Amanda | The Womens Room

Art & Culture, Home & GardenDecember 11, 2015

Guest Blogger In Residence: Selvedge Magazine Investigates Welsh Blankets

By Amanda

This week, Selvedge Magazine looks at Welsh Blankets and I’m warning you, you’re going to want one after you’ve read the post…… Wales’ rich community of designers and makers – both historic and contemporary – is often overlooked in comparison… Read More

Fashion & Beauty, Home & GardenDecember 10, 2015

Good Gifts for Grown Up Gardeners

By Amanda

While we’re out and about in a festive shopping frenzy, or indeed doing it all online this year, it’s worth taking a moment to look at the imagery being used to flog us stuff. We grown up women had the… Read More

Home & GardenDecember 8, 2015

A Christmas Card Strategy (and special offer) with Cath Tate Cards

By Amanda

Aeons ago, back when all we had to communicate with was paper and pen (remember those days children? Oh, no, I guess you don’t) middleagedad and I used to dread doing Christmas cards. Even though we didn’t send that many… Read More

Art & CultureDecember 4, 2015

Guest Blogger In Residence: Selvedge Magazine Investigates The Aran

By Amanda

This week, the Selvedge team discuss the Aran jumper, and remember if you are in London, the Artisan Fair is on today at Chelsea Town Hall, and in Bath on December 12th. Check for details (or do your shopping on… Read More

Home & Garden, Out & AboutDecember 3, 2015

Christmas Gift Guide for the Boy About Town

By Amanda

For the second in our series of gift guides, I thought I’d ask my sons what were the crucial, stylish must have items for every teen and twentysomething boy about town. The conversation went something like this…. Me: what are… Read More

Things We LoveDecember 2, 2015

The Present Tree

By Amanda

We loved this idea from The Present Tree, a mail order company that sends out small trees, beautifully wrapped and with full instructions for care, for any occasion. Including Christmas. You could gift a bay tree, or a wild pear,… Read More

Art, Culture & Craft, We Are ReadingDecember 2, 2015

Patch’s Grand Dog Show by Sally Muir and Joanna Osbourne

By Amanda

For some of us, reading Sally Muir and Joanna Osbourne’s fabulous books on knitted dogs is the closest we’ll ever get to owning our own. So when Joanna volunteered to write a post on their new book, Patch’s Grand Dog… Read More

UncategorizedDecember 1, 2015

A sweater worth considering from Lands’ End

By Amanda

Now, fessing up, Lands’ End is not a brand I go anywhere near normally, as I think of it as a bit boat-shoes-and-pastel-sweaters. I don’t mean that unkindly, as the quality is good and there’s nothing wrong with a boat… Read More

Fashion & BeautyNovember 30, 2015

Cold Weather Pyjamas – currently on offer at M&S

By Amanda

I know the current thinking for us grown up women is that we’re all lounging around glamourously in our Athleisurewear/beautifully ironed crisp poplin PJs/seductively sexy silk jersery pre bedtime, but in my shockingly draughty Victorian pile of a house, the… Read More

Art & Culture, Fashion & BeautyNovember 27, 2015

Guest Blogger In Residence: Selvedge Magazine Looks at Fair Isle

By Amanda

Today our guest blogger in residence Polly Leonard, editor of Selvedge magazine, takes a good look at the Fair Isle jumper. It was the invention of the criss-cross structure of weaving that led to the development of architecture and shelter.… Read More

Home & GardenNovember 25, 2015

The Powerful Smell Of Home

By Amanda

I don’t think either Jane and I are there yet, but there will come a time when we might want to downsize from our family homes to something easier to handle as we get older. Personally I have my eye… Read More

Art, Culture & Craft, We Are ReadingNovember 23, 2015

The Crafted Garden by Louise Curley

By Amanda

I can never get enough of these garden ideas books, particularly when they are full of fabulous images and easy to follow instructions. This lovely book by Louise Curley divides its decorative botanical projects by season, its winter section is… Read More

Fashion & BeautyNovember 23, 2015

A Very Good Denim Dress From COS

By Amanda

A quick post today telling you about a very good denim dress I stumbled over in COS last week. I was Christmas present shopping for twentysomethingsons and it just fell into my vision, honest. I was drawn to the deep… Read More

Fashion & Beauty, Home & GardenNovember 20, 2015

Guest Blogger-In-Residence Polly Leonard, On Protected Status For Textile Heritage

By Amanda

Our second post from guest blogger in residence Polly Leonard of Selvedge fame. This week Polly’s putting forward a strong arguement for textile heritage recognition…do I feel a campaign coming on? What do Single Gloucester, Arbroath smokies and Whitstable oysters… Read More

Fashion & BeautyNovember 18, 2015

The Best Perfumes For Women I’ve Worn This Year

By Amanda

This has been my year of fragrance, what with setting up We Wear Perfume and all the sniffing and research that’s entailed. I reckon I’m in a pretty good place to tell you about the perfumes you might want to… Read More

Fashion & BeautyNovember 16, 2015

The Perfect Velvet Trouser Suit for the Christmas Season

By Amanda

I’m writing this post because I’ve fallen in love again, it happened last week in Zara, when I clapped eyes on this delicious winter-green velvet trouser suit in a sloppy-silk velvet that felt like I was wearing, well, those pyjamas… Read More

Art & Culture, Home & GardenNovember 13, 2015

You Have To Be Careful About Craft, by Selvedge’s Polly Leonard

By Amanda

We had an AMAZING response to our Guest Blogger call-out, thanks to all of you who mailed us and today we are delighted to introduce a month long guest blogger Friday residency with Polly Leonard, founder and editor of our… Read More

Home & Garden, Out & AboutNovember 12, 2015

Writing With A Needle with Rosalind Wyatt

By Amanda

Today our regular guest blogger Julia Little, tells about the joy of re engaging with a needle and thread….over to you Julia. As Alber Elbaz said, when he recently stepped down from the creative reins of Lanvin, “Maybe we are… Read More

Fashion & BeautyNovember 10, 2015

Textile Fabulousness with Ace & Jig at Liberty

By Amanda

There is something infectiously thrilling about discovering young women who truly love what they do and are good at it too. I met Jenna Wilson and Cary Vaughan, the duo behind New York based design studio Ace & Jig at… Read More

Food, We Are ReadingNovember 8, 2015

Good Things To Drink with Mr Lyan & Friends by Ryan Chetiyawardana

By Amanda

This, I can vouch from recent practice, is an excellent book on drink. Since I received this to review last week I have thumbed enthusiastically through the recipes, considered a cocktail with pureed aubergines and made the Nuked Negroni, a… Read More

Fashion & BeautyNovember 6, 2015

Making The Connection with Selvedge Magazine

By Amanda

My complete immersion in all things perfume over the last year has seen me pop up in places like .Cent Magazine and November’s Selvedge, writing about fragrance. This is my recent Making The Connection feature for Selvedge, about the changing… Read More

Art & Culture, Out & AboutNovember 4, 2015

See This: The Fabric of India at the V&A

By Amanda

The Fabric of India at The V&A is a no brainer exhibition to visit, even if you have only the very smallest interest in textiles, or just own a pashmina. It’s a gloriously colourful round up of the importance of… Read More

Things We LoveNovember 2, 2015

The importance of a great dressing gown, with The White Company

By Amanda

We are big fans of The White Company and its beautiful but practical range of home ware and clothing. I am very fond of the Hydratowel range, having been introduced to it by The White Company’s own bedlinen buyer Vanessa… Read More

Art & CultureNovember 2, 2015

Synaesthesia and Instagram with Philippa Stanton

By Amanda

Despite having two Instagram accounts myself (@wewearperfume and @thewomensroomblog) and spending half my life on it, I had never heard of Philippa Stanton or her fabulously uplifting Instagram account @5ftinf with its 465,000 followers. It is possible you already know… Read More

Fashion & BeautyOctober 29, 2015

Up close with Peruvian Connection

By Amanda

Years ago, back in the mid 80s, I regularly received the Peruvian Connection catalogue and its colourful and complex ethnic designs looked deliciously different from all those power suits and massive shoulders we were wearing. I loved it. Mail order… Read More

Novels & Biogs, We Are ReadingOctober 27, 2015

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

By Amanda

Just in case any of your are as addicted to murder mysteries as I am, I’m just flagging up that the third book in the excellent Comoran Strike series, written by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) is out. Career Of… Read More

Home & Garden, Out & AboutOctober 27, 2015

Anthropologie’s Auction: how to get your hands on some stylish Christmas decorations

By Amanda

This has got me very excited, our friends over at Anthropologie are selling their super-creative in store display props to raise much needed cash for the Save The Children’s charity Child Refugee Crisis appeal. We love Anthro stores, they are… Read More

Fashion & Beauty, Out & AboutOctober 23, 2015

The Best Of Frieze: Final round up

By Amanda

Our final 2015 Frieze post, with a round up of interesting outfits that weren’t really a trend, more individually fabulous. First up, remember I mentioned furry texture being a bit of an art trend on Monday? It’s also turning up… Read More

Art, Culture & Craft, We Are ReadingOctober 22, 2015

Perfume, A Century Of Scents

By Amanda

One of my favourite women involved in fragrance is Lizzie Ostrom, who as her alter ego Odette Toilette runs enjoyable and informative scented events. Lizzie has been extremely generous with her time and encouragement over We Wear Perfume and we… Read More

Fashion & BeautyOctober 21, 2015

Best of Frieze Fashion: trousers and casual tailoring

By Amanda

Back at Frieze, the second big clothes story after capes was the abundance of beautiful, easy-tailored trousers, mostly worn with trainers. It’s the ‘gentlewoman styling’ we’ve been talking about (well, along with everyone else) recently, that lovely, pared-back-but-still-elegant take on… Read More