Amanda | The Womens Room

Art & CultureOctober 3, 2012

Madame Gres, Sculptural Fashion at Momu, Antwerp

By Amanda

For those of you who wont have the time to get to Antwerp before February 2013, we’re going to take you around the excellent exhibition Madame Grès, Sculptural Fashion at MoMu, the city’s fashion museum. The show was in Paris… Read More

Art, Culture & Craft, We Are ReadingOctober 3, 2012

Remake It: clothes, by Henrietta Thompson illustrations by Neal Whittington

By Amanda

This is a useful book for any budding sewer keen on recycling thrift shop finds or researching designers who put sustainability at the centre of the design process. Full of ‘how to’ diagrams such as how to convert old jeans… Read More

Out & AboutOctober 1, 2012

TWR potted guide to Antwerp part two: where to buy the bargains

By Amanda

Last week I was in Antwerp and of course took our Antwerp guide with me. Do go if you get a chance, it’s easy to get to with the Eurostar and our tickets cost £90 return, which is not far… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 29, 2012

To maximise or minimise? Discussing bra dilemas for grown ups with M&S

By Amanda

Regular readers will remember we are doing a couple of blog posts for the excellent M&S Stories, to delve into some of the issues you all raised on our blog back here. This week we talked to the very excellent… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 27, 2012

Perfume review: Mad Madame. Plus, marketing people-please see us!

By Amanda

The new perfume from Juliette Has A Gun is called Mad Madame, it is a punchy, loud and sexy smell that definitely will get you noticed. Ii is officially a green chypre which has gusts of rose, patchouli, blackcurrant and… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 25, 2012

Wearing a cape: the dos and don’ts

By Amanda

I met a very beautiful cape recently from Ted Baker. It is cheerful mustard yellow, with glorious floral satin lining and some very neat details like trench-coat seams on the back and pockets. Capes are everywhere this winter, they’ve moved… Read More

Health & HappinessSeptember 23, 2012

Gadgets for teeth from Philips

By Amanda

OK, so a post about dental care doesn’t sound like the most fun we’ve ever had together, but stick with me on this one, it is really quite interesting. Anyone who has tried to teach reluctant children how to clean… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 21, 2012

Buy this: Lyn Harris for Marks & Spencer

By Amanda

Heads up people, we have some useful information for those of you thinking about Christmas presents (you know who you are…). Recently, we were hob-nobbing with some well connected ladies at M&S, who mentioned that Lyn Harris, founder of the… Read More

Health & HappinessSeptember 19, 2012

We love: My Friend Maia

By Amanda

My friend Maia from julia warr on Vimeo. We are indebted to TWR reader Lindsey, who sent us the link to this lovely short film, shot by Julia Warr about her friend, the ex Russian ballet dancer Maia and her… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 17, 2012

Wearing winter white: Hammersmith Vintage fair

By Amanda

Last Sunday at Hammersmith Vintage fair there was an air of ‘returning to school’ (in a good way) about the place, as there hadn’t been a fair since the beginning of the summer. It was gloriously sunny outside and it… Read More

Out & AboutSeptember 15, 2012

Go see this: Pre-Raphaelites, Victorian Avant-Garde

By Amanda

For me, this exhibition on the Pre-Raphaelites is the BEST thing to go and see this autumn. It’s because I love the style, but it’s a great collection of paintings and if you are a fashion girl I do feel… Read More

Fashion, We Are ReadingSeptember 13, 2012

Le Snob: Perfume, by Dariush Alavi

By Amanda

This is an elegant little book and very useful too for anyone interested in perfume. I’ve read a lot around the subject since starting the blog (nearly four years ago btw! It’s our birthday soon) but it’s hard to find… Read More

Out & AboutSeptember 13, 2012

A walk with The Women’s Room and Instagram

By Amanda

Walking is something we love to do here at TWR, you could call it our preferred way to get about London, as it allows you to see so much more of everything, so when Bupa asked us to get involved… Read More

Things We LoveSeptember 12, 2012

Perfume review: Paper Passion by Wallpaper and Steidl

By Amanda

Middleagedad gave me this as a present this week, he thought it was a natural fit with me, being a perfume about paper, sold in a book. It’s a collaborative effort between Karl Lagerfeld (does that man ever sleep?) the… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 11, 2012

Aerin from Estee Lauder, a masterclass in brand launching

By Amanda

So at last we get to try the Aerin cosmetic range from Aerin Lauder, which launched in the UK last Monday. This product launch has been a total masterclass in how to use online media such as Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter… Read More

Things We LoveSeptember 9, 2012

Candles from Fox & Crow

By Amanda

I had slightly abandoned scented candles due to the efficiency and all round marvellousness of those reed defuser things, but I couldn’t resist these really lovely smelling ones from Fox & Crow. They have names like Garden Raindrops and Lavender… Read More

Art & CultureSeptember 9, 2012

We love: Sara Cwynar’s still life photos

By Amanda

I stumbled upon these gorgeous images by Canadian photographer Sara Cwynar while researching product merchandising. I was looking into how Pinterest might change the way we look at stuff we buy in shops and how we all might prefer ‘discovery… Read More

Art & Culture, Fashion & BeautySeptember 7, 2012

Dressing like a Pre Raphaelite

By Amanda

Tate Britain made our (well my) week last week by inviting us to the opening of the Pre Raphealite exhibition. it opens on September 12th, but we will be there on Monday so will tweet and Instagram our views for… Read More

Things We LoveSeptember 5, 2012

Olafur Eliasson’s Sun Torch

By Amanda

We’re a bit in love with Olafur Eliasson because he does such amazing and colourful art projects around the world that are both upliftingly, cheerfully colourful and extremely clever at the same time. At Tate Modern currently is his Little… Read More

Out & AboutSeptember 5, 2012

See this (sharpish): Suzanne Lacy at Tate Modern Tanks

By Amanda

Wonderful things have been happening at Tate Modern which we have been a bit slow in reporting on. The Tanks have opened, a space dedicated to performance art, but ONLY until the end of October, as the whole space is… Read More

Novels & Biogs, We Are ReadingSeptember 3, 2012

Valentine Grey by Sandi Toksvig

By Amanda

I get really cross if The News Quiz, chaired by Sandi Toksvig is not on Radio 4 on Friday evenings. When it IS on it really makes my weekend (know I need to get out more) as Toksvig is brilliantly… Read More

Out & AboutSeptember 3, 2012

Garden inspiration: Chelsea Physic Garden

By Amanda

For anyone who doesn’t know it, Chelsea Physic Garden is a real ‘secret garden’ tucked away behind a giant old wall in a backwater of Chelsea, squished in between the imposing can-only-afford-if-you-are-a-banker-or-rock-star properties. It is the oldest botanic garden in… Read More

Things We LoveSeptember 3, 2012

Perfume review: Orangers en Fleurs

By Amanda

Attention perfume people, Orangers en Fleurs is a really lovely new smell from Houbigant, a perfume house that hasn’t really produced a new scent for aeons, despite being one of the oldest perfume establishments in the world and inventing the… Read More

Out & AboutSeptember 1, 2012

The Women’s Room: elsewhere on other blogs

By Amanda

While we were away on our holidays we popped up as guest bloggers/interviewees on M&S Stories and Running In Heels, so just incase you missed them, we’re putting in links to them here. Yes, you did read that right, after… Read More

Fashion & BeautyAugust 30, 2012

Buy this: Whistles Limited Edition

By Amanda

Good clothes ranges are becoming like Olympic gold medalists, wait for years for one to love then loads turn up in a fortnight. Yesterday it was J Crew (please hurry up with that London shop opening Mr Drexler) and today… Read More

Fashion & BeautyAugust 28, 2012

New fashion love: Rufus blogs

By Amanda

I have a new guilty pleasure to add to listening to The Carpenters and reading Suri’s Burn Book daily, it’s Rufus, a sweetly illustrated fashion boy who is very well connected, writes poetic rhyming views on life and gets himself… Read More

Things We LoveAugust 26, 2012

Blackberry & Bay by Jo Malone

By Amanda

You may remember we mentioned this lovely new cologne from Jo Malone London back here, when we were invited along to the launch. Well it’s on the shelves and on line at the beginning of September, so you might want… Read More

Fashion & BeautyAugust 26, 2012

Jewellery lust: Bill Skinner

By Amanda

The jeweller Bill Skinner has spent a lifetime making jewels for other designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Butler & Wilson and this summer launched his first own-label collection of sculptural designs. Jewellery is very personal and it’s hard to… Read More

Fashion & BeautyAugust 24, 2012

Street shot style: the fashion ladies of Pure London

By Amanda

While at the fashion trade show Pure London for our panel discussion this week, we couldn’t resist taking a few style shots of some of the independent buyers and brand designers/sellers busy negotiating Spring Summer 2013. It was a mini… Read More

Fashion, We Are ReadingAugust 22, 2012

High Street by J.M Richards and Eric Ravilious

By Amanda

One for retailers and those who love shop history, this lovely little book from the V&A archives was first published in 1938, with the original illustration plates by Eric Ravilious disappearing in a fire during the London Blitz. This version… Read More