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We're so excited to launch a new blog series 'Women in the Know' - featuring some fabulous friends of the 8th Sign who are experts in their field. Stylish ladies who can share their insider tips - on fashion, weddings, work & all sorts of current topics.  First up this week we spoke to our lovely long time collaborator, Rachel Hawkins of the Cotswold Hat Club.    A race day regular & best dressed winner, her business started as an extension of her own personal hat collection - progressing from there to offer a huge variety of styles from designers such as Carol Kennelly, Edel Ramberg & Emily London.  Check out her selection here: https://www.thecotswoldhatclub.co.uk   We've worked together for several of our photoshoots, styling some Race Day and Wedding looks via email - she always offers the perfect match!    Find our her biggest tips for wearing hats below - from millinery newbies to modern mothers of the bride wondering what are the 'rules'! Read on...    1) I’ve never worn a hat! Where do I start? The important thing is to start SOMEWHERE! I find most ladies come to me in a tizz having decided that 'hats don't suit them' but that's usually because they've only tried old fashioned hats (there's a lot about and most of them are very old & dusty!) or very cheap sort of 'fascinators' - which can be no more than a twizzly thing on a comb and which never stay in your hair anyway. I would recommend having a quick look at celebrities of a similar age / shape to you. What sort of hats are they wearing? Do they look good? Start there! The price to buy very decent hats can be eye watering & the cheaper ones can (sometimes) be very poor. Hiring really is a great option and you should get good advice for free too!   2) Do you need to colour match your outfit?Not necessarily but there needs to be a flow to an outfit & it needs to make sense and have balance. You don't need to go head to toe in one colour (although that can look great!) but tonally it does need to work. If you're clashing colours make sure you've got an element of both colours more than once so it looks well thought through. The most common misconception when it comes to matching outfits with a hat is thinking that neutral colours go well with bold colours. They don't. Bold colours work well together but if your dress is in a neutral palette, that's the palette you need to stick to!   3) I’m entering the Best Dressed competition - how do I stand out?!Details, details details! It's not as simple as a great dress and hat. You need to think about shoes, bag, jewellery, hair and even make up. Best dressed competitions are getting competitive and the standards are so high! Well worth turning to the Irish for inspiration on this one. Their looks on race days are SUPER sharp! 4) What are your favourite Racing Events? Cheltenham is my local track and we always go with a crowd so I do love it there. Plus I really enjoy Winter fashion. There's so many Summer events but you rarely get chance to really dress up in the colder months except a Christmas party! I love Ascot because it's so grand but it is super busy & can feel a bit hectic (I mostly enjoy the fun in the car park before & after racing at Ascot- there's loads of champagne picnics & a great atmosphere!). Goodwood is definitely my favourite Summer racing track - the fashion is so elegant too. It's worth doing some research on the fashion styles at different racecourses if you're going - Cheltenham festival fashion is a whole world away from Ladies Day at Aintree which is only 3 weeks later! 5) Do you recommend a different type of look for a Wedding to the Races? Good question- I do. A wedding is someone else's day and you are a guest. Whilst you don't need to dumb down to look less stylish- I don't think anyone except perhaps the Mother of the Bride (who can do what she wants as long as her daughter is happy!) should turn up in a gigantic, showy hat. Be elegant, stylish and a bit more understated. At the races- go for it! Do what you like! Although I do always offer up my largest hats with a warning.. they're like fabulous but VERY high shoes. Gorgeous in front of a mirror but by 4pm you might possibly wish you'd chosen something a bit easier to wear! It's a long day at the races and we've all seen girls leaving with their shoes & hats in their hands! Definitely make sure you've got door to door transport if you're choosing a large hat!   Thanks so much to Rachel for the amazing advice, we LOVE hats here at the 8th Sign - a chance to really dress up & accessorise; have fun with your outfit - a break from the norm. Hopefully you're inspired to give these beautiful millinery creations a try!  Look out for our next guest very soon...

What can I say? I'm absolutely blown away to have won this year's 1st prize best dressed at Aintree's Virtual Ladies Day competition!! When I got the message asking me to call I thought they might just be asking permission to use my image or something along the lines; then to hear 'Congratulations, you've been chosen as our 1st place winner' - I had to make sure I hadn't misheard! As a local North West girl I couldn't think of a Ladies Day I'd love to win more, I'm honoured!    I've loved getting involved with the Virtual Ladies day competitions since the in-person Races have been cancelled the last 12 months.  But I have to admit on the day I took some photos in my parents garden it was cold & I couldn't be bothered to get ready - so I'm very glad I did!! It goes to show it's always worth pushing yourself to make the effort; you really never know what it could bring.              I really wanted to go for a Spring look with lots of colour; we all need a bit of that in our lives at the moment. It had to be our Amaris Rose Jumpsuit - it's so special and statement - AND really comfortable to wear, perfect it you've got a long day at the Races or a Wedding.  It doesn't crease, it's lightweight and highlights your waist, whilst skimming over the hips. You can tie the shoulders in a bow like I did or you can leave loose for more arm coverage; it's a really versatile & figure flattering piece.  See more here: https://8thsign.com/collections/new-in-1/products/amaris-rose-silk-chiffon-wide-leg-jumpsuit   I wore this outfit for Royal Ascot Ladies Day & I would gladly rewear it again - this incredible headpiece is from Millinery by Mel, I had it custom made to perfectly match the jumpsuit & it's so special to wear! Check her out: https://millinerybymel.com.au              I couldn't be more thrilled with the prizes from Aintree Racecourse and sponsors, Randox Health and The Guide Liverpool.  First of all £4,000 to my chosen charities!! £4,000!! Amazing! In my entry I said I'd split any prize between Mind and Women's Aid - 2 very worthy and relevant winners in my view, with their tireless work during the pandemic. It's fair to say we've all been affected by the past 12 months and the work Mind does to support people struggling with mental health issues is invaluable.  Women's Aid again has seen increased demand for their services with a worrying rise in domestic abuse during the pandemic, I'm so glad to support in a small way.                It's amazing to win a Randox Health check too, I can't wait for that!  And of course hospitality tickets to Aintree Ladies Day 2022, bring it on!! My husband is already planning his outfit..!    Congratulations to the 2 other winners too, Ivona Moore & Paul Haworth, impeccably dressed!  https://theguideliverpool.com/the-winners-of-aintrees-2021-ladies-day-virtual-style-award-have-been-unveiled/      The style overall was so good, my favourite part of Ladies Day is always the style spotting - I love seeing what colours people go for and how they accessorise. Ladies Day is the perfect chance to go all out - colour blocking, statement headpieces and fabulous heels that will probably kill by the end of the day... but 'fashion over function' !       Hopefully there will some Racing this year, or if not we'll have a lot of outfits saved up for 2022...  We can't wait to see your style in 8th Sign for some Weddings and events this Summer, it will be so nice to see everyone dressed up again and hopefully moving forward to some more positive times.  Huge THANK YOU to everyone who sent lovely kind messages of congratulations and shared my photo; it's so appreciated as a 1 woman brand and small business, it means the world. 

I don't know about you but for me it's any excuse to dress up!  Ladies Day at the Races is just perfect - the more colour and accessories the better too...