Wandering Delft today, we ran into large groups of women clothed in royal purple dresses with red, large- brimmed, flowery hats. Grubb guessed it might be a British tea society. Really? Huh.
I approached a couple of these women to inquire. It’s the Red Hat Society. It all started with a tongue-in-cheek poem called “Warning” by Jenny Joseph, which encouraged women to age with joy and a sense of humor (and a fair amount of impish feistiness).
The poem begins: “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple / With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.”
The poem inspired founder Sue Ellen Cooper so much that she bought a red hat for a friend’s 55th birthday — and the sentiment was contagious. On April 25, 1998, Sue Ellen and a group of five friends got together for an afternoon tea while wearing red hats with purple clothing in defiance of every fashion trend ever. This led to the birth of the Red Hat Society, which is why April 25th is celebrated as Red Hat Society Day.
The society’s mission is purely social — friendship, fun, and celebrating life after 50 with no apologies.
My grandmother loved that poem and I always joked I didn’t need to be over 50 to embrace the trend. Only a few more years now until I can be an official member!
Good news. You can join if you are under 50. You are a “pink hatter” so you wear pink hats and lilac dresses until you’re fifty 🤪
We saw a group of women in purple dresses and red hats one year in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
It seems various cities host the different chapters. Now wouldn’t that be something if they were walking the Camino in purple walking gear and red hats?!
I saw a similar group in Burgos but with pink hats. They might be the under-50s, they did look younger. But maybe not because they were all wearing jeans and the pink hats were cowboy hats. They also had matching, little pink packs. I’m thinking maybe it was a tour group. I know the details because I also took a photo of them.
Hmmm, maybe the cowgirl barbies?
Moira also knows that poem. I think someone gave her a birthday card long ago with that poem inside… but I’m not sure.