The Women's Room | Daily Life and Style Inspiration

Fashion & BeautyMay 31, 2013

Iris and Duro at the zoo

By Jane

A little contemplation for a Friday, with our favourite 90 year old Iris Apfel and British designer Duro Olowu, as they took a stroll through London Zoo. “She and her husband Carl are like my second parents,” says Olowu. See… Read More

Home & GardenMay 30, 2013

Washed linen bedlinen, the one time wrinkles are chic

By Amanda

I need to buy some new bed linen for my household (you might remember there are four men and me) which is always a challenge if I’m to keep everyone happy. It was fine when all three sons had Thomas… Read More

UncategorizedMay 29, 2013

Middleagedmum.com: holidays with teenagers

By Jane

After a month of exams (youngest teen) and a hectic spell at work for both MAD and me, we recently decided we had earned some serious R & R. Oldest teen finished his foundation course weeks ago, but nonetheless decided… Read More

Food, We Are ReadingMay 28, 2013

Cake Design: 50 Fabulous Cakes by Cressida Bell

By Amanda

How much do I want this book? I saw it in the Saturday Telegraph magazine and there are a few more images on our Instagram page. The author Cressida Bell comes from a creative family, her great aunt was Virginia… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMay 28, 2013

Style Icon: Alexandra and Pippa Small

By Amanda

I was taken to Chelsea Flower Show last week by the lovely team from Gudrun Sjõdén and we had a fabulous time. While there I was introduced to the sisters Pippa and Alexandra Small. Pippa as you may all know,… Read More

Home & GardenMay 27, 2013

More Mid Century influenced style from Bark

By Jane

Bark is a British furniture company run by husband and wife team, Jonathan Walter and Lakshmi Bhaskaran, both of whom are trained bespoke cabinetmakers with a passion for modern design. Having developed their craft creating one-off pieces for individual clients,… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMay 25, 2013

Something for the weekend: Hermes Festival des Metiers

By Amanda

If you chance this weekend, catch the last day of the Hermès Festival des Métiers at the Saatchi Gallery in the Kings Road London. It’s on until the 27th May and lets you glimpse into the ateliers of Hermès by… Read More

Health & HappinessMay 25, 2013

Boots Make It Happen on Pinterest

By Amanda

Well the #bootsmakeithappen twitter party was fun. Did you follow it? I learnt a large amount about keeping healthy and AT LAST found out what almond milk is (chopped almonds soaked in water, then drained. Don’t buy the processed stuff-… Read More

Things We LoveMay 24, 2013

Perfume Review: Peony & Blush Suede

By Amanda

Jo Malone has a new perfume out in September, Peony & Blush Suede and last week we went along to the launch, to be WOWed by the floral installations by East London based floral artist Rebecca Louise Law. Using 10,000… Read More

Home & GardenMay 24, 2013

How to tie a bunch of flowers with That Flower Shop and Ally Capellino

By Amanda

As part of Chelsea Fringe Ally Capellino and That Flower Shop got together to offer a flower workshop for some of their customers and we were invited along. I am rubbish at arranging flowers, I stick to putting all of… Read More

Home & GardenMay 23, 2013

Fantasy Modernist homes

By Jane

As a huge Mad Men fan and lover of Modernist interiors, The Modern House has long been one of my favourite property websites. Sadly most of the houses are beyond my wildest dreams, but it doesn’t stop me from fantasising… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMay 22, 2013

Red Cross Vintage moves to Buckingham Palace Road

By Amanda

A quick mention for our friends over at the Red Cross vintage store in Victoria, who have moved around the corner from the old Ebury Street site to a magnificently sized new store on Buckingham Palace Road. You may remember… Read More

Things We LoveMay 22, 2013

Light As Air bra from M&S

By Amanda

It’s nearly a year since Soozie Jenkinson, head of lingerie design at M&S showed me the Light As Air Bra at a press day and explained it was worth my attention. Whatever other issues it has, M&S is pretty good… Read More

Out & AboutMay 22, 2013

Chelsea in Bloom: Our winning windows

By Amanda

Hard to believe it’s been a year since we did the last Chelsea in Bloom windows, with all that Jubilee fever. This year (most) of the retailers who’ve entered the competition have done less showy, more considered windows that I… Read More

Home & GardenMay 21, 2013

The Chelsea Fringe

By Jane

The wonderful Chelsea Flower Show starts today and if you didn’t manage to get tickets, or find it all a little bit ‘shampoo and set from the Home Counties.’ it might be worth checking out the Chelsea Fringe, which takes… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMay 20, 2013

Royal Apothic launches at Anthropologie Kings Road

By Amanda

Just launched at Anthropologie in the Kings Road is Royal Apothic, a Los Angeles/London based perfume and beauty brand founded by the effervescent Sean O’Mara and it’s rather lovely. Finding a well priced perfume that is a quality smell and… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMay 20, 2013

More perfume for teenage boys (and girls) from Gorilla Perfume

By Amanda

This post is a follow on from the perfume for Teenage Boys post I did recently and it’s also for our reader Tiffany, who mentioned she had a teenage skater boy to buy for and did we have any ideas?… Read More

Health & HappinessMay 18, 2013

Thought for the weekend from Anna Ford

By Amanda

“Women of age often (but not always) have wisdom, beauty, tolerance and humour, intelligence, experience, empathy, understanding, are highly qualified and show boundless energy. Even more importantly, they bring another point of view. So why aren’t they being chosen when… Read More

Home & GardenMay 17, 2013

Wooden chopping boards

By Jane

I have been searching for the perfect wooden shopping board, since my first visit to Story Deli. Their super thin pizzas are not only delicious, they are beautifully displayed on wooden boards. Having moved a couple of times since they… Read More

Things We LoveMay 16, 2013

Filofax Original, my retro stationery crush

By Amanda

Do you remember your first Filofax?….They were the must-have accessory in the 80s, along with giant shoulder pads, double breasted brightly coloured jackets and big earrings. No working girl was seen without hers, our whole world of addresses, phone numbers… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMay 16, 2013

Five things to buy at &Other Stories

By Amanda

For anyone whose been living under a rock for the last couple of months, & Other Stories is the big new brand launch from the H&M portfolio, we mentioned it here. Now the opening excitement has passed and we’ve had… Read More

Fashion, We Are ReadingMay 16, 2013

Be Awesome, Modern Life for Modern Ladies by Hadley Freeman

By Amanda

REALLY looking forward to reading this. We love Hadley and it’s bound to be well written, so enough said. Anyone read it yet? Let us know what you think Be Awesome by Hadley Freeman… Read More

Out & AboutMay 15, 2013

Stoke Newington Literary Festival

By Jane

If you haven’t already realised, Stoke Newington is really the only place to live in London. A vibrant, creative community on the edges of Islington and Dalston in the borough of Hackney, it’s like living in a village in the… Read More

Things We LoveMay 14, 2013

J Crew statement trews

By Jane

Embroidered neon floral trousers in shocking pink (although they look orange to me (but what do I know, I’m just a colour consultant) or neon lemon. What’s not to love? LOVE them, but they are £256.79 (Top Shop will probably… Read More

Food, We Are ReadingMay 14, 2013

Modern Art Desserts by Caitlin Williams Freeman

By Jane

There’s nothing like a bit of cakespiration for a Monday morning. I love this video about pastry chef pastry chef Caitlin Williams Freeman and the work she is doing at The Blue Bottom Cafe, at San Francisco’s Museum of Modern… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMay 14, 2013

Five things to buy at Jaeger’s Boutique Gallery

By Amanda

Last week the weather got warm enough for me to think about spring clothes and this sartorial urge gave me an excuse to visit the new Boutique Gallery space at the Jaeger store in Regent Street. I’d read about this… Read More

Home & GardenMay 12, 2013

Modern Art Desserts

By Jane

There’s nothing like a bit of cakespiration for a Monday morning. I love this video about pastry chef pastry chef Caitlin Williams Freeman and the work she is doing at The Blue Bottom Cafe, at San Francisco’s Museum of Modern… Read More

Art & Culture, Fashion & BeautyMay 10, 2013

Punk: Chaos to Couture

By Jane

I have to admit to spending a lot of time on Tuesday on the SCOS (more than the usual couple of hours? – I hear you ask), as I simply couldn’t stop trawling though the endless images of celebrity after… Read More

Things We LoveMay 9, 2013

Cabbages & Roses at Uniqlo

By Amanda

Cabbages & Roses is one of our favourite small brands, founder Christine Strutt’s clothes carve their own charming, trend-free route that has garnered her a devoted following of customers. We’re thrilled that she’s got a Uniqlo range and her lovely… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMay 9, 2013

Grown up ways to sell, from Harvey Nichols

By Amanda

As we all buy more online, retailers are working hard to try and figure out how to tempt us back into their stores. The up-side of this is that our demographic (being a bit better off than the student-debt ridden… Read More