one another and apply rearward force to the wearer's shoulders, pulling the shoulders back and forcing the torso toward a neutral-spine posture.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A fashion garment constructed for use as comfortable outerwear and promotion of neutral-spine posture, the garment comprising:
 an outer shell comprising a soft, stretchable material shaped to fit snuggly around a wearer's torso and having:
 a bust region positioned to cover and place tension across the wearer's chest; 
 a lower front region positioned to cover and place tension across the wearer's abdomen; 
 an upper region positioned to cover and place tension across the wearer's shoulders; and 
 a lower back region positioned to cover and place tension across the wearer's lower back; and 
   at least two elastic bands, each having two ends, where one end connects to the upper region of the outer shell on one side of the wearer's body and the other end connects to the lower region of the outer shell on the other side of the wearer's body, such that the elastic bands criss-cross one another and apply rearward force to the wearer's shoulders, pulling the shoulders back and forcing the torso toward a neutral-spine posture.   
     
     
         2 . The fashion garment of  claim 1 , further comprising an inner lining attached along an inner surface of the outer shell, where the inner lining comprises a soft, elastic material and is positioned to apply tension against the wearer's skin. 
     
     
         3 . The fashion garment of  claim 2 , where at least a portion of the inner lining is positioned at the upper region of the outer shell to intensify the force applied by the elastic bands. 
     
     
         4 . The fashion garment of  claim 3 , where at least a portion of the inner lining is positioned at the lower region of the outer shell, around the wearer's waist, to provide support for the wearer's hips. 
     
     
         5 . The fashion garment of  claim 1 , where the soft, stretchable material of the outer shell comprises approximately 72% nylon and approximately 28% spandex.