A local inventor knew there was a better way to keep women’s half-slips from slipping.

The misnamed garment was a constant source of irritation to Lorraine Johnson and others she knew and saw about in public.

“What used to happen is that you would see the slip hanging,” she said. “Sometimes, it would come straight off. I was like, ‘There has to be a better way for a woman to wear a slip without worrying about it.’”

Back in 2005, Johnson said, God inspired her to invent a new kind of slip. Even though she had never sewn before, she designed a slip with a wider elastic waistband and a zipper with hook. The wider band keeps the slip from slipping, and the support of the zipper makes the elastic last longer.

“It’s giving you that control-top feeling, and you know your slip is not going to come down,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t cling to your clothes or your body.”

After making the prototype, Johnson — whose day job is working for the Joint Staff —obtained a design patent and set about trying to market the product. Her husband’s tailor told them about Magic Market Week in Las Vegas.

“Anything that has to do with fashion is at this Magic conference,” Johnson said. “There’s hundreds of manufacturers. You pick which one you want to work with.”

Johnson chose the company, which so far has made 6,000 of the Easy-Zip Slips. They come in black, navy, tan, white and — especially exciting for many customers — red, a notoriously hard-to-find slip color.

Johnson is marketing them herself through her website and at a handful of local stores. They go for $16.95 to $19.95, depending on size and length.

“I try to make them so women can afford to buy them,” she said.

She said she never could have imagined herself as an entrepreneur, although she has previously had ideas she never acted on — and then someone else did.

“You think of something and say, ‘There’s a good idea,’” she said. “Then you see it.”

She said it is exciting being in business for herself.

“I’ve never ventured out to do anything like this before,” she said.

She plans to work for the Joint Staff for about four more years, until she’s able to retire, and then focus on her invention full-time. She also plans to write a how-to book about the experience of obtaining patents and trademarks, which will benefit other inventors.

Stores that carry the slip include Linda’s Especially For You, 728 High St., Portsmouth; Sharps Elegence, 4251 Greenwood Drive, Portsmouth; Boutique She-She, 22 S. King St., Hampton; and His Touch Variety Shop, 3854 E. Little Creek Road, Norfolk. They also are available through the website, www.lilliansconception.com, or by calling 757-539-SLIP.