How to Start Your Own Red Hat Society

The red hat society started when a women (Sue Ellen Cooper) gave a simple gift of a poem, a red fedora and a hat hook to her friend and once realizing how much her friend enjoy it, started giving them to all whom she knew - eventually creating what is now know worldwide as the “Red Hat Society”!

The web site for the well-known club is www.redhatsociety.com. If there is a chapter near you, you will find it there and if there is not? Start one!

There are no solid “golden rules” set in stone. You create your own royal titles, the size of your group and your start your own traditions. It’s your way or no way. Think big or small. There is however guidelines that must be kept.

· You must be a woman at the age of 50 or over (women under 50 may be what is called a “Pink Hatter”).
· You must attend functions in the all of the Red Hat Society ceremonial dress! That means red hat and purple outfits for 50 and older women and pink hats and lavender outfits for women under 50.
· And yes, just to fall in with the rest of the world (unfortunately) there are some legal documents that do need to be dotted on the line…but as mentioned on their web site, they try not to muse over and above what is necessary.

So…onward and upward Red Hatters!

First register your Chapter and set up a username/password for yourself as the chapter queen! (Queens are automatically Purple Perks members with their chapter registration / annual renewal fees). Materials will contain An Official Red Hat Society Chapter Charter officially signed by the Exalted Queen Mother herself, Sue Ellen Cooper and least we forget the original “1st friend to receive the gift, Esteemed Vice Mother, Linda Murphy. If you feel you need a bit of extra sparkle to help get you started, they have a "Queen’s Kit" which is a box of goodies for you and your chapter as well as an “All About Me” kit. Swell hun?

And what happens next you ask?