Gretchen Winters, 57, wears rubies with her nightgowns and rhinestones to lunch.
She calls herself the Queen of Shop-a-Latte, and for fun she likes to play dress up. She shops for her accessories online by typing in the search term “drag queen.”
It’s all part of being the queen of the local chapter of the Red Hat Society.
“It’s our chance to let our little girls out to dress up and play,” Winters said.
Red Hat Society members dress up in elaborate accessories and wear purple and red. Among Winters’s favorite Red Hat Society events is the annual Slut Strut, she said. Attendees are encouraged to dress in formal gowns, and many red-hatters wear secondhand wedding gowns that have been dyed purple.
“We glitz it up with the bling bling. The rhinestones and the rubies and the hats that are just humongous,” Winters said. “All this self-confidence and beauty just comes out and shines.”
The Red Hat Society began in 1998 as a way for aging women to network and have fun. There are now nearly 30,000 chapters throughout the world with more than half a million members. Members older than 50 wear red hats. Younger members wear pink hats. Men are not allowed.
In Federal Way, members of the Shades of Ruby chapter of the Red Hat Society get together for pajama breakfasts, hula hoop parties, dancing, bowling, miniature golf and secondhand store shopping sprees. They always wear sparkly jewelry and fancy hats.
“There’s nothing tacky about it. It’s just kind of fun,” said member Dianne Joyce, 51.
After spending her earlier years working hard to raise a family, the Red Hat Society is a way for Joyce to focus on herself, she said.
“The red hats are a way to say welcome to your own,” she said. “In past generations, women of our age disappeared. They had nothing to say except the exploits of their children.”
Member Poula Hansen, 52, calls herself Princess Poula the ‘Puter Goddess. She said being a member of the Red Hat Society has boosted her self-esteem.
“We’ve all been somebody’s mother, somebody’s wife,” Hansen said. “Here I get to explore who I am.”
The more outrageous she accessorizes, the more fun she has, Hansen said.
“I never feel fat, frumpy, overdressed or underdressed with these women,” she said. “We get to giggle at stupid jokes. We get to laugh out loud in public. We get to eat dessert first.”
Learn more
The Shades of Ruby chapter of the Red Hat Society is looking for members over age 21. Prospective members are invited to a Valentine’s party at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Des Moines Creek Restaurant. To reserve a seat or for more information, e-mail Gretchen at shadesofrubyrhs@aol.com.
