Saved + Collected: Goodbye, July

Happy almost-weekend. This Saved + Collected comes from a brain that is both overstimulated (four weeks into summer vacation with three kids, and I’m starting to lose it, honestly) and so unwound that I barely know what day it is.

I don’t know about you, but I thrive on a fast pace. At the same time, I’ve learned it’s not always what’s best for me, and that I need to slow down every now and then (more on that another time). Over the past six months, I’ve written Substack posts late into the night, filled my phone with screenshots and notes, and written whenever I could steal a few spare minutes.

The past few weeks, though, I haven't quite kept up with the actual writing, and a part of me feels like I should apologize for not publishing more. I’ve found myself wondering where hyperfocus Antonia has gone. Has she disappeared for good? Have I lost my spark? But after reading Grace Atwood’s Summer Malaise, I’m wondering if my machinery is simply in for maintenance, as one of her brilliant readers put it. And after reading Traci Landy’s the girl with the messy backpack, I’ve decided to not be so hard on myself.

The thing about these Saved + Collected posts is that I could write an essay about almost everything below: why I’d rather invest in pieces from last winter’s Toteme collections than pay full price for what’s coming this autumn (it doesn’t have to be Toteme, but you get the idea), why discovering a new shop or brand brings me so much joy, or how a simple salad can be so much more than just a salad. But right now, I don’t quite have the bandwidth, and maybe that’s my nervous system reminding me that I don’t need to.

Because the truth is, I have so much I want to share. Three pieces are sitting in my drafts, and there are several more I hope to publish before work starts again. But I also think I need this time to simply be here, in the present, as cliché as it sounds.

So please don’t think the below is me just pushing out items without an explanation. Think of it as my brain dump – a way of sharing all the things I've saved.

And with that, let’s begin.

(The below includes affiliate links, more on that at the bottom.)

I absolutely love my Lié Studio pieces, and since I’m always mixing metals, their FW26 campaign and new pieces feel especially true to my style. The collection draws inspiration from 1960s New York and Lee Radziwill.

Also, the Grace Tote is now available in black suede. Drool.