The Women's Room | Daily Life and Style Inspiration

Art, Culture & Craft, We Are ReadingMarch 19, 2013

Conflict and Costume: The Herero Tribes of Namibia by Jim Naughten

By Amanda

How much do we love this beautiful book? Glorious images by Jim Naughten that capture the costumes worn by the Herero tribe in Nambia. The women wear patchwork clothes brightly jumbled together and top the whole look off with cow-horn… Read More

Things We LoveMarch 19, 2013

Neom Luxury Organics reed diffuser

By Amanda

I am now totally hooked on reed diffusers, it’s all over with scented candles for me…specially when they smell as good as the Neom Luxury Organics ones. I have been testing the new Sumptuous fragrance this week, one of four… Read More

Art & CultureMarch 18, 2013

Watch these: Nashville and Parks and Recreation

By Jane

Remember the days when everyone used to sit round the TV to watch the same programme and then went to work the next day ready to discuss in great detail. You really felt like you’d missed out if you hadn’t… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 18, 2013

Style Icon: Sairey Stemp from Cosmopolitan magazine

By Amanda

This is the always immaculately dressed Sairey Stemp, stylish fashion editor of Cosmopolitan magazine and someone I have been known to stalk at press days just to get a closer look at what she’s wearing. We were properly introduced recently… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 17, 2013

Yet another reason why I love Lena Dunham

By Jane

It was only a matter of time before Lena Dunham made a fashion film and it makes sense that she would work with designer Rachel Antonoff , as she is dating the designer’s brother.. Shot in a Wes Anderson-esque style,… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 16, 2013

Style Icon: Nichollette Yardley-Moore

By Amanda

After yesterday’s post on embracing the beauty in ageing, it seems an appropriate moment to mention the fabulous Nichollette Yardley Moore. I have the BIGGEST case of hair envy over the curly white-grey locks of Nichollette, Liberty department store’s accessory… Read More

Fashion & Beauty, Health & HappinessMarch 15, 2013

Real beauty isn’t re-touched and ageing isn’t SO bad

By Jane

In the trends world we have been talking a lot recently about real beauty and the notion of celebrating imperfection. The idea of what is beautiful in cosmetic terms has been re-defined dramatically over the last twenty years and in… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 14, 2013

Ada Rose and Betty & Walter, from Lisa Levis

By Amanda

You may remember we wrote about Lisa Levis’s sweet beauty range Betty & Walter for Boots back here, when we were pleased to see her back on her feet after a bruising business-time (she lost the use of her own… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 13, 2013

VisaPure and your single most important skin care cream

By Jane

There are many good things about having a daughter, not least is their ability to keep you on your toes when it comes to fashion and beauty. I like to think of myself as up there with the latest trends,… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 12, 2013

Winser London and a quick chat to Kim Winser

By Amanda

With the launch of Winser London, I am starting to think there is hope for grown up women who want decent, stylish, well made modern clothes to wear. The on-line only collection launched last month and on web-images alone I… Read More

Things We LoveMarch 12, 2013

Perfume Review: Dries Van Noten by Frederic Malle

By Amanda

Since I’m a die-hard Dries Van Noten girl, the news that the great man was working with Frederic Malle to create Dries’s first perfume left me giddy with olfactory excitement. I’d bought it before even smelling it, practically. So…..i dashed… Read More

Art & Culture, Fashion & BeautyMarch 11, 2013

Fashion and film: Mat Maitland and Quentin Jones

By Jane

More and more fashion brands are using film as a way to promote their collections, meaning a new breed of talented film makers is emerging who mix traditional techniques with technology to create some really interesting work. Kenzo is going… Read More

Things We LoveMarch 10, 2013

The best tea towels, from Leila’s

By Amanda

One doesn’t often get the chance to wax lyrical about tea towels, but I am obsessed with these ones from the much lauded Leila’s grocery shop in Shoreditch. Leila’s is a real destination store and cafe and Leila McAlister herself… Read More

Home & GardenMarch 10, 2013

The Women’s Room Meets: Alys Fowler

By Amanda

We were thrilled to be asked to the Gudrun Sjoden’s International Women’s Day celebration at the Covent Garden store on Friday, and to meet my favourite gardening columnist Alys Fowler, who writes for the Guardian’s weekend magazine, along with other… Read More

Middle Aged MumMarch 9, 2013

Middleagedmum.com: How to stay young

By Jane

My gay best friend is something of a legend in the world of British high street design. Impeccably dressed in head to toe Prada, a dab hand at designing OTT occasion-wear and well known for his love of a party,… Read More

Art & CultureMarch 8, 2013

Women of the World Festival: The Women’s Room work-in-progress list

By Amanda

To celebrate the Southbank’s WOW -Women Of The World Festival 2013, happening all weekend at the Southbank and of course International Women’s Day, I have put together a list of women we’ve come across who have inspired Jane and I… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 7, 2013

“Fashion isn’t art” says Peter Jensen

By Jane

Wakefield isn’t the first location you would think of to launch a fashion collection, but hearing that designer Peter Jensen used artist Barbara Hepworth as the inspiration for his Spring Summer 13 collection, The Hepworth Wakefiled seems the perfect place… Read More

Things We LoveMarch 7, 2013

Seascape Island Apothecary

By Amanda

If you need inspiration for a last minute Mother’s Day present, you could do well to look at this lovely, Jersey inspired range of natural-based beauty and skin products from Seascape Island Apothecary. Jane and I were treated to a… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 6, 2013

The perfect March dress

By Amanda

I have found the perfect dress to wear in March, well actually I think it could be a perfect anytime dress, but it will certainly work for that strange mid-season weather-world where you want to wear something more spring like… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 5, 2013

Think Pink

By Jane

One of my favourite colours from the recent Autumn/Winter catwalk shows was pink. I’ve always loved pink, ever since I was told at a very young age by my mum that I couldn’t possible wear it because of my very… Read More

Things We LoveMarch 5, 2013

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine

By Jane

As you know, I love a bright coloured lipstick and simply can’t understand why some people feel they can’t wear them! Doesn’t everyone feel more energised, brighter and a little bit daring wearing bright red or pink lipstick? It seems… Read More

Fashion, We Are ReadingMarch 4, 2013

Empress of Fashion by Amanda MacKenzie Stuart

By Amanda

If you’ve been following TWR’s adoration of Fashion Guru Diane Vreeland ( there was the accessory range, the film and then another book) you’ll be interested to know there’s a new book out, written by Amanda MacKenzie Stuart. I haven’t… Read More

Health & HappinessMarch 4, 2013

The one where I got to work with Gok Wan (on Activia’s Feel Good Pledge)

By Amanda

When we got the invitation to work with Gok Wan on a campaign for Activia, we did wonder if the organising company had seen our tweets on what we thought of his styling (well Jane’s actually, I’d never even SEEN… Read More

Art & CultureMarch 3, 2013

Feminism in Fashion: is it possible?

By Jane

As you know, the subjects of fashion and feminism are favourite subjects of ours, so when we learned of the recent Feminism in Fashion talk at the Victoria & Albert museum, we asked consumer trend analyst, creator of the blog… Read More

Art & CultureMarch 2, 2013

Something for Mothers Day? Tiny Furniture

By Jane

Girls is officially my absoloute favourite TV programme at the moment, I’ll be absoloutely bereft when it ends and I’m more than a little obsessed with Lena Dunham, in a totally inaproptriate way for a woman of my age. Lena… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 1, 2013

How to wear a beanie when you are a grown up

By Amanda

Last week I went to New York, where it was even colder than it has been in London for the whole of 2013. It was BITTER and even though I was wrapped up in layers of Uniqlo Heattech and down… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 28, 2013

Flush-fashion: clothes to wear for menopausal hot flushes

By Amanda

The winter before last I treated myself to the above Marni coat, a beautifully neat zip front number that is a complex patchwork of downy-jacket front, knitted ribbed sleeves and houndstooth black and white checked wool back. I adore it.… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 27, 2013

Eley Kishimoto and Clarks

By Jane

If you are a fan of Eley Kishimoto’s graphic prints you will love their latest collaboration with Clarks. The nine-piece limited edition capsule collection will be available to buy from 1 March (Friday), but demand is so high that the… Read More

Novels & Biogs, We Are ReadingFebruary 26, 2013

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

By Amanda

I was tipped off about this wonderful novel by my friend Shirley and it was every bit as good as she said it would be. It’s an elegantly written tale of a strong minded independent girl -Katherine- who lives in… Read More

Art & CultureFebruary 26, 2013

Bill Armstrong’s Film Noir at ClampArt New York

By Amanda

Last week I was in New York and lucky enough to have an afternoon to visit the burgeoning art galleries around Chelsea. Goodness that’s one wealthy set of streets! There is money in art, even if not much of it… Read More