Amanda | The Womens Room

Fashion & BeautySeptember 23, 2011

We love: Carrieles de Colombia

By Amanda

We were tipped off about these gorgeously textural bags Carrieles de Columbia by one of our readers. The Carrieles bag is an historical design dating back over 400 years, In folkloric Colombian tradition, an authentic Carriel should contain no less… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 21, 2011

London Fashion Week new names : Tim Soar Woman

By Amanda

Before the madness of Fashion Week, Jane and I popped along to meet the charming ( and rather dashing, we thought) Mr Soar in his CFE-sponsored studio space in Mare Street. Tim is well known for his great menswear tailoring… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 19, 2011

London Fashion Week new names: Felicity Brown

By Amanda

New names often struggle to get started in fashion, there are a million hurdles in the way and you have to negotiate them with no experience, fresh out of college. Nightmare. Which is why the Centre for Fashion Enterprise is… Read More

Out & AboutSeptember 17, 2011

PS We’re on the M&S blog…..

By Amanda

Check us out on the M&S Stories blog!….you didn’t know M&S had a blog? well it’s a little ‘below the radar’ currently as it’s only been up an running for a wee while and is still building up its content.… Read More

Art & CultureSeptember 17, 2011

London Design Festival: highlights from the V&A

By Amanda

As well as London Fashion Week, it’s also the London Design Festival starting on Monday, which is now in its ninth year and bigger than ever. There are some inspiring things to see, not least at the V&A Museum, which… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 15, 2011

The last ever +J collection at Uniqlo: here’s what we bought

By Amanda

So, the +J collection by Jil Sander for Uniqlo was launched last week, we shopped it while fighting back the tears and resisting the urge to buy EVERYTHING, because it was the last collection ever. Here’s what we thought and… Read More

Novels & Biogs, We Are ReadingSeptember 14, 2011

The Drowning Pool by Syd Moore

By Amanda

We met the smart and funny Syd Moore at a Semple’s Secret event where she showed us her Super Strumps. When she said she had a new book out we were keen to read it. She’s a proud Essex Girl… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 13, 2011

Mary Portas and Clarks -a chance to chat

By Amanda

Blimey, that Mary Portas works hard, last week she was launching Mary Portas at the House of Fraser, this week -Wednesday 15th at 6.30pm-she’s launching her shoe collection in the Clarks store in Oxford Street and would love you to… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 13, 2011

Head & Shoulders is 50!

By Amanda

As you know, we love a hair event here at TWR so when Head & Shoulders invited us to celebrate being 50 this year by practising a couple of ‘hair do’s’ with its creative beauty director Peter Lux (is that… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 10, 2011

Fashion’s Night Out: Clements Ribeiro scarf dresses

By Amanda

Yes, we went to Fashion’s Night Out, I might blog later on my views, but to be honest, they are a bit ‘grumpy old bag’ at the moment, lots of nicely dressed young things shopping…..where’s the story in that? So… Read More

Art & CultureSeptember 9, 2011

We love: Ladybookbird blog

By Amanda

Ladybookbird is a gem of a blog reviewing books for kids and teenagers. It’s written by mother and daughter team Maudie Powell-Tuck, who has a weekend job in one of West London’s best Children’s bookshops, and Dinah Hall, interiors journalist… Read More

Art, Culture & Craft, We Are ReadingSeptember 7, 2011

The Shirt off His Back by Juliet Bawden

By Amanda

A gorgeous craft book that tells you how to make cute stuff out of old shirts. I have a soft spot for this idea as I have been collecting both my sons and middleagedad’s shirts for many years to make… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 7, 2011

We love: John Lewis’s Fashion Pavilion (with Osman Yousefzada)

By Amanda

To celebrate High Street Fashion Week, John Lewis, the epicentre of Keep Calm and Carry On-ness, has spiced up its Oxford Street fashion floor with a stylishly creative Fashion Pavilion, in which is housed a limited edition collection from designer… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 6, 2011

Shopping with experts: Kurt Geiger’s Everything But The Dress

By Amanda

We are self confessed Kurt Geiger shoe fans here at TWR, so news that there was to be a handbag and accessory collection called Everything But The Dress got us in a right spin of anticipation. Better still, the brand… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 3, 2011

More nice clothes to look at: Wait & See in Milan

By Amanda

Yesterday’s post was all about stylish simplicity, today’s post is an inspirational photo session from the Milan boutique Wait & See, showing what you can do with colour and texture (we talked about Wait & See before here I received… Read More

Fashion & BeautySeptember 1, 2011

Mary Portas Armery: here’s what we thought

By Amanda

Last week the nice people at Charnos sent me a sample of the black lacy Mary Portas Armery to wear test. I wore them solidly for two days and showed them to as many over 40 year olds as I… Read More

Home & GardenAugust 30, 2011

Martha Moments: Patchwork quilts from old jumpers

By Amanda

While we are talking about sewing and craft (see posts below) I thought you might like to see how the quilt made from redundant shirts, felted up jumpers and old T shirts came out. I talked about how I intended… Read More

Things We LoveAugust 28, 2011

Moleskin iPhone notebook/cover

By Amanda

This will appeal to stationery and iPhone fans, a moleskin notepad cover -complete with small notebook -for your iPhone 3 (doesn’t work with the 4 version). When Jane and I caught up with fellow blogger Disneyrollergirl recently we were so… Read More

Art & CultureAugust 28, 2011

Mak Gilchrist’s Top Reggae Tunes for Notting Hill Carnival

By Amanda

You may remember we reported on Mak Gilchrist’s Edible Bus Stop recently. Mak also used to own her own reggae music label, Riz Records and not surprisingly, is a passionate expert on reggae. We asked her if she’d pick her… Read More

Fashion & BeautyAugust 26, 2011

Shopping with experts: Oasis Premium Denim range

By Amanda

OK, so stick with me on this one, but this is the post where I suggest you SERIOUSLY think about buying a pair of tight fit, leather-ish-look skinny jeans for autumn. Really. The jeans are part of the new Premium… Read More

Food, We Are ReadingAugust 25, 2011

The Vintage Tea Party Book by Angel Adoree

By Amanda

We haven’t read this, but suspect it is full of lovely ideas for the presentation and cooking of lovely looking tea parties. Amazon has pictures of inside the book and it looks very tempting…..… Read More

Art & CultureAugust 24, 2011

Shopping with experts: Slanchogled craft store

By Amanda

If you are in or around Camden -perhaps off to see the Ron Arad Curtain Call we talked about last week- make time to pop into the delightful new craft store Slanchogled, which is a little piece of heaven if… Read More

Fashion, We Are ReadingAugust 23, 2011

Harper’s Bazaar Greatest Hits by Glenda Bailey

By Amanda

One of many big fashion tomes coming out this autumn 2011 season, this covers the last ten years of US Harper’s Bazaar under the stewardship of the British editor Glenda Bailey. A fashion coffee table must-have for the next few… Read More

Fashion, We Are ReadingAugust 22, 2011

Scarves by Nicky Albrechtsen & Fola Solanke

By Amanda

A gorgeous book by Nicky Albrechtsen & Fola Solanke, illustrating some of the most iconic and beautiful scarves ever. One for the dressing table while you practise looking fabulous tying yours……We saw this on the Anthropologie website, but also available… Read More

Things We LoveAugust 22, 2011

Botanical Flower Scarf by Hobbs

By Amanda

A lovely print scarf to keep you ahead of the floral scarf trend for next spring. Practise tying with this Botanical Flower Scarf, by Hobbs, in pure silk at £49.00. And although it’s not really a floral we also… Read More

Fashion & BeautyAugust 22, 2011

We love a floral silk scarf

By Amanda

Last week I went to hear the fashion forecaster WGSN’s Spring Summer 2012 trends presentation at the Pure (and Pure Spirit) fashion trade show. Although next summer is too far ahead to write about yet (although buyers are busy putting… Read More

Things We LoveAugust 22, 2011

Botany Sketch Scarf, by Anthropologie

By Amanda

We love the Botany Sketch scarf by Anthropologie at £48. We told you about the Floral Scarf trend for next summer, well this one would be a perfect pitch worn with colour blocked separates or a plain coloured dress.… Read More

Art & CultureAugust 20, 2011

Something for the weekend: Ron Arad’s Curtain Call

By Amanda

If you have a couple of hours to spare this weekend and you live in or are visiting London, try and pop into the Roundhouse in Camden to see the Ron Arad Curtain Call art installation that features digital work… Read More

Home & GardenAugust 18, 2011

We love: The Catorialist

By Amanda

In our frequent talk of dogs on TWR we could be accused of ignoring the feline world, which we don’t want to do as both Jane and I own beautiful cats (Jane’s two colour co -ordinate with her decking and… Read More

Health & HappinessAugust 16, 2011

Breast Cancer Awareness month: heads-up for October

By Amanda

Avon’s cupcake set, available online or from your Avon rep from October 1st This is a post to put you on alert for Breast Cancer Awareness month in October….yes I know that’s a couple of weeks away, but you’ll be… Read More