Fashionistas Be Damned –

Red Hat Society Steps Out

By Kaaren Valenta

“When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.”

(From “Warning” by Jenny Joseph)

Janet Falkenthal has organized “Newtown’s Red E To Romp,” Chapter 11373 of the nationwide Red Hat Society, and is looking for women who are interested in greeting middle age with “verve, humor, and elan.”

The local group, which already has more than a dozen members who have paid their $2 a year in dues, has organized a dinner theater outing for May 2 and is planning other events for the rest of the year.

“The Red Hat Society is a group for women over 50 who are supposed to wear purple dresses and red hats –– just like in the poem –– and have a good time,” said Ms Falkenthal, who is the owner of the Fashion Exchange, an upscale consignment shop where women normally would never be advised to wear purple with red.

But after a lifetime of following the rules and pleasing others, the women of the Red Hat Society figure they have earned the right to dress any way they want to and have fun.

The Red Hat Society was begun inadvertently a few years ago by Sue Ellen Cooper of Fullerton, Calif., and her friends, who took their inspiration from the popular poem that had been showing up on greeting cards since the mid 1980s. When Sue Ellen and her friends were featured in Romantic Homes magazine in July of 2000, they began to get inquiries from other interested women who wanted to start their own chapters. There are now 4,500 chapters.

“We believe silliness is the comedy relief of life, and, since we are all in it together, we might as well join red-gloved hands and go for the gusto together,” she explained. “Underneath the frivolity, we share a bond of affection, forged by common life experiences and a genuine enthusiasm for wherever life takes us next.”

There are no official rules for the organization, other than wearing red hats and “something purple,” Ms Falkenthal said. “Women under 50 also can join but they are asked to wear a pink hat and lavender attire as Pink Hatted postulated – ladies in waiting.”

The group plans to have an outing each month, including trips to tearooms and other locations.

“It’s amazing how popular this organization is,” Ms Falkenthal said. “I organized it two weeks ago with ten members and we are already up to 17. The only fee is $2 get a registration card.”

The group will be going to the Spinning Wheel Inn on May 2 for the 7 pm showing of Anna’s Will. For information about subsequent events and membership in the organization, call Ms Falkenthal at 270-0354.