Amanda | The Womens Room

Home & GardenMarch 3, 2012

Kate Hackett’s Mesmerise Me: celebrating International Women’s Day with a film

By Amanda

Mesmerize Me from Kate Hackett on Vimeo. We are starting our celebrations for International Women’s Day (8th March) early here at TWR with this lovely little independent film by Kate Hackett. We’ve never put a mini film up on the… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 1, 2012

Perfume review: Blood Concept and Romantina

By Amanda

I have been immersed in beauty trends for a couple of weeks as part of the day job and jolly interesting it was too. Naturally there was perfume involved and I enthusiastically stuck my nose into a multitude of new… Read More

Things We LoveMarch 1, 2012

We love: The Car Aromarizor

By Amanda

Well here’s a brilliant idea I wish I’d thought of, a high quality perfume dispenser that makes your car smell gorgeous, like an up market version of one of those green pine tree swingy things. The Car Aromarizor plugs into… Read More

Fashion, We Are ReadingFebruary 29, 2012

Blue Jeans: The Art of the Ordinary by Daniel Miller and Sophie Woodward

By Amanda

Middleagedad found this for me on the BBC website and I’ve just ordered it. It’s a book on both denim and people; why we love denim so much and what it says about us. It’s written by anthropologist Daniel Miller… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 28, 2012

We Love: Uniqlo and Laura Ashley

By Amanda

It’s not the same as the Jil Sander collaboration by a long shot, but Laura Ashley at Uniqlo is extremely pretty and is a nice floral at an affordable price. We’re having a bit of a floral moment here at… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 26, 2012

Time to buy your swimming costume (really…)

By Amanda

I know you are going to think I’m mad, but it’s time to think about your swimming costume for this year….well ok I might be a TAD early, but not by much. You know that when you really want to… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 24, 2012

The joy of shellac nails (and Ted Baker’s Beauty Spot)

By Amanda

It’s taken me a while to learn about shellac nails and now I’ve had my first shellac manicure, I’m wondering what I’m going to do with all my ordinary nail polishes, as clearly the only way forward is shellac. Lisa… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 22, 2012

We love: Tweeting gloves from Etre Touchy

By Amanda

My husband thinks he has lost a part of me to Twitter, whenever we go out together now he claims I ignore him in favour of my virtual friends…and he is right. I used to talk to him on train… Read More

Fashion, Health & Happiness, We Are ReadingFebruary 20, 2012

Branded Beauty by Mark Tungate

By Amanda

Recently I had to get up to ‘expert’ speed on the beauty industry as part of the day job. I found this newly released book by Mark Tungate really useful. I love to read Mark’s writing, he’s an old colleague… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 20, 2012

Twiggy turns designer for Marks & Spencer

By Amanda

So, you know how we feel about celebrity ‘designers‘. When M&S invited us along to meet Twiggy and see her new collection (launched 12th April on line) we were sceptical, expecting the usual famous face at the front of a… Read More

Art & CultureFebruary 18, 2012

See this: Waste Not by Song Dong

By Amanda

I am really excited that this Waste Not exhibition by Chinese Artist Song Dong has finally come to the UK. I’ve read lots about it because it’s been on a world tour for a couple of years and I keep… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 16, 2012

We Love: As Know As

By Amanda

This weekend I popped along to look at Scoop, a new trade exhibition for top end women’s clothing, as research for the day job. I spotted As Know As, a Japanese brand I was vaguely aware of from my trips… Read More

Home & GardenFebruary 14, 2012

Reader’s kitchens: Lee from Edinburgh

By Amanda

Who: Lee Randall Where: Edinburgh What do you do in your kitchen and who with? I live in an Edinburgh tenement flat on the South Side of town, and three of my four rooms overlook The Meadows — which is… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 12, 2012

We love: Levi’s Vintage and Made & Crafted (again)

By Amanda

I have been looking for a T shirt like this one from Levi’s Vintage range, bought in the Made & Crafted store, for ages, one with a vintage-y feel, with lingerie style trim details in cotton lace and made from… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 10, 2012

Charles Dickens 200th anniversary: a reason to paint your nails

By Amanda

This week I’ve been listening to a lot about Charles Dickens on Radio Four and the more I hear about him the less I like the man. He could write a great story but his behaviour towards his wife (he… Read More

Health & HappinessFebruary 9, 2012

MiddleagedSingle.com: And your time starts……NOW!

By Amanda

I have a DATE!! I know, how about that?! A date with a real man! The reason for this excitement – sorry about the row of exclamation marks, I don’t know of any other key that expresses written excitement, and… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 8, 2012

We Love: Poplin PJs and Nightshirts

By Amanda

A friend of ours, Lucy Archibald, has just started Poplin, a small company making beautiful (and bang on trend) pyjamas and night shirts out of gorgeous cottons and silks. Piped in contrast trimmings they all look highly covetable and there’s… Read More

Things We LoveFebruary 6, 2012

Fiona Paxton wrap bracelets

By Amanda

More potential Valentine treats, these lovely embroidered Fiona Paxton bracelets would just brighten the day living at the end of your arms, wouldn’t they? They’d add colour and texture to any outfit (essential for these grey months) as well as… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 6, 2012

Snow shoes (and a bit of taxidermy) from F-Troupe

By Amanda

If, like us, you woke to a snowy wonderland this weekend, you might like to know about the sale of stylish tweed and rubber galoshes still on at F-Troupe. I’m not really sure such a functional word as galoshes really… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 4, 2012

Vintage Fashion Guild, a gem of a site for vintage knowledge

By Amanda

We are indebted to TWR reader Dinah Hall, who told us about this absolute gem of a website for anyone interested in Vintage clothing or fashion history. The Vintage Fashion Forum is a site dedicated to helping both buyers and… Read More

Things We LoveFebruary 2, 2012

Red Roses Collection at Jo Malone London

By Amanda

Should anyone need any ideas for gifts on Valentine’s Day (or need to drop a few giant hints to partners) look no further than the lovely Red Rose Collection from Jo Malone London. To be honest, I’m happy with anything… Read More

Health & HappinessFebruary 2, 2012

Teenage acne and how to treat it, thanks to For The Young Dude

By Amanda

It’s ALL about beauty products this week on TWR. As we all keenly await Jane’s review on NanoBlur (or Nan Blur as we’ve renamed it) and Dream Nude Airfoam Foundation from Maybelline, I’ve been researching help on teenage acne, as… Read More

Art, Culture & Craft, We Are ReadingJanuary 31, 2012

I Love Stationery by Charlotte Rivers

By Amanda

You know how we feel about stationery. When this little tome arrived last week I downed tools immediately and read it cover to cover. Well, it’s mostly pictures so it was less taxing than it sounds. The NICE thing… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 31, 2012

Anita’s Vintage Fashion Fair – keeping warm with style

By Amanda

At Anita’s Vintage Fair in Notting Hill on Sunday, there was a distinctly chilly nip in the air and many of the vintage ladies were sporting layers to keep out the cold. Thick woollies and scarves were on show, with… Read More

Home & GardenJanuary 29, 2012

Railway shelving

By Amanda

I live close to a railway line in London, where about once a week -more in the summer- we get a Pullman coach steam train whistling through, billowing cotton wool clouds of steam and chuffing nostalgically. It’s thrilling to hear… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 27, 2012

Anthem in Shoreditch: a new store for Middleagedad

By Amanda

Alarmingly, on my last trip to our beloved East London, I realised middleagedad now has a better selection of clothes shops to visit than us girls do. Menswear independents such as Hostem, Present, Albam and Anthem are popping up everywhere… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 25, 2012

Tempting discount offers at Blitz Vintage and something for the weekend

By Amanda

Do you remember we reported on the great new vintage department store Blitz last autumn? Well the store is looking really lovely for spring, with lots of great ideas for working vintage buys into your wardrobe for the new season.… Read More

Fashion, We Are ReadingJanuary 24, 2012

Gay Men Don’t Get Fat by Simon Doonan

By Amanda

More quirky, life affirming ramblings from Mr Doonan, who has a habit of observing the best and worst of human behaviour (mostly happening in the fashion and media world he inhabits) and feeing it back to us in amusingly absurdist… Read More

Home & GardenJanuary 23, 2012

Starched and Crumpled (via Selvedge)

By Amanda

Still on the subject of vintage fabrics and mending (see previous posts) I found this lovely supplier of antique fabrics, clothing and haberdashery via the January issue of Selvedge magazine. Run by the well travelled Jennifer-Bristow Smith from her refurbished… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 21, 2012

Lloyd Johnson: The Modern Outfitter at Chelsea Space

By Amanda

Over in the Chelsea College of Art’s Chelse Space for the next five weeks is an exhibition of designs from menswear retail legend Lloyd Johnson, co founder of Johnson’s The Modern Outfitters. It’s hard to pick the most influential bit… Read More