The Women's Room | Daily Life and Style Inspiration

Fashion, We Are ReadingMarch 20, 2012

Pants on Fire by Maggie Alderson

By Amanda

Last week when we had a glitch in our technicals, the lovely Maggie Alderson (amongst others) mailed us to tell us when things went wrong. I loved the column Maggie used to write in The Times so it’s a real… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 20, 2012

Style icon: Catherine Baba

By Jane

Catherine Baba is an Australian stylist and fashion consultant living in Paris, who has worked for Chanel, Givenchy, Balmain, Ungaro, Dazed, Vogue and Vanity Fair. Baba is renowned for her retro glamour and personal style and is regularly seen riding… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 19, 2012

Good value beauty: Etat Pur

By Amanda

‘Good value beauty’ you say, with a sceptical hint in your voice, ‘don’t you guys always pick the expensive stuff to love?’. Well, yes dear readers, we have been fortunate at TWR to have been offered some beautiful but stonkingly… Read More

Health & HappinessMarch 18, 2012

Mums are cool – Happy Mothers Day x

By Jane

Home & GardenMarch 17, 2012

More sewing, this time with Chanel (see below post first)

By Amanda

Having posted the below post on Recycle and Sew this morning, some of our Twitter followers pointed out this great video on how to make a Chanel jacket (I’m looking at you @FionaHarkin) The Secret Of The Little Black Jacket,… Read More

Home & GardenMarch 17, 2012

Sewing lessons for grown ups at Recycle and Sew

By Amanda

A couple of weeks back I went to one of Anita Bott’s Vintage Fashion Fairs and got chatting to June Allnutt, above, who was perched in front of her sewing machines, ready to mend or restore any vintage finds that… Read More

Home & GardenMarch 16, 2012

Muji: making more of less

By Jane

I first visited a Muji store on a trip to Tokyo, back in the 80’s when no-one in the UK had heard of them. When I stumbled across the tranquil haven of the first ever shop in Aoyama, I was… Read More

Fashion, We Are ReadingMarch 15, 2012

The Printed Square by Nicky Albrechtsen

By Amanda

A lovely book, we did the review here Buy here … Read More

Things We LoveMarch 15, 2012

Bill Cunningham, New York a film by Richard Press

By Amanda

The best film of the year if you are fashion person, it’s out on DVD on April 2nd, which is all you need to know really. Buy it here… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 15, 2012

The Printed Square by Nicky Albrechtsen

By Amanda

A gorgeous little book came through the post this week from Thames & Hudson, The Printed Square by Nicky Albrechtsen, all about handkerchiefs. You might remember we wrote about Nicky and Fola Solanke’s book Scarves last year, this one is… Read More

We Are ReadingMarch 14, 2012

Lingerie by Lillian Bassman

By Amanda

Lillian Bassman’s photography of women in lingerie from the 40s and 50s, many shot for lingerie company ad campaigns, is a stark reminder of just how brashly sexual images of women have become today. In Lingerie, published by Abrams… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 14, 2012

Orla Kiely for Uniqlo

By Jane

March is all about the designer collaboration it seems, and for once it’s designers we love. Two of our favourite brands Uniqlo and Orla Kiely have teamed up this time to produce a range of t shirts and shirts, featuring… Read More

Health & HappinessMarch 13, 2012

Mother’s Day present ideas: a perfume and tea salon at Illuminum fragrances

By Amanda

Now THIS is what we call a good Mother’s Day present idea, a rare tea and perfume appreciation salon at Illuminum Fragrance Lounge in Dover Street., London For the last few weeks we’ve had PRs sending us ‘ideas’ for Mother’s… Read More

Art & CultureMarch 12, 2012

New icons: Bishi and Lianne De Havas

By Jane

Birds Eye View was set up in 2003 to support female film makers and promote their work. Their annual film festival celebrates the outstanding contribution of women directors to cinema, which unfortunately didn’t happen this year, due to funding issues.… Read More

Home & GardenMarch 11, 2012

Final Scandi post this week -I promise: ‘Broen’ (The Bridge) and ‘Those Who Kill’

By Amanda

Because we have such FANTASTIC readers in you all here at TWR, we learn a lot . On Monday I posted that we were missing our weekly intake of Danish murder /mysteries (Borgen, The Killing), quick as a flash, we… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 10, 2012

Marni for H & M: what did we think?

By Jane

On Thursday morning Amanda and I were up bright and early in order to be at Westfield for the madness that was predicted to be the launch of the Marni for H & M collection. I have to admit to… Read More

Home & GardenMarch 9, 2012

A Sort Of Coal: more Danish stuff

By Amanda

While we are talking all things Scandinavian (see Monday’s post) we haven’t quite finished with Denmark. Recently the Danish company A Sort Of Coal sent us a very detailed press release on the magical properties of er, sticks. Well White… Read More

Health & HappinessMarch 8, 2012

International Womens Day: what do women’s rights mean to you?

By Jane

As it’s International Womens day today, we think it’s important to remind ourselves how vital it is for women all over the world to have equality, justice, empowerment and a voice. This moving film, reminds us that despite many peoples… Read More

Things We LoveMarch 7, 2012

OPI and Ovarian Cancer Awareness month

By Jane

March is ovarian cancer awareness month and Nail company OPI have collaborated with Ovacome, a charity whose aim is to raise awareness about the symptoms of ovarian cancer, to encourage earlier diagnosis and a better chance of recovery Historically, ovarian… Read More

Middle Aged MumMarch 7, 2012

Middleagemum.com: help me, I’m addicted to Pinterest!

By Amanda

It was bad enough when we just did the blog and Twitter on TWR, I found myself online more than off. Then Instagram came along and that nice @indiaknight told us we should be on it and now I almost… Read More

Art & CultureMarch 6, 2012

Waste not: Song Dong

By Jane

If you are a lover of stuff and find it difficult to throw things away, you might want to visit the Song Dong installation (which Amanda posted about back in Feb) at the Barbican. You will either run out screaming,… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 5, 2012

We love all things Danish, including Bruuns Bazaar

By Amanda

Is anyone else missing The Killing and Borgen from their weekends? We loved Call The Midwife and Homeland is shaping up nicely, but there’s a big hole in our Saturday nights now we don’t have a Danish drama to follow… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 4, 2012

How to wear printed trousers

By Jane

As I’m sure you are aware, the Marni for H & M collection drops (fashion retail term!) on Thursday, which is making me more excited than is healthy for a woman my age, who should quite frankly realise that there… Read More

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

Art & CultureMarch 2, 2012

Spitalfields Life

By Jane

This is why I love the East end and The Gentle Author!… 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

Out & AboutFebruary 29, 2012

A weekend in the country – and shopping

By Jane

As you know, we are huge Marni fans here at TWR, but can really only justify the odd purchase (if any) as the prices are way out of our league. If you are a Marni fan, it is definitely worth… 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