probably only worn only for very special occasions. The handkerchief Sometimes now referred to as a fichu, the handkerchief was a square piece of fabric, normally of printed cotton or linen, worn around the neck and tucked into the top of the gown, or worn over the head like a head scarf. The apron The apron was often of natural colours (white through cream and grey to black) in chequered patterns. Stockings Many women spent a lot of time knitting stockings but most were sold for export. Before about 1850 many rural women walked barefoot to and from market, or wore footless stockings. The cap Also known as the mob cap, the cap was a linen or cotton head cover with goffered folded fabrics around the face. Some had long lappets which hung down the front below shoulder level. The Welsh Hat The distinctive features of Welsh hats are the broad, stiff, flat brim and the tall crown. There were two main shapes of crown: those with drum shaped crowns were worn in north-west Wales and those with slightly tapering crowns were found in the rest of Wales. They were probably originally made of felt (known as beaver, but not necessarily made of beaver fur), but most surviving examples are of silk plush (also sometimes known as beaver) on a stiffened buckram base. A third type of hat, known as the cockle hat, was worn in the Swansea area. Men's costume in Wales Men were rarely illustrated or described wearing traditional attire in 19th century paintings. This was due to the fact that it was very similar to the attire worn by men in England. It consisted of a waistcoat (often of bright colours); a jacket often of blue or grey wool; a neckerchief; a pair of breeches; woollen stockings and a black felt hat, either like a bowler or one with a low, drum-shaped crown with a broad floppy brim. Although Welsh and English men's clothing were similar, the main difference between them in that Welsh clothing were often produced at locally. This meant that the majority of Welsh men wore blue or grey wool in the 18th century. According to People's Collection Wales certain groups of men appeared in these illustrations more than every-day men: (1) eccentric mountain guides; (2) grooms at their wedding ceremonies; (3) harpers; (4) Welsh Cartoon men; (5) coracle fishermen The majority of men