'They're like sisters': Red Hat Society marking 25 years of living life to the fullest

A colourful, global group encouraging women to get the most out of life is marking a big milestone in style.

The Red Hat Society is celebrating 25 years. The worldwide organization is billed as a unique playgroup for women promoting fun, friendship, fitness and freedom.

Members are easily identified by their purple clothing and, of course, their red hats. It’s a tradition that was started in California in 1998 by founder Sue Ellen Cooper when shopping for a gift for a friend.

“She finally settled on a red hat, but it was a fedora-type, and she gave it to her girlfriend,” explained Patricia Daily, who is “Queen” of the Scarlette Primper Belles, a Winnipeg chapter of the society.

Along with the hat, Cooper included a line from Jenny Joseph’s poem “Warning” that read, “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple, with a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me.”

“And then that girlfriend started buying red hats for her friends, and they’d all go out together,” Daily said.

And thus a sisterhood in purple and red was born.

Today, the organization has ballooned to over 20 countries, with chapters in every province in Canada. Membership is aimed at women 50 years old and beyond. Younger members are also welcome, wearing mauve clothing and pink hats, instead.

Daily said at one point, Manitoba was home to 165 chapters with over 4,000 members.

“Unfortunately, we're down quite a bit, but there are still people interested in it,” she said. “We're seeing the numbers gradually rising again, which is great.”

To mark 25 years, the Winnipeg chapter is hosting It’s All About The Hat on April 29 at the Norwood Hotel. The all-day gala will feature vendors, a dinner, prizes and more.

Daily said Red Hatters from all over the province will attend, and non-members are also welcome.

The event is all about celebrating over two decades of sisterhood.

“Some of the girls in our place, we've been together since 2000 and my goodness, you get to know them. They're like sisters. Well, they are sisters,” Daily said.

- With files from CTV's Nicole Dubé