Child’s embroidered dress with off-centre front neckline opening. A densely embroidered panel, trimmed with mirrors, surrounds the neck opening in the front and extends over the shoulders to form a back yoke. There is a large pocket inside the front of the dress that is accessible through the neckline slit; the purple machine printed cotton textile that forms the pocket is visible at the neckline. The flared skirt is embroidered with scattered multicoloured geometric figures on both the front and the back. The orange silk textile of the skirt is heavily damaged, exposing the red cotton underlining. Triangular, embroidered gussets are inserted at the sides, under the sleeves. The round neck opening closes with a loop fastener on the right hand side. Sleeve bands of embroidered textile (orange; purple; rose) are trimmed with sequins, rickrack and braid. The hem is finished with silver metallic braid (3 cm wide). The entire garment is underlined with cotton textile. A label made of off-white cotton textile, printed with a rubber stamp and handwritten with ball-point ink is attached at the neck edge on the back with a loose running stitch.

Orange women’s tunic with embroidery and appliqué. The tunic has a high, square neckline. The front has a large embroidered panel from the shoulder to hip. The embroidery on this panel is so elaborately detailed and so densely worked that none of the background textile is visible, and this part of the tunic is very stiff. Within this panel are small- and medium-sized circular, diamond and double diamond shaped motifs arranged in rectangular groupings, and numerous very small mirrors. Below the panel are three horizontal panels of silk and cotton textile (yellow; light green; orange) embroidered with triangular, diamond and floral border designs worked in black thread, accented with several colours and metallic thread. The back of the tunic has a centre back opening with braided ties. Pouches made of orange silk textile and containing small amounts of dried plant material are sewn into the top edge on both sides of the neck opening. On the back there is a large panel of orange nylon(?), embroidered with multicoloured circular medallions and edged with diamond shaped border motifs, silver coloured sequins and white rickrack. Strips of light green and orange silk textile, edged with black braid and white rickrack, form side panels that connect the front and the back of the garment. The front of the tunic is slightly longer than the back. The sleeves are elbow-length and close fitting, made of bands of silk and cotton textile (orange; red; dark green; yellow) embroidered with cross stitch and decorated with sequins, braid and rickrack. All panels, strips and bands are underlined with cotton textile. A label made of off-white cotton textile, printed with a rubber stamp and handwritten with ball-point ink, is attached at the neck edge on the front with a loose running stitch.

Small red dress with embroidery. The dress has a v-neck with a loop closure, short sleeves and full skirt with side slits. A piece of dark blue cotton with a floral pattern is beneath the v-neck opening. Around the neck is a thick geometric border in with mirrors and metal sequins. The sleeves have bands of various widths with braid, rickrack and metal sequins. There are triangular gussets under the sleeves. The skirt has embroidered circles in orange, green and brown and edged with white on red ground. A purple silk overlay covers the red skirt. The bottom hem has yellow cotton crocheted trim worked in a scallop stitch. The inside is unlined. There is a white label inside the neck that says ‘Made in Afghanistan’.

A multicoloured woman’s tunic that is embellished with panels and bands of embroidery on both the front and the back, incorporating several styles of embroidery. On the front, there is a large embroidered panel from shoulder to hip, and the upper edge of this panel extends over the shoulders to form a narrow yoke on the back. The embroidery on this panel is so elaborately detailed and so densely worked that none of the background textile is visible, and this part of the tunic is very stiff. Design elements in this embroidered panel include circular motifs enclosed within squares, a border of stylized floral ornaments and many small mirrors. Below the densely embroidered panel on the front are three solid coloured horizontal bands of silk and cotton textile (orange and yellow; purple and green; bright pink and red), embellished with black embroidered edging and rickrack. The back of the tunic has a centre-back neckline slit (30 cm) with twisted fibre ties. Pouches made of yellow and black striped cotton textile and containing small amounts of dried plant material are sewn into the top of the neck edge on both sides of the neckline slit. Below the back shoulder yoke, a large panel of light purple cotton textile, embroidered with scattered, multicoloured medallions and bordered with a repeated triangular motif, extends to the hemline; a narrow horizontal band of machine printed red cotton textile separates the shoulder yoke from this panel. Narrow vertical strips of plain silk and cotton textile form side panels that connect the front to the back. The front of the tunic is slightly shorter than the back. Elbow-length, close-fitting sleeves are made of solid coloured bands of silk and cotton textile, embroidered with metal-wrapped thread and coloured sequins. All panels and bands are underlined with cotton textile (orange; purple; pink). A label made of off-white cotton textile, printed with a rubber stamp and handwritten with ball-point ink, is attached at the neck edge on the front with a loose running stitch.

A multicoloured woman’s tunic that is embellished with panels and bands of embroidery on both the front and the back, incorporating several styles of embroidery. On the front, there is a large embroidered panel from shoulder to hip, and the upper edge of this panel extends over the shoulders to form a narrow yoke on the back. The embroidery on this panel is so elaborately detailed and so densely worked that very little of the background textile (red-orange tie-dyed silk) is visible, and this part of the tunic is very stiff. Design elements in this embroidered panel include many small circular motifs arranged in vertical and horizontal stripes. Three very large circular motifs are at the bottom of the panel. Many small glass mirrors are part of the design. The neckline is squared and close fitting. Below the densely embroidered panel on the front are three solid coloured horizontal bands of silk and cotton textile (orange; light green; purple), embroidered with densely-stitched decorative medallions and bordered with diamond, square and circular motifs. The back of the tunic has a centre-back neckline slit (26.5 cm) with braided fibre ties. Pouches made of purple silk textile and containing small amounts of dried plant material are sewn into the top of the neck edge on both sides of the neckline slit. Below the back shoulder yoke is a large panel of yellow cotton textile, embroidered with multicoloured circular medallions that are enclosed within black triangular compartments, each bordered with small multicoloured triangles. Narrow vertical strips of silk textile (magenta; purple) edged with braid and rickrack form side panels that connect the front to the back. Elbow-length close fitting sleeves are made of solid coloured bands of cotton textile (orange; purple; rose), trimmed with embroidery, braid rickrack. All panels and bands are underlined with cotton textile. A label made of off-white cotton textile, printed with a rubber stamp and handwritten with ball-point ink, is attached at the neck edge on the front with a loose running stitch.

A multicoloured woman’s tunic that is embellished with panels and bands of embroidery on both the front and the back, incorporating several styles of embroidery. The colours are muted. On the front, there is a large embroidered panel from shoulder to hip, and the upper edge of this panel extends over the shoulders to form a narrow yoke on the back. The embroidery on this panel is so elaborately detailed and so densely worked that none of the background textile is visible, and this part of the tunic is very stiff. Design elements in this embroidered panel include small circular and double-diamond motifs arranged in rectangular strips, embellished with very small mirrors. Below the densely embroidered panel on the front are three solid coloured horizontal bands of silk and cotton textile (light yellow-orange; light green; light orange), embroidered with triangular, diamond and floral motifs and bordered with braid and rickrack. The back of the tunic has a centre-back neckline slit (29 cm) with twisted fibre ties. Below the back shoulder yoke, a large panel of yellowish white cotton textile is divided into large rectangular compartments that are bordered with red triangular motifs. A narrow horizontal band of machine printed textile separates the shoulder yoke from this panel. Narrow vertical strips of plain cotton textile (light yellow; green; red), edged with braid, form side panels that connect the front to the back. There is a small pocket in the right-hand side seam. Elbow-length, close fitting sleeves are made of solid coloured bands of cotton textile (light yellow; light green; light red), trimmed with silk embroidery, braid and white rickrack. All panels and bands are underlined with cotton textile. A label made of off-white cotton textile, printed with a rubber stamp and handwritten with ball-point ink, is attached at the neck edge on the front with a loose running stitch.

Multi-coloured woman’s tunic that is lavishly embellished with panels and bands of embroidery on both the front and the back, incorporating several styles of stitching. The garment is very stiff and heavy. On the front, there is a large embroidered panel from shoulder to hip, and the upper edge of this panel extends over the shoulders to form a narrow yoke on the back. The embroidery on this panel is so elaborately detailed and so densely worked that none of the background textile is visible. Design elements in this embroidered panel include circular and diamond shaped motifs and many small mirrors. Below the densely embroidered panel on the front are three horizontal bands decorated with triangular motifs, rickrack, sequins and metallic braid embroidery. The back of the tunic has a centre-back neckline slit (37 cm). Pouches made of yellow and red textile which is embellished with an X made of black braid are sewn into the top of the neck edge on both sides of the neckline slit. The pouches contain small amounts of dried plant material. Below the back shoulder yoke are horizontal bands of navy blue and silver brocade. A panel of orange textile, embroidered with oval and square shapes, extends to the hem of the garment. The sides of the garment are formed from vertical strips of bright pink, green and gold satin textile. The bottoms of the elbow-length sleeves are finished with several rows of diamond-shaped motifs.

Multicoloured woman’s dress or tunic embellished with panels and bands of embroidery on both front and back, incorporating several styles of stitches. On the front, there is a large embroidered panel from shoulder to hip, and the upper edge of this panel extends over the shoulders to form a narrow yoke on the back. The panel has a black background and is heavily embroidered with inset mirrors. Bellow, there are three horizontal panels of orange, purple and dark pink, each with circular embroidery using metallic thread. The back of the tunic has a centre-back neckline slit with two buttons. There are also two slits extending up from the hem on either side. The side panels are thin vertical strips of orange, green and bright pink fabric.