Everything Doesn't Come With Me
The first in a series from my personal archive: collectible objects, clothing, jewelry, and home items, each with a story and looking for a new home.
Every object in this collection has a story. I’ve shared those stories here. If one of these objects belongs in your next chapter, you’ll find it available through my Depop shop.
I know I have to move, and I’ve started looking at apartments. I find one I like, and emotionally I begin moving myself in. I start measuring rooms in my head, seeing my things in the apartment, and imagining my life there before I’ve even signed a lease.
That’s where I am right now.
I’ve seen two apartments (Okay... maybe 949 online) that already felt like home—and I say home in air quotes because the first one literally took my breath away. Ocean view. Corner unit. Huge space. Fourteenth floor.
It had that old-school Miami feel, which is what I love. I’m in a modern building right now. It’s from 1965, but it has a much more modern feel, and I really miss walking into a building that immediately feels like you’re at the beach. That’s exactly what this one was.
Then you walked out onto the balcony and wondered if it was going to collapse.
There were two bathrooms with tubs—old-school, very vintage, absolutely gorgeous tubs. One was baby blue and one was yellow.
Oh my God, it was awesome.
I don’t have a tub in my current apartment, and I used to take baths every day. It’s very English, although I’m not English. I just love baths, and I really miss having one.
My three absolute non-negotiables moving forward are a bathtub, a balcony, and a dishwasher.
This apartment had two out of three.
No dishwasher.
Of course, we asked the woman showing the apartment all kinds of questions. There was a huge alcove with its own entryway that would have been perfect for my jewelry studio. There was literally a closet in the bedroom the size of a New York City apartment.
But the structure of the building was questionable.
I got home and did my due diligence. Sure enough, there were structural and elevator complaints on the city’s website—pretty much monthly—for the past ten years.
That one came off the list.
But you know what it’s like when you’re trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. You start negotiating with yourself.
“But I want the view.”
“I’ll never find another one like this.”
“It’s such a great price.”
Apartment anxiety has officially begun.
Then I found the second one.
It’s on a beautiful, quiet street, and quiet is the number one thing I need right now. At the moment, I’m living in a construction zone. They're scheduled to demolish the building next door. There's construction in the apartment above me, below me, in the hallway, outside my window, and they're about to start construction around the pool. Add the leaf blowers at seven in the morning, and I spend half my day wearing earplugs with noise-canceling headphones over them.
I have to get out of here.
The second apartment is on the National Register of Historic Places, and I was already emotionally married to it.
We were driving around looking for parking when I saw it. The negative voice in my head immediately said, “There’s no way that’s the building.”
Sure enough, it was.
It even has its own Instagram.
It's absolutely gorgeous—a classic 1948 Miami MiMo building. If you know, you know.
It’s a two-bedroom, which means I could finally have a proper jewelry studio. It doesn’t have a dishwasher. It doesn’t have a bathtub. It doesn’t have a balcony—which, honestly, Franklin needs more than I do.
But it does have a dock on the bay where I could launch the stand-up paddleboard I don’t own...yet.
It’s a beautiful historic building designed by a well-known architect, and I thought,
“I have to live here.”
I put in an offer.
So did everyone else.
I didn’t get it.
Which brings us to today.
I’m moving.
And as I prepare for whatever comes next, I’m opening my archive to all of you.
Over the years I’ve collected beautiful things that no longer serve this next chapter of my life. Rather than pack every one of them into another apartment, I’d love to invite you to browse them instead.
Each piece comes with a little story.
This is the first drop. Everyone gets this one.
Over the next few weeks, paid subscribers will receive first access to future archive releases and first dibs on some of my favorite pieces before they’re offered anywhere else.
This Substack is a little different than usual, but I have a feeling you’re going to enjoy it.
Everything in this collection is one of one.
Once an object finds its next home, it will be removed from the Archive. Paid subscribers will receive first access to future drops over the coming weeks.
Thanks for taking this journey with me.
—Amanda
Russell Wright and his wife, Mary, were original American designers.
They first became known for their textile patterns, but they’re really remembered for completely changing the way people entertained at home.
This was the 1950s, when many families of a certain socioeconomic background still had household staff. Russell Wright designed dinnerware for people who wanted to entertain beautifully without staff. It sounds very 1950s housewife, but it was actually revolutionary. They designed not just dishes—they designed community.
His work is highly collectible now, and I have a beautiful collection, some of which came from my grandmother. Chocolate is my favorite colorway. I actually have a few of these pitchers, and I’m only keeping one. That’s what happens when you become a collector and eventually realize you’re a minimalist maximalist.
I encourage you to read about Russell and Mary Wright. They were brilliant.
Available through my Depop shop. Once it's gone, it's gone.
My Grandmother's Shoes are magnificent. They’re chocolate velvet with grosgrain ribbon.
Back in the day, you would go to Bonwit Teller, Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, or Saks Fifth Avenue and have your shoes custom made. These were made specifically for my grandmother. And yes, she was that kind of woman, because she built that kind of life for herself. Almost everything I inherited from her is either custom-made or beautifully made.
These are for a teeny tiny foot. I don’t wear chocolate brown velvet shoes in Miami, but the woman with a tiny size 5 or very slender 5½ foot is going to love these.
But the real story isn’t the shoes.
It’s the woman who wore them.
She built, owned, and operated a stock car racetrack beginning in 1948, and she ran it for more than fifty years.
On the day she died, before she was buried, her final request was that her hearse take one last lap around the track.
That tells you just about everything you need to know about the kind of woman she was.
Whoever ends up wearing these shoes will be stepping into the shoes of an icon.
Available through my Depop shop. Once it's gone, it's gone.
This Brooks Brothers shirt is made from incredibly substantial cotton.
It is not for the faint of heart—and honestly, that’s one of the reasons I’m letting it go.
It’s beautifully made. It’s actually designed for women, but the cotton is so wonderfully thick that it’s simply too warm for Miami, where it’s humid almost all year long.
When I found it, I bought two.
No one needs two.
I hope one of you gives it a wonderful second life.
Mavrans is probably one of the coolest brands in Miami. It just isn’t my style.
Mavrans is iconic, and I know some of you hipsters in Los Angeles—or maybe New York—are going to absolutely love it. They designed womenswear for a hot minute before going back to what they do best: menswear. Because of that, this matching set is a little harder to find.
It was a gift to me, and I honestly tried. I even wore it around the apartment to see if it would grow on me.
It never did.
I love looking at it. I just don’t love wearing it. Not because it's uncomfortable—it isn't. It’s simply not me. We all know what that’s like, trying to wear something that doesn’t fit your style, even inside your own four walls.
It’s hopeless.
Enjoy.
Available through my Depop shop. Once it's gone, it's gone.
The Bee Necklace From the Tangled Necklace Series
This is one of my own creations.
I collected a boatload of vintage necklaces—many of them from my grandmother’s stash, including this one—and began making one-of-a-kind necklaces from them.
This piece is probably from around 2011. The bees are vintage hand-stamped brass, intertwined with freshwater pearls, a sterling silver chain, and gold vermeil woven throughout. The necklace itself is made from vintage components, semi-precious stones, and what I believe is a vintage necklace dating to the 1950s.
I called this series my Tangled Necklaces.
I love it.
I never wear it.
So it’s time for someone else to.
Available through my Depop shop. Once it's gone, it's gone.
These are Hudson Holly jeans, brand new with tags.
They have the most fantastic little baby pink paint details, and I absolutely fell for them.
Unfortunately, I’m a mini-person.
I convinced myself oversized, that these baggy jeans were going to look amazing on me. Even with a belt, these are still too big. They’re high-waisted, and the combination of the oversized fit and the belt gave me a very unfortunate silhouette—camel toe meets under my armpits.
Needless to say, they’re fabulous on someone else.
Enjoy them—and don’t miss the little pink paint accents.
They’re really fun.
Available through my Depop shop. Once it's gone, it's gone.
This Paris Perfume Bottle
I have to rethink my relationship with Paris.
It’s not a happy story, and today isn’t the day to tell it. If you’ve been reading along for a while, you’ve probably read that chapter already.
But this bottle is absolutely magnificent.
It appears to be a mid-century Italian Murano or German Lutz art glass perfume bottle. The cap is metal, the bottle is hand-blown and hand-painted with a beautiful metal overlay, and even the stopper is blown glass.
It’s tiny—only about two and a half inches tall—but it feels incredibly decadent.
It was a gift from my mother.
Every time I look at it, I think of Paris.
I think it’s time for someone with happier memories of Paris to continue its story.
Available through my Depop shop. Once it's gone, it's gone.
A quick note: Most items are already listed on Depop. A few will be added over the next day or two. Purchases are first come, first served, and I'm not able to hold items. If you'd like to purchase something before it's listed, you're welcome to Venmo me.
We also have a whole jewelry world happening over at Jewelry One of a KIND.
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Excited for this new chapter, friend! And your collections are just 😍 so I’ll be browsing 👀