The dress code for The Red Hat Society is that women over 50 wear “purple” and women under 50 wear “lavender”
But what is “purple”? and where does “lavender” stop and “purple” begins….. is magenta a “purple” or is it pink?
If you look at photos of Hatter groups, you will see a vast array of different shades of purples, and different ways to wear the colours – and that is great!
(Also remember that during your birth month, and the birth month of The Red Hat Society [April] you can reverse your colours – so you would wear red clothing with a purple hat)
To help you out, here is an interpretation of colours that might be appropriate for Hatters.
(Remembering that different monitors/screens may display colours differently)
Basically if you are under 50 (known as a “Pink Hatter”), choose the lighter shades of purple (lavender, lilac, mauve etc.), however you don’t need to go pale for the pink – you can go for hot pink and fuchsia tones. If you are over 50 (known as a “Red Hatter”), choose the darker and more vibrant purples and violets, and your “red” hats can be anything from a burgundy to a bright red.
The important thing to remember is that if you think that you could be mistaken for a different age group (Eg you are under 50 but wearing purple), you may like to make sure you have enough correct colour clothing or accessories to make sure you look right.
Some Hatters are very strict with the colour difference between a “Lavender” and a “Purple”, and don’t like to see Pinkies wearing anything too dark. Others feel that it’s ok for a Pinkie to wear something that could be considered “purple”, so long as they have an obviously pink hat. So while you are strongly encouraged to wear lighter purples as a Pink Hatter, if you must wear darker shades, try to incorporate some lavender accessories (a scarf or feather boa perhaps), and make sure your hat is definitely pink.
But most importantly – have fun with it!