I've finished my repair project, started a couple of weeks ago. I loved mending this vintage cardigan - and am now on the hunt for anything in my cupboard with holes in to continue the obsession... 

Rejuvenate Old Clothes

A top tip for breathing life in to old clothes. I recently bought a faded vintage Laura Ashley dress, in a colour I wasn't so keen on but loved the style. Laura Ashley can be pricey second hand so I jumped at the chance to get my hands on this dress and won it for £12.50. It barely got through the letterbox before I started its transformation

From light blue... to black. Actually, it's more like navy. Who knew there are various shades of black to chose from?! I love it and will wear it tons in the months to come, feeling VERY smug that I'm wearing a real one off piece.

You can buy Dylon fabric dye from most hardware shops.

A good tip before dying is to check the fabric content. 100% cotton will dye well, but things made from manmade fibres tend not to take the colour so well. Things like stitches and zips may stay their original colour as a result. Make sure you wash dyed pieces on their own for the first couple of washes too.

Gold and Gingham

Vintage gold - a neck full of talismans

Green Molly Goddard gingham

 And scruffy trainers made for walking in and out of town for lunch with friends

August Collage

Charity Shop Treasure, flowers, print, colour, Roman Road and Shepherd's Bush Market... a collage of sorts for late summer.

Shirt

I love this Vintage shirt of my Mum's which I've been wearing for years now. Sensing it probably had a good story behind it, I text Mum... 'I bought it in Valencia, Spain in 1978 on the docks'. Well that is quite good isn't it.

 

Souvenir

Back in London with treasure found rooting around in a discount bin at a junk shop. I now love this that unhelpful amount which makes using it a little nerve wracking in case I break it.

 

Picnics on the road

Boiled eggs and portable tin of salt... what more could you ask for? Also love my vintage embroidered napkins from ebay - bought as inspiration when thinking about embroidering my own. Watch this space!

Mum's Stripes

Mum's striped dress - out the suitcase for the heatwave last week. Keeping me cool as I catch up with family via video call... It's been a busy couple of weeks trying to get back in to the swing of styling and shooting. I first remember wearing this on the beach on Cornwall when I was about 16, so thrilled I still have it.

Piecing Things Together

I've started (and not finished) quite a few projects during Lockdown. One of them has been a patchwork quilt, which I've really enjoyed piecing together bit by bit. My sewing skills are very basic but I love using my machine. The quilt has been worked on in stages - you have to be in the right frame of mind for sewing otherwise it all seems to go wrong very quickly... I'm looking forward to searching for more fabrics once life gets a bit more back to normal.

Slowly starting the wardrobe swap over (last mentioned here). My favourite t-shirt of all time really comes in to its own during the summer months: a 1991 Neil Young Crazy Horse tour t-shirt. I LOVE everything about it - how it's faded and soft from time and washing, the artwork, Neil Young, and that I've inherited it from my Mum.

Patchwork

 A morning spent sifting through my sewing bag over the weekend and gathering bundles of fabric together for potential quilts. I collect fabric at any opportunity - which makes for quite a mixed selection of print and colour. Charity shops often have brilliant scraps of vintage fabric, but of course Shepherd's Bush market (the motherland) is hard to beat. Two quilt options below.

Coastal

A new editorial now live on my website - a coastal story shot by Jonny Mallen, Styled by me,  Hair by Emma Small, Make Up Sophie Higginson
www.josie-harris.com

Amy's Bag

My friend Amy's bag - vintage silver charms hand sewn (by Amy) on to the front. Would LOVE to own it

New Work

New Year, New Work

Loved styling this Woodland story - really let the imagination run wild!

Full story here: www.josie-harris.com

Lunch at the Wheel

One last Pasty and an assault on some Cornish Charity shops before heading back to London after Christmas - quite literally filled a suitcase of treasure.

Treasure hunt

As a stylist I'm always sourcing clothing - whether it's for me or a shoot often gets a bit tricky if I find any real treasure. This was such brilliant shop in Liverpool, lovingly curated and looked after by an elderly gentleman who was listening to Bjork while I sheltered from the rain and perused his rails.

Persian

Styled by me

Shot by Jonny Mallen

HMU by Anna Payne

Working on my website at the moment and looking through my old shoots. Big thanks to Anna's parents for this one, who lent us every rug in their house...

Pink Sequins

Charity shop updates: a new bed throw and two essentials for the styling kit....

Thank you, Hammersmith!

70s Girl

Beautiful Daniela Salvalaggio from Storm in a vintage dress of mine 

Styled by me and shot last year for Fault Magazine by Jonny Mallen

More here

Blue Paint

An out take from my shoot for The Ones 2 Watch

Phillipine is wearing the kind of dirtied old leather trench that only a beautiful and chic Parisian like herself, can get away with. Still, it's been in my wardrobe for years and I don't see it going anywhere....

More from the shoot here