Indigo-dyed cotton waistband with fringed ends of dyed goat's wool and Coix seeds: South Asia, India, Assam

Cotton waistband woven in coloured stripes: Korea, ca. 1840

Narrow rectangular section of white-cream barkcloth, decorated down the centre of one side with black lines and a black grid pattern: Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Polynesia, early 19th Century

Woman's waistband of cotton threaded with glass beads of pink, blue, white and black in geometric patterns with cotton ties at each end: Africa, Eastern Africa, Malawi, probably Yao people, late 19th century

Woman's waistband of cotton threaded with glass beads of pink, blue, black and white in geometric patterns with cotton ties at each end: Africa, Eastern Africa, Malawi, probably Yao people, late 19th century

Waistband of black silk embroidered in coloured silks, one of two: Western China, Sichuan Province, 19th century

Waistband of black silk embroidered in coloured silks, one of two: Western China, Sichuan Province, 19th century

Waistband or additional collar of silk with a phoenix design, part of a wedding outfit worn by Mrs Grace Ho (nee Young) at her wedding in Hong Kong, on the 8 September 1957: Hong Kong, 1950s