Amanda | The Womens Room

Art & Culture, Out & AboutMay 11, 2017

London Craft Week: Date Alert for 2018

By Amanda

Did you go to London Craft Week last week? There were some wonderful events and inspiring workshops hosted by designers and retailers all over the capital. Over the last few years this spring celebration has seen craft elevated in status… Read More

Middle Aged MumMay 10, 2017

Middleagedmum.com: Mild Angst About What I Should Have Done…

By Amanda

Not buying (or distracting myself so much with) clothes for a year is having a strange affect on my thinking. As I do less clothes shopping and more of the other things I enjoy, I find myself thinking about what… Read More

Fashion & Beauty, Out & AboutMay 5, 2017

The Love-Child Shoe from Grenson and Persephone Books

By Amanda

As if to torture me on my year of buying nothing new, Grenson has collaborated with Persephone Books to create a delightful printed Derby that is the perfect smart summer shoe. Not only is it available in the softest of… Read More

Fashion & Beauty, Out & AboutApril 28, 2017

Swedish Style: Gudrun Sjödén and Josef Frank at The Fashion and Textile Museum

By Amanda

The lovely, all-inclusive Swedish designer Gudrun Sjödén has a small exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsay, which is well worth popping into. Regular readers may remember my fabulous trip to Gudrun’s 40 years of Fashion exhibition in… Read More

Fashion & BeautyApril 26, 2017

The Best Of Spring Beauty: TWR Tried-&-Tested Roundup

By Amanda

I know I’ve been paying less attention to fashion over the last few months, but really, it’s ALL about beauty currently as far as retail is concerned. As I write this, retail figures have had their biggest fall for seven… Read More

Things We LoveApril 25, 2017

Scented Pencils From Caran D’Ache and Mizensir

By Amanda

Attention stationery geeks, it’s National Stationery Week! A good excuse to treat yourself to a new note book or set of coloured pens or possibly you might want to indulge in some scented pencils, like these lovely limited edition ones… Read More

Things We LoveApril 23, 2017

Sliders To Strive For

By Amanda

I’m touching wood heavily as I write this next bit of the next sentence, but I’ve never suffered from back problems. I think it’s because I do yoga and haven’t worn heels for ages, but I’m not foolish enough to… Read More

Fashion & BeautyApril 20, 2017

The Women’s Room Guide to Swishing*

By Amanda

*Swishing. It’s a dreadful word that sounds like it’s a vaguely dodgy practice indulged in by bored married couples but in fact was invented to make an evening where you swap clothes sound more exciting. You may all know this,… Read More

Food, We Are ReadingApril 20, 2017

London, The Cook Book by Cara Frost-Sharratt

By Amanda

Since we all now have enough cookery books to last a couple of lifetimes (it’s not just me, of that I’m sure) publishers are coming up with new hybrids of the form to keep us buying. So we have London,… Read More

Home & GardenApril 17, 2017

We’re On Our Easter Break! Back Next Week.

By Amanda

We are on our Easter Break this week, ripping up patterned lino in Margate and planting sweet peas in Barnes. or something like that. We’re back next week. Meanwhile, if you feel you’ve missed a TWR feature or two, you… Read More

Things We LoveApril 15, 2017

A Fabulous Lipstick For All From Lipstick Queen

By Amanda

Listen up, womenfolk! I’ve learned about a terrific new lipstick from the Lipstick Queen that works for anyone. The weirdly green coloured Frog Prince is a shea-butter and vitamin E stuffed lipstick that once applied, amplifies your own lip colour… Read More

Fashion & BeautyApril 14, 2017

Style My Wardrobe With Tamara Fulton

By Amanda

I’ve never worked with a stylist or personal shopper. Having worked in fashion most of my life, I’ve always trusted my own instincts and been comfortable with my own style, although I have often wondered what someone else might ‘do’… Read More

Fashion & BeautyApril 10, 2017

Our Modern Lives: An Accurate Way To Talk About Fragrance

By Amanda

As regular readers will know, I took a left turn into the world of fragrance not long ago to write We Wear Perfume and specialise in fragrance trends (yes, there is such a thing) as well as fashion. One of… Read More

Things We LoveApril 6, 2017

Tadine, from Les Belles Matieres Collection by Cire Trudon

By Amanda

Of all the candles I have inhaled over the last twelve months – and believe me, there’s been a LOT of inhaling – I’m always looking for someone to out-do my very favourite candle maker of all time, Cire Trudon.… Read More

Health & HappinessApril 5, 2017

Move Over Mindfullness, It’s All About The Sound Bath

By Amanda

For those of you still wondering if you should download the mindfulness app to keep up to the minute on all things holistic, stop right there. Things have moved on and it’s now all about the Sound Bath. Last week… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 31, 2017

Temptation At Teatime From Joseph

By Amanda

So, here we are, last day on month three of No New (quarter way through!) and I am feeling quite smug on buying nothing. Well, mostly. There have been temptations. I’ve been to a number of fragrance and fashion appointments… Read More

Fashion & Beauty, Out & AboutMarch 27, 2017

A New Beauty Destination For Middleagedad: Beast

By Amanda

Men’s grooming, as you will all know by now, has changed beyond all recognition over the last decade. Blame it on the metrosexual (a word I hardly ever hear nowadays) of the mid 2000s, since their emergence, men are taking… Read More

Middle Aged MumMarch 22, 2017

Middleagemum.com: Mother’s Day In Limbo

By Amanda

It’s Mother’s Day in the UK on Sunday and our inbox has been full all week with PR emails suggesting things mothers might like to receive…From Sea Ferns in frames to Beef Wellington (which still needs cooking), there are some… Read More

Things We LoveMarch 17, 2017

Couture Jams from Confiture Parisienne

By Amanda

I read this week that marmalade – which I love- is in decline, mostly because it’s only being bought by older people. In a recent research project, it was discovered that six out of ten marmalade buyers are over 65.… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 16, 2017

Older Models Looking Awesome With Lonely Lingerie

By Amanda

Older models are happening again, there were some great examples on the catwalks (Dries Van Noten was our favourite) and I was really thrilled to see older models featured in a lingerie campaign this week. The gorgeous Mercy Brewer, seen… Read More

Out & AboutMarch 13, 2017

Flower Making at VV Rouleaux

By Amanda

The world has gone mad for events and workshops, everywhere you look someone is encouraging you to sign up to learn about this or make that. It’s all about ‘experience’ now, not just shopping or product. Which, frankly, couldn’t have… Read More

Health & HappinessMarch 8, 2017

Modern Women, 52 Pioneers by Kira Cochrane, a good read for International Women’s Day

By Amanda

It’s International Women’s Day today, March 8th, and in case you’re feeling -like us- that it doesn’t seem like we have much to cheer about at the moment, can we recommend an excellent and uplifting new book to strengthen our… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 3, 2017

Seeking Style Inspiration: Spring Dressing When Not Buying

By Amanda

I am having to avoid magazines and shops. Only two months in to my year of buying Nothing New and I’m starting to struggle. New collections are springing up in store windows and magazines are full of fabulous tailoring and… Read More

Art & CultureFebruary 27, 2017

Kids Author Liz Pichon On Enjoying Success Later In Life

By Amanda

I knew I was going love children’s book author and illustrator Liz Pichon when I found out her favourite kids TV programmes had been The Double Deckers and The Banana Splits. They were mine too. She also loved Vision On,… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 24, 2017

Sharon McGlinchey from MV Organic Skincare comes to London

By Amanda

Just a heads up here for anyone interested in beauty facials…You may remember me enthusing over the lovely Sharon McGlinchey and her holistic facials last year. Sharon is based in Australia and whizzes around the globe doing mostly private clients.… Read More

Art, Culture & Craft, Home & Garden, We Are ReadingFebruary 23, 2017

Studio, Creative Spaces For Creative People by Sally Coulthard

By Amanda

Other people’s work spaces, just like other people’s houses, are endlessly fascinating to me. And when the work space is a creative one, such as a studio or workroom, it’s even more exciting; as well as looking at lots of… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 22, 2017

Confidence Building Make Up with Beautii

By Amanda

So, I’m nearing the end of month two on my Nothing New year and I’m discovering a lot about my old See-Now-Buy-Now behaviour. Firstly, I’ve had to curtail those ‘I’ve got ten minutes to spare so lets pop into COS… Read More

Things We LoveFebruary 21, 2017

FRUU, A Millennial and Vegan Friendly Lip Balm

By Amanda

FRUU is a good new lip balm from an indie cosmetic company which aims to provide good quality, organic and sustainable products at a price well below the fancy stuff that’s out there. I’ve been using the Mango Lip Balm… Read More

Home & Garden, Out & AboutFebruary 17, 2017

Gardening Magazines, Dig Delve, Burberry and Henry Moore

By Amanda

Gardening Magazine round-up January and February are the ‘months of hope’ for gardeners, we spend all our time reading seed catalogues, bookmarked web pages on fancy new perennials and imagining that THIS YEAR will be the one where not one… Read More

Art & Culture, Out & AboutFebruary 13, 2017

Vanessa Bell and Patti Smith at Dulwich Picture Gallery

By Amanda

Attention Bloomsbury fans, there is a really wonderful exhibition of over 100 of Vanessa Bell’s paintings, photographs and designs at the Dulwich Picture Gallery currently, which must not be missed. It is Vanessa Bell’s first ever solo exhibition, and it… Read More