Reversible garment with shoulder pads and reversible shoulder pads

Abstract

A reversible garment for covering at least a portion of a wearer's upper body, comprising: at least one front panel for at least partially covering a front portion of a wearer's torso, at least one back panel for at least partially covering a back portion of the wearer's torso, wherein first and second shoulder areas are formed between the at least one front panel and the at least one back panel, first and second shoulder pads for providing shaping to the wearer's shoulders, each of the first and second shoulder pads being releasably attached to a respective one of the first and second shoulder areas, wherein the reversible garment has first and second opposing surfaces, with the first surface being external and the second surface being internal when the reversible garment is worn in a first configuration and the second surface being external and the first surface being internal when the reversible garment is worn in a second, inverted, configuration, and wherein the first and second shoulder pads are configured to (a) releasably attach to the second surface of the respective first and second shoulder areas when the reversible garment is worn in the first configuration, and (b) releasably attach to the first surface of the respective first and second shoulder areas when the reversible garment is worn in the second configuration.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A reversible garment for covering at least a portion of a wearer's upper body, comprising:
 at least one front panel for at least partially covering a front portion of a wearer's torso;   at least one back panel for at least partially covering a back portion of the wearer's torso, wherein first and second shoulder areas are formed between the at least one front panel and the at least one back panel;   first and second shoulder pads for providing shaping to the wearer's shoulders, each of the first and second shoulder pads being releasably attached to a respective one of the first and second shoulder areas,   wherein the reversible garment has first and second opposing surfaces, with the first surface being external and the second surface being internal when the reversible garment is worn in a first configuration and the second surface being external and the first surface being internal when the reversible garment is worn in a second, inverted, configuration, and   wherein the first and second shoulder pads are configured to (a) releasably attach to the second surface of the respective first and second shoulder areas when the reversible garment is worn in the first configuration, and (b) releasably attach to the first surface of the respective first and second shoulder areas when the reversible garment is worn in the second configuration.   
     
     
         2 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more first fastening portions provided on the second surface of each of the first and second shoulder areas;   one or more second fastening portions provided on each of the first and second shoulder pads and configured to couple with the one or more first fastening portions to releasably attach the first and second shoulder pads to the respective first and second shoulder areas; and   one or more third fastening portions provided on the first surface of each of the first and second shoulder areas.   
     
     
         3 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein the third fastening portions are configured to couple with the one or more second fastening portions on each of the first and second shoulder pads. 
     
     
         4 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein the third fastening portions have a different configuration from the first fastening portions and the reversible garment further comprises one or more fourth fastening portions provided on each of the first and second shoulder pads and configured to couple with one or more third fastening portions to releasably attach the first and second shoulder pads to the respective first and second shoulder areas. 
     
     
         5 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein the one or more first fastening portions and the one or more third fastening portions comprise decorative fastening portions. 
     
     
         6 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein the first and second shoulder areas include respective first and second epaulettes on the first surface thereof, and wherein each of the first and second epaulettes is configured to releasably couple with at least one third fastening portion on the respective first and second shoulder area. 
     
     
         7 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 6 , wherein the first and second epaulettes are configured to conceal one or more of the third fastening portions on the respective first and second shoulder area. 
     
     
         8 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein:
 each of the first and second shoulder areas includes one or more first fastening portions; and   each of the first and second shoulder pads include one or more second fastening portions configured to magnetically couple with the one or more first fastening portions to releasably attach the first and second shoulder pads to the respective first and second shoulder areas.   
     
     
         9 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein the one or more first fastening portions are provided between layers of material of the first and second shoulder areas. 
     
     
         10 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein one of the first and second fastening portions includes one or more recesses formed therein and the other one of the first and second fastening portions includes one or more projections formed therein, said one or more projections being configured to fit into said one or more recesses and to aid in positioning the first and second shoulder pads relative to the respective first and second shoulder areas. 
     
     
         11 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 10 , wherein each first fastening portion includes a first fastening surface and an opposing second fastening surface, and wherein said one of recesses and projections are provided on the first and second fastening surfaces of the first fastening portion. 
     
     
         12 . A reversible garment for covering at least a portion of a wearer's upper body, comprising:
 at least one front panel for at least partially covering a front portion of a wearer's torso;   at least one back panel for at least partially covering a back portion of the wearer's torso, wherein first and second shoulder areas are formed between the at least one front panel and the at least one back panel;   first and second shoulder pads for providing shaping to the wearer's shoulders, each of the first and second shoulder pads being positioned between layers of material of the respective one of the first and second shoulder areas,   wherein the reversible garment includes at least one hidden access opening configured to allow access to the first and second shoulder pads from outside of the reversible garment, said first and second shoulder pads being one of (a) removable from the respective first and second shoulder areas via the hidden access opening and (b) invertible while being retained in the first and second shoulder areas.   
     
     
         13 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein the at least one hidden access opening is provided on one or more of an inner surface and an outer surface of the reversible garment and the at least one hidden access opening is substantially concealed from view when the garment is worn by a wearer. 
     
     
         14 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 12 , further comprising at least one fastener for opening and closing the at least one hidden access opening, wherein the at least one fastener is concealed when the garment is worn by a wearer. 
     
     
         15 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein each hidden access opening is provided along one of (a) an armhole seam connecting a sleeve to the respective first or second shoulder area; (b) an armhole seam connecting the sleeve to the at least one front panel; (c) an armhole seam connecting the sleeve to the at least one back panel; and (d) a seam along the respective first or second shoulder area. 
     
     
         16 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein the reversible garment comprises a collar and a lapel extending from the collar, and wherein the hidden access opening is provided on one of the front and back panels at a position covered by one of the collar and the lapel when the garment is worn by a wearer. 
     
     
         17 . The reversible garment in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein each of the first and second shoulder pads is attached to the respective first and second shoulder area using a hinge configured to allow the respective first and second shoulder pad to be inverted while being retained in the respective first and second shoulder area. 
     
     
         18 . An invertible shoulder pad for use in a garment comprising a substrate including a plurality of internal separated compartments, wherein each of the plurality of separated compartments is filled with shape conformable filler materials and the plurality of separated compartments are separated from one another along at least one of a width and a length of the substrate. 
     
     
         19 . The invertible shoulder pad in accordance with  claim 18 , wherein at least one of the plurality of separated compartments is filled more densely than another one of the plurality of separated compartments. 
     
     
         20 . An invertible shoulder pad for use in a garment comprising a flexible substrate configured to define a shape of a wearer's shoulder and a plurality of bendable shaping elements for adjusting and retaining the shape of the flexible substrate, wherein the shoulder pad is configured to be inverted by bending the plurality of shaping elements. 
     
     
         21 . The invertible shoulder pad in accordance with  claim 20 , wherein the shaping elements comprise one or more of boning and wiring. 
     
     
         22 . An invertible shoulder pad comprising a substrate having a predetermined shape and formed from a flexible polymer material, wherein the shoulder pad is configured to be inverted from an original configuration to an inverted configuration and wherein the shoulder pad has substantially the same predetermined shape in the original configuration and in the inverted configuration. 
     
     
         23 . A reversible garment for covering at least a portion of a wearer's upper body, comprising:
 at least one front panel for at least partially covering a front portion of a wearer's torso;   at least one back panel for at least partially covering a back portion of the wearer's torso,   wherein first and second shoulder areas are formed between the at least one front panel and the at least one back panel;   wherein the reversible garment has first and second opposing surfaces, with the first surface being external and the second surface being internal when the reversible garment is worn in a first configuration and the second surface being external and the first surface being internal when the reversible garment is worn in a second, inverted, configuration, and   wherein the first and second shoulder areas are configured to (a) releasably couple first and second shoulder pads to the second surface of the respective first and second shoulder areas in the first configuration and (b) releasably couple first and second shoulder pads to the first surface of the respective first and second shoulder areas in the second configuration.