Welsh costume

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Welsh spinners and spinning wheel, Wales, photochrom, ca. 1890-1900

The national costume of Wales is usually thought of as the traditional woman's costume of a red cloak and a tall black hat. This form of the costume was developed in the 19th century, during a revival of Welsh culture, mainly by Lady Llanover.

The national dress was based on the clothes worn by Welsh country women in the early nineteenth century. They wore a striped petticoat, usually made of flannel, with a flannel open fronted bedgown over the top. They also wore an apron, a shawl and either a kerchief or a cap.

The tall black hats usually associated with the Welsh Lady costume did not appear until the late 1840s.

Between 1840 and 1870, shawls became very popular. They are not traditionally Welsh, and were worn in many places, although the shawl, usually with a checked or paisley pattern, is an accepted part of traditional costume. Shawls were also used by Welsh women to carry their babies, and this method of nursing a baby is still referred to as "Welsh fashion".

Nowadays a range of Welsh tartans have been produced which are made into shawls for ladies and cilts (welsh kilts) for men, amongst other things. The St David's Tartan or brithwe Dewi Sant is the national tartan, suitable for wear by anyone Welsh, but individual family tartans are also produced, despite there being little evidence that the Welsh (or the Scots, for that matter) traditionally used tartan to identify clans.