Vintage velvet and sequin crowns

On Saturday I mooched around a Vide Grenier in the shade of a Basilica church - life can be good! I found this extraordinary combination of black velvet and sequins,

and gold and silver tassels, too!

The sequins are (frankly) more wonderful than anything I've been able to track down on the internet - crowns, flowers and stars.

You can probably imagine that when I found the crumpled little ribbons, and stretched them out to see this strange shape, I was completely unable to work out what they actually were! I half-remembered a tiny set of braces that my mum made for my little sister when I was Gretel and she was Hansel...

but investigation at home shows that the right combination of hooks and eyes produces this sweet little collar!

It goes round my hand but certainly not round any neck in this family, so my instinct about it being for a child is surely right.

But what is it? As I've implied, my usually quite informative Google techniques have let me down this time. Beautiful white silk bows were worn for First Communion in France (I have one), but black velvet necklace/collars with sequins seem unheard-of. I'm working on the theory that it might be for a carnival costume, and a one-off. But I shall ask Kaari Meng, of the truly wonderful French General, if she has the time to pop over to my blog and have a look - she may be an expert in French fripperies but she is also a very friendly blogger, at The Warp and the Weft. If anyone can guess, it will be Kaari.

In addition to the mystery collar, I also bought some buttons (of course) a large piece of red striped ticking (my first), some more blue mottled enamelware and two vintage French tins. Mmmmmm...