how to wear a vintage suit...

wearing vintage clothing is currently the trend...for many. for the rest of us, we have been drawn to the quality and uniqueness of these pieces for years. after wearing a number of vintage suits for quite some time and ultimately opening up my online shop, i realize many people struggle to with how to wear a vintage suit...in a modern way.

so...

i figured i would share how i do it.

because vintage suits are not custom made for most buyers, getting the proper FIT is essential to a timeless look. the shoulder width is a great starting point in making sure the size will work for you. sizing numbers have changed over the years, so attempting to located a numerical size can often fool you. so make sure the jacket fits in the shoulders. the sides can be taken in for a more custom look.

a jacket arm length should fall directly in the palm of the hand. and the jacket itself should cover the butt. i know its trendy to wear short jackets, but that is for people who do not dress in classic style. big difference.

most vintage pants will have a flair to them. bell bottoms. i do not like bell bottoms, so i simply take them in to be tapered or straighten out.

after fit, comes accessorizing.

since vintage suits are already dated its, essential to balance them out with modern fixings. when choosing colors, the key element to making it work is to treat it like a cast. there needs to be a lead print and a co starring print or prints.

a major rule to provide balance and not make yourself looks like you just stepped out of willy wonka's chocolate factory. (please note, some guys like that look. meh).

so there you have it. a few excellent tips on how to wear a vintage suit.

*details: suit, lapel flower and pocket square are from www.thecarrawayconcept.com, shirt is ralph lauren purple label, tie is by brooks brothers, shoes are magninni, socks?, accessories are vintage.*

my NEW HOUSE...sort of

has it been busy around these parts? yes. before i go any further, if you are interested in an INTERNSHIP or PART-TIME position with Mr. Goodwill Hunting and Rashon Carraway Designs, please email us your resume and in the subject line write "INTERNSHIP or PART-TIME"

alright...so about this new house...sort of.

for quite the time i have been really intrigued with shipping container homes (some call them storage container homes). i guess my initial attraction to them was the fact they were so inexpensive to buy and could really be formatted into a pretty swank design. lets take a look at a few.

when i first saw them i thought they would be a great project for mr. goodwill hunting. this would be great as n eco-friendly movement and would certainly make a NEW HOUSE for me, sort of.

as i began to look further, i realized i was only scratching the surface of the possibilities of what shipping containers can do. take a look.

wow. amazing.

i truly do believe this is the start of a great eco-friendly movement. and to imagine that the idea really started off like this...

...a way of creating housing for the impoverished.

since this isn't a short term or long term planning idea for me, i won't go into details regarding price, zoning restrictions or how they are made. honestly, i just don't know.

i do know that the idea is fantastic and it worth exploring.

perhaps this may be my new house...sort of...

so could you live in a shipping container home?

a NEW facebook feature...

i was on the cnn facebook page earlier and saw that there was this "reply" feature on their facebook page. i clicked around a few other pages to see if it was a new thing, but according to a few recent reports it is being tested and has been doled out to only a few pages.

now many other platforms such as discus has had this feature for quite some time and it can be useful when you want to make a comment in regards to another person's comment. (it also helps avoid people posting the same comment as well).

are you excited about the new feature, to this almost one billion member social network?

Breast Cancer Awareness Lapel Pin (#BCALapelPin)

i have been making lapel pins for quite some time and it was only fitting that i produce one to do my part during october's breast cancer awareness month.

if you would like to support please visit the tab on the left side bar.

brunch at samuel heath (london)

i just got my water bill the other day. apparently i used over 18,000 gallons of water last month. pfft. someone should have told me so i could have installed an in ground swimming pool and put that water to some good use. but, if i had to waste water (not that i would...knowingly) it would definitely be by way of a samuel heath bathroom fixture.

 during my time in london on the blogtourld team i visited the samuel heath showroom. what a visit that was.

samuel heath was a sponsor for blogtourldn and i can definitely say their showroom was amazing. everything was sleek and simple yet sophisticated.

 when the blogtourldn team arrived to the showroom this was waiting for us. if there is one thing i love, its a good brunch and this is probably the second best thing i enjoy doing on a sunday (after a good a church service of course).

as we all were feasting on the delectable fruits, bagels and pastries, we couldnt help but touch and feel the amazing products in the showroom. perhaps amazing is a bit of an understatement as samuel heath has been producing quality fixtures since 1820. thats quite the time to perfect the craft...wouldnt you agree?

hand produced from brass, i was drawn to the style moderne collection. with its sleek polished black brass i could simply imagine the contemporary feel it would give to bathroom space. my bathroom space.

to see more you can visit their website samuel heath and take in all of the sophistication you can muster.

before i go, the 18,000 gallons of water fiasco was due to a running throne as well a a leaky shower in my house. so glad im renting and not owning (that's my coping mechanism for really wanting to own my own home).

use this hashtag #BlogTourLDN to see more of the team posts and pictures

a few photos from london

i am sooo happy to be over here in london.

here are just a few photos from the previous days. with limited internet access it is a challenge to blog, but here are a few of some of the sights and sounds of london.

i picked up this amazing vintage luggage before i left for london on saturday. i thought this piece had a great london vibe to it. surprisingly it wasne very heavy during check in and i can actually get a lot of stuff in it!

century old buildings are such a common sight here. its still amazing to see that they have survived this long.

this boat ride to dinner the first night is a constant reminder of how i could not hang the first day. lol. jet lag got the best of me and it took everything i had in me to stay awake. ha! failed. i fell asleep at dinner only to find a mile high burger at my seat when i got up from my nap. lol.

on the streets of london!

i have a lot more pictures and as soon as i return, i will share them all. i mean all of them and some pictures of other folks. lol

happy friday...wait is it saturday?

London! London!

with just over a week left before heading the london design festival there is a lot to be done for me to get ready.

namely there will be a lot to do when i make my first visit across the pond.

i created a pinterest board HERE to help me stay inspired with sight, sounds and sartorial images. 

london wouldnt be london with a visit or a picture near big ben...right?

i am definitely excited about wear as much tweed as i can. the weather here in north carolina is getting cool, but not quite there yet. so hopefully london will be cool so i can wear all of the tweed that is in my closet.

the london eye is beautiful in this picture. i am afraid of heights (yes im pushing 30 and still terrified), so i am not really sure if i will venture onto this. granted i wouldn't to miss a single amazing adventure, i can squeeze in while on this trip. so im still on the fence. 

yes. savile row. all well dressed men know that savile row is the epitome of class and excellence. to have an opportunity to even step foot in one of those shops is pure awesomeness. i hope i have time in the schedule to drop by. 

i will be spending a lot of time with some amazing blogger here from the us and well as from london. the design packed scheduled is intense and i am sure all of you are going to really enjoy all of the photos and the posts that are in the works. 

without these fine sponsors this amazing experience would NOT have been possible. you can click the above photo and get linked to all of their wonderful products. i will be sharing more about them in the days to come. 

friday finds

its friday yall!

and that means another edition of #FridayFinds

i haven't been out much this week and when i did go out there were a few good pieces. i normally leave behind 90% of the stuff i feature on #FridayFinds, i just don't have it in my budget to buy, haul and make over everything.

enjoy these great finds!

these slipper chairs were only $14.99 each. although the fabric is awful, they would make an amazing transformation with some great fabric. 

i saw this dresser and mirror set for $45. although these pieces are all too common now, they are still great. separating the mirror and adding chalk with a gold frame is a trend that can easily be duplicated. 

this tray was just over a $1, so i bought it. the ornate handles were really great and i figured i could use use it in the bathroom to hold my stuff. ya know, deodorant, soap...yea. that's it. i tried to spray paint it gold, but that didn't go so well. so i am going to try to strip it and start over. lol.

at $20 i left this trunk in the store. meh. still thought it was cool tho.

this desk was the first piece i saw last week. i cant remember how much it was, but i thought it was great. kind of petite, but certainly worth the price they were asking. paint it? stain it?

this old file system, would be great to store all of my fabric samples. sigh. not having a truck really bites.

okay, that's all i have.

if you have anything you'd like to share, you can tweet it or share it on instagram using the hashtag #FridayFinds and i will be sure to share it with everyone.

i almost tripped over them...

happy labor day monday!

did you enjoy the weekend or are you still enjoying it...lol.
me? well there are no real holidays when trying to build a business. seriously. anyway...
i have a question. is there anyone here who loves grasscloth wallpaper as much as i do?

grasscloth adds so much texture to a space. the truth is you don't really need a lot of it for it to have an amazing impact in a room. just a corner, a nook, or a single wall will really do the trick.

i don't think they have caught on yet, but i go into ralph lauren and try on clothes just because of the grasscloth wallpaper in the dressing rooms. its designed so effortlessly with stacked-crisp-white moldings. design crushing over here.

wallpaper is considered a natural wall covering so it is also eco-friendly. but let me be real with you guys for a moment. i would like it even if it was so much eco-friendly. don't judge. 

honestly, every since i started seeing the wallpaper i have always wanted some. i never took the plunge to buy any because i am renting right now. no need in spending a lot money for something that i cant use at the present. im on a budget remember? lol

if grasscloth is incorporated correctly it can really add a bout of elegance to a space.

 whether in a small or large space, powder room or

even in a kitchen, grasscloth is just the right element to add an extra layer of texture to a room.

so imagine my surprise when i almost tripped over 6 rolls of grasscloth wallpaper, yesterday while i was out and about. (insert church dance right here.) 

seriously. i am for sure i had come through this particular area already, i didn't see them. when i came back they were rolling around on the floor. i think a lot of people still have this idea that wallpaper is old foogy, so i am sure that's why it was still there and two because ive never mentioned this store on the blog. its my little secret. same place i found the drafting table. ummm hmmm.

i didn't get a chance to do a little research on the wallpaper company until i got home. let me tell ya, this was a great buy. i am always leery about giving out prices here on the blog, because i don't want to be the reason someone else goes into a store and its like 3 times the price, but anyway. each roll was less than $2!

yea i know. although this particular line is no longer being manufactured it would have probably gone for around $80-$100 a roll. eeek! worth the investment tho.

so what am i going to do with it? nothing. well not yet. i am saving it for my apartment or my house that ill hopefully come sooner rather than later.

so grasscloth...could you love it for $2 a roll?

*all photos can be sourced here*

$595 vs $1.49

good monday everyone. how was your weekend?

mine was amazing. its grateful just to be alive. ya know?

for the most part i know many of you like pretty table settings. me? i can or i cant. it doesn't matter to me. i will say that taking the extra effort to to set an amazing table does create a nice little atmosphere and your guests will appreciate the kind gesture.

 (source)

if you have been following women's fashion blogs or PINTEREST boards you will certainly see that this PIN of the miu miu gingham ladies shoes was quite popular. they also retailed for $595. when they went on sale a lot of fashion forward ladies pulled out the plastic and indulged.

i get it.

gingham just does something to folks. whether on a pair of shoes, a shirt, a dress or even a pocket square...we love gingham.

when i came across this set of four gingham napkins for $1.49, i figured they were so inexpensive i might as well get them and create a tablescape around them. i mean it beats the $595 price of the ladies shoes right?

(source)

i am often asked where do i get inspiration from. as you can clearly see inspiration can come from anywhere everywhere. that is the beauty about life. there are so many amazing things to keep us inspired to create and live a full life.

creating a tablescape can be very expensive, however, it doesn't have to be. thrift stores, yard sales and flea markets are excellent sources for finding cheap items to create a bountiful table setting. normally you can find plates, glass ware and sometimes flatware for all under $1, perhaps around 25 cents if its a true bargain. 

the key to having a balanced tabletop is to mix high and low end pieces. often times people buy everything from a thrift store and honestly...it looks thrifted. while each item on this tabletop were purchased second hand the elegance comes by way of te mix of finishes.

the brass monogram chargers were picked up in new york, the table cloth was purchased at a fabric outlet, the plates were thrifted and the forks were from target.

the inspiration behind this blog is to inspire you to get a high end look without spending a lot. now if you want the cheapy look...well.

when creating a table, a room or a outfit, i always have a starting point. something inspirational. something bold. in this case it was the gingham napkins. i didn't want anything to take away from the presence of the blue gingham so i use a fairly neutral base so the blue could pop. if possible i used a metal accent. here, it was gold.

if i set a table i like it to be practical as well as pleasing to the eye. the ties and the pears were items that i already had on hand in my home, so i decided to get a little creative with the centerpiece. while i didnt use fresh flowers as a center point they would have been excellent in this vintage wine chiller.

so ladies, if you didn't get a chance to spend $595 on yourself or fellas if you didn't get a chance to impress her with a pair of miu miu gingham heels, this $1.49 inspiration tablescape may save the day.

so tell me do you like gingham as much as a good chunk of the world does? lol

**all images are pinned to my PINTEREST boards for easy sharing**