You're right. It could be part of a dress or a belt... but do clothes bear the year stamp?They look as if the ends were put thru a buckle, one on each end. I'm not sure what shoulder bag could accommodate this. The Trim only has a buckle on one side and the other side is fixed. If such a bag exists, it looks like this was a custom order to jazz up a plain shoulder bag. If that's not it, then I vote that it is part of a belt!