Amanda | The Womens Room

Middle Aged MumJune 25, 2014

Middleagedmum.com: going, going, gone

By Amanda

It’s been a bit of a month for us Middleagemums, first Jane says ‘goodbye to school’ and over in TWR’s Barnes HQ, eldest and middleson are on their way out of the house forever…. It is now nearly four years… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJune 23, 2014

Dressing for summer: a few sale florals to buy at Hobbs

By Amanda

What is it with Hobbs at the moment? Every time I pop into one of its London stores I find something else I want to buy. Having not been in one for years, now I am on smiling terms… Read More

Novels & Biogs, We Are ReadingJune 22, 2014

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys by Viv Albertine

By Amanda

If you’ve ever wanted to be in a band, you need to read Tracey Thorn’s book, followed swiftly by this one by the amazing Viv Albertine. Where Tracey is mostly quite sensible in her music career, Viv is wild and… Read More

Health & HappinessJune 21, 2014

Weekend woman: Ally Lloyd, AKA Ally Capellino

By Amanda

One of our favourite bag makers, Alison Lloyd, has been in business with her Ally Capellino brand for over 30 years. She has produced fabulous, lust-making bags and gorgeous accessories for all of that time and her brand goes from… Read More

Art & CultureJune 19, 2014

The one where I interview Middleagedad on his art project Resonate Generate

By Amanda

Regular readers may remember Barnes Middleagedad is doing a fine art degree at Chelsea College of Arts. Well, it’s Final Show time and Resonate Generate is his final piece of work. it’s a pop up 70s vinyl Punk V Prog… Read More

Things We LoveJune 19, 2014

We love: The Inspiration Pad notebook

By Amanda

The inspired line arrangements on the Inspiration Pad, by Brussels design agency TM, may help you to think laterally. Or at least improve your doodling. I found this notepad on one of my favourite blogs, This Is Colossal. The notepads,… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJune 17, 2014

Dressing for summer: the perfect kimono jacket

By Amanda

Kimono jackets -currently having a moment in the fashion sun – are the perfect menopausal summer jacket, just look at all that ventilation on the sleeves! Plenty of room for a cooling summer breeze to bring down your hot flush … Read More

Health & HappinessJune 14, 2014

Weekend Woman: Julia Forte from the London Gin Club

By Amanda

It’s World Gin Day today, hurrah! So we thought we’d put Julia Forte (born1965), founder of the London Gin Club up as one of our weekend women. Julia runs her delightful gin club from the Star At Night, a bar … Read More

Health & HappinessJune 14, 2014

Weekend Woman: Suzy Menkes

By Amanda

Suzy Menkes is a regal queen in our fashion world and one of the most respected fashion journalists working today. For 25 years she was style editor of the International New York Times, formally the International Herald Tribune. Now, at… Read More

Home & GardenJune 13, 2014

We love: organic edible flowers from Maddocks Farm

By Amanda

Middleagedad will only allow me to have one dinner party a year as he is not a fan of them. I think I might have put him off them right back when our sons were younger and we were busy… Read More

Novels & Biogs, We Are ReadingJune 13, 2014

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

By Amanda

Americanah manages to weave issues such as race, culture and immigration around a captivating love story spanning three continents. I’d avoided this book for far too long, mistakenly thinking it sounded much too depressing and heavy for the early-morning commute.… Read More

Art & CultureJune 11, 2014

Guest Blog: Julia Little reviews East London Art Tours

By Amanda

Today we are joined by guest blogger Julia Little who recently went on one of Hymie Dunn’s East London Art Tours and loved it, so we asked if she would review the tour for us here. Over to you Julia….… Read More

Things We LoveJune 11, 2014

A TWR readers special discount at The Secret Linen Store

By Amanda

If you are thinking about swapping your bedlinen to lighter summer-weight numbers, only to find those sheets and duvets looking less fabulous than you remember them, it might be time for some new purchases (particularly because of our special offer,… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJune 9, 2014

Designer watch: Sofie D’Hoore

By Amanda

I’ve got another girl crush, this time on the grown up Belgian designer Sofie D’Hoore. Sofie started her design company in 1992, previously she was a…dentist. That’s not a job-swap you write very often. But it does help you understand… Read More

Health & HappinessJune 7, 2014

Weekend Woman: Chrissie Hynde

By Amanda

We don’t normally blog at the weekend but I feel the need for a new visual post here on TWR to recognise some truly awesome older women doing great things. It’s hard enough to be a working women in this… Read More

Out & AboutJune 6, 2014

The New Craftsmen Gallery space, our kind of shop

By Amanda

You might remember my enthusiastic post on the pop up New Craftsmen Garage late last year, which I was a little late telling you about. Well I hope I’m the first to flag up the collective’s fabulous new space, in… Read More

Novels & Biogs, We Are ReadingJune 5, 2014

Love Story With Murders by Harry Bingham

By Amanda

This is a cracking read for anyone who likes an intelligent crime novel. The heroine is a wonderfully written mash up between Saga from The Bridge and Sarah Lancashire in the dismally grim but completely compelling Happy Valley. The story… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJune 5, 2014

At Last! The perfect T shirt from The White T-Shirt Co.

By Amanda

Penny Jones, the founder of the White T-Shirt Co made contact with us recently to let us know that she was in business again, having closed her company in 2010 because her organic yarn supplier closed and she was reluctant… Read More

Things We LoveJune 3, 2014

Oxo Good Grip electronics cleaning brush

By Amanda

If, like me, you have a laptop keyboard that is encrusted with baked on hand cream, unidentified sticky lumps and a general aged patina that might make the experts on the Antique Road Show look twice, you need one of… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJune 3, 2014

FitFlops, no longer a style free zone

By Amanda

So FitFlops, until recently I wouldn’t have thought to go near them, as I was under the impression they were a style free zone. I know, I know, friends have told me they are marvellously comfortable, brilliant for walking over… Read More

Art & CultureMay 31, 2014

See this: Phyllida Barlow at Hauser & Wirth Savile Row

By Amanda

Do you remember we posted recently on the wonderful artist Phyllida Barlow and her DOCK installation at Tate Britain? Well some of Phyllida’s drawings are on show at the Hauser & Wirth gallery on Savile Row, conveniently close to Regent… Read More

Novels & Biogs, We Are ReadingMay 30, 2014

Still Life with Breadcrumbs by Amy Quindlen

By Amanda

Still Life with Breadcrumbs will have you immersed from the first page and leave you wishing for a sequel at the last. It centres around the life of Rebecca Winter, a 60 year old photographer forced to up sticks to… Read More

Home & Garden, Out & AboutMay 30, 2014

The Cocktail Gardener talks plant powered cocktails with The Women’s Room

By Amanda

Cocktails mixed with flowers and gardening? Does that sound like the perfect combination in our quest to learn how to mix an interesting cocktail? The delightfully grown up Lottie Muir is the Cocktail Gardener and we caught five minutes of… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMay 28, 2014

Marks & Spencer, an update on AW14 and a few things to buy for summer

By Amanda

We know you -like us- have strong feelings on M&S, so just while the weather is a bit wintery (I was going to do a post on summer dresses but I’ll save that until I’m not sat here wrapped in… Read More

Fashion & Beauty, Home & GardenMay 26, 2014

Talking cashmere and moths with Angela Bell from Queene & Belle

By Amanda

I’ve all but given up buying cashmere due to moth issues here at the Barnes division of TWR, which is a shame because there are lovely sweaters around to tempt me, such as these delicious ones (below) from cashmere expert… Read More

Food, We Are ReadingMay 26, 2014

Top Bananas by Mumsnet

By Amanda

If you’d rather clean the toilet than think about another evening meal, but find the formidable list of ingredients in most cookbooks deters you from trying anything new, Mumsnet’s latest publication might be just what you’ve been looking for. The… Read More

Home & GardenMay 22, 2014

Messing about with flowers at Designers Guild with Thoughtful Flowers

By Amanda

I met two very stylish women at the Designer’s Guild store in The King’s Road this week, founder Tricia Guild (left above) and Juliet Glaves (right) of Thoughtful Flowers. Both are brilliant with colour and form and as a sort… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMay 20, 2014

What Jo Fairley did next: The Perfume Society

By Amanda

When beauty guru Jo Fairley does something new, it’s worth checking it out. Jo, you may remember, was responsible for launching Green & Black and The Beauty Bible, as well as being an award winning beauty journalist. Now, together with… Read More

Things We LoveMay 20, 2014

Cicada Books Illustrated Journals

By Amanda

We just love these cute and very stylish illustrated journal note books by Cicada Books, run by Ziggy Hanaor, which are perfect for stashing tips, recipes and notes on the subjects of Gardening, Cooking and Nature. I’ve got the… Read More

Art & CultureMay 16, 2014

Lund, in Sweden, my new favourite place.

By Amanda

Regular readers will know how keen we are on all things Scandinavian, from TV drama to interior style, we really do have a crush on the area. So it was not exactly hard to say yes to Gudrun’s Sjödén’s recent… Read More