ANYONE KNOWING OF A SITUATION THAT NEEDS TO COME TO THE ATTENTION OF OUR PRAYER LIST, PLEASE CONTACT MARY LITTLE AT THE FOLLOWING:
863-382-9882 OR
queenmum68@embarqmail.com

RHS doesn't have rules. It does have a few guidelines, one of which is: Members 50 or over wear purple with red hats, while members under 50 wear lavender with pink hats. (And, of course, we can reverse our colors during our birthday months, if we want to.)

Hard to believe that something like this can cause fuss and fury among our ranks. Yet, we've heard distressing stories involving conflict among some Queens and chapterettes over what, exactly, constitutes "correct" regalia. "Faces" have been known to turn red over the issue!

As you surely know, the colors of the Red Hat Society were inspired by the poem, "Warning," in which a young woman declares that, when she is old, she will wear purple, with a red hat. She says she'll wear these bright, "clashing" colors to symbolize the freedom she will have attained by then - freedom to please herself and pair colors that "don't go" if she feels like it. That's why we started doing it. From the first gathering, Fabulous Founders made sure we wore (predominantly) purple, with red hats. Beyond that, we made no rules; after all, this was all intended to be done in fun.

At no time did we delcare that one had to wear solid purple from head to hemline, nor a hat of any certain shape or size. It's the spirit of the outfit that's important - not the specific shade of purple (plum, amethyst, royal or eggplant) or the specific type of headgear. Wearing these colors - together-identifies us as RHS members and makes the public statement that we are "not dead and not done!"

Because we have become such a cultural phenomemon, our colors have become easily recognizable as deeply symbolic of the sisterhood we share. Let's not allow them to become a cause for discord and division. We know that some Queens discourage their chapterettes from wearing printed fabics, even if purple is the dominant color, and they require actual hats for every single occasion, forbidding large red flowers, fascinators or "poufs".

If you feel strongly about asking your members to observe a strict dress code, you do have the right, as Queen, to ask your chapterettes to honor your wishes. If they choose not to, they are free to join, or start, a different chapter. As with many other issues, we encourage our members to choose compromise over conflict. But if conflict persists, the best solution is an amicable parting of the ways.

But, just so you know, the Fabulous Founders have been known to wear purple tops with black, red, or white pants or skirts-even denim-on occasion. Red poufs clipped onto the hair usually pass muster with us too. At our Red Hat Society Rhythm and Rhinestones convention, many attendees wore blue jeans with purple-fringed shirts and red cowboy hats. In our regalia, as in every other area, it's the spirit that counts.

2008 (our 10th anniversary) we plan to celebrate all year! So you may see some Red Hatters reversing their colors-even when it's NOT their birthday month-in order to honor the year-long birthday of the whole disorganization. You may see more red-along with purple-in some outfits too-skirts, pants, scarves, what-have-you. It goes with our hats, and it's such a celebratory, happy hue! Set your spirit free. Express yourself!!