elasticized

一昔前, 作業服として着用されていた「もんぺ」が, 今やおしゃれを自在に操るパンツとなって人気を集めています。

Monpe work pants winning new fans

FUKUOKA — Contrary to their past image as trousers worn by elderly women, monpe baggy work pants are becoming a cool fashion statement as manufacturers use Kurume kasuri, a traditional fabric from the Chikugo region of Fukuoka Prefecture, to make new stylish monpe pants.

Monpe pants with a variety of patterns and colors are displayed at Unagino-Nedoko (literally: eel bed), a specialty shop in Yame in the prefecture that introduces craft products and other Kyushu goods.

中略

The store’s monpe pants are slimmer than traditional ones, though both have elasticized waists.

“Our original intention to make the pants slimmer was to reduce the use of expensive Kurume kasuri, but it resulted in giving monpe wearers greater options in coordinating their outfits,” Haruguchi said.

以下省略

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002935743

気になった表現は “elasticized” です。『新英和大辞典』(第五版, 研究社)に “elasticize” は「…にゴムを入れる, 伸縮自在にする」とありました。 “elastic” + “ize” で構成されており, 接頭辞 “elasto-” の部分が “elastic” 「弾性(のある)」の意をもつようです。

Merriam-Webster.comには “containing something that returns to an original shape or size after being stretched” と定義されていました。

今回は, 「―もんぺは昔のものより細身の作りだが, ゆったりとしたウエストの履き心地を実現している」と捉えることができます。(Cayu)