▁latest ▁f ash ions ▁which ▁most ▁newsp apers ▁published . ▁▁ ▁Ev idence ▁ ▁Writ ten ▁descri ptions ▁Over ▁ 8 0 , 0 0 0 ▁words ▁of ▁descri ptions ▁of ▁Wel sh ▁cost umes ▁were ▁written ▁during ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁and ▁ 1 9 th ▁centuries , ▁mostly ▁by ▁English ▁middle - aged , ▁middle - class ▁men , ▁but ▁with ▁a ▁few ▁exceptions ▁– ▁the ▁descri ptions ▁by ▁women ▁tend ▁to ▁be ▁length y ▁and ▁detailed ▁and ▁probably ▁reliable . ▁There ▁are ▁few ▁descri ptions ▁in ▁Wel sh ▁or ▁by ▁Wel sh ▁people ▁in ▁English ▁( but ▁see ▁T . ▁J . ▁L le w ely n ▁P rit ch ard ’ s ▁descri ptions ▁in ▁his ▁novel ▁Tw m ▁S ion ▁C atti ' '). ▁Al most ▁no ▁records ▁of ▁what ▁the ▁women ▁who ▁wore ▁the ▁traditional ▁cost umes ▁thought ▁about ▁them ▁have ▁been ▁found . ▁ ▁Much ▁of ▁what ▁was ▁written ▁about ▁Wel sh ▁cost ume ▁was ▁influenced ▁by ▁the ▁observer ’ s ▁pre con ception s : ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁visitors ▁to ▁Wales ▁at ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century ▁came ▁in ▁search ▁of ▁the ▁pictures que ▁and ▁of ▁an ▁E den ▁or ▁Arc ad ia ▁and ▁this ▁may ▁have ▁col oured ▁what ▁they ▁recorded . ▁They ▁were ▁often ▁delight ed ▁to ▁find ▁that ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁women ▁they ▁saw ▁were ▁health y , ▁happy ▁and ▁pretty ▁and ▁wore ▁a ▁cost ume ▁which ▁was ▁distinct ▁from ▁that ▁of ▁English ▁ma ids . ▁