We believe in taking care of your clothes so they can last a lifetime. In that pursuit, we’ve partnered with Storey, an innovative digital wardrove app, to help extend the lifespan of your wardrobe and advocate for more sustainable fashion. Do you ever feel like you have nothing to wear, yet your closet is overflowing and your dresser drawers are too stuffed to shut properly? We’ve been there, and Storey has created a solution.
What is Storey?
Storey is on a mission to digitize wardrobes in order to make your clothes more wearable, shareable, searchable, re-sellable. It’s basically the modern version of Cher’s virtual wardrobe in Clueless. You can upload your entire wardrobe, create collections, and connect with other fashionistas.
Storey gives you easy access and full visibility of what you own so you don’t accidentally repurchase something you already have in your closet, and helps track what you wear the most often. Did you know most of us don’t wear at least 50% of our wardrobes? If you’ve been interested in starting a capsule wardrobe, downloading Storey is a great place to start. They also leverage technology that encourages you to be more thoughtful and creative with the clothes in your closet through their outfit recommender engine. This community also helps promote sustainable fashion by letting you list items for sale (or borrowing) on your profile, while documenting their journey through circularity.
Meet Ellie
Ellie Baer is a business professional based in San Francisco with an eye for fashion. She’s on the road a lot, visiting new cities almost every weekend. Ellie is passionate about curating her wardrobe and adamant about bringing her most special, beautiful pieces wherever she goes. In other words, she doesn’t pack lightly. At the end of the day, she wants the items she spends hours researching, curating, and purchasing to last a lifetime. Ellie, a fashion icon in our eyes, answered a few of our burning questions about life, travel, and fashion. Be sure to follow Ellie on Storey (@Ellie Baer) so you can admire her gorgeous wardrobe and travel escapades!
What do you love about living in San Francisco?
San Francisco is an exceptionally special place to me. Aside from the fact that I was born in SF and spent my childhood down the Peninsula, San Francisco and the broader Bay Area are like nowhere else in the world. The city itself is alive with light and energy - from some of the most exceptional chefs in the world, to unique exhibits at the many cultural institutions that highlight the diversity and color that this area is so unique for, to the thrilling underground music scene. The culture of creativity, openness, and adventure is apparent in everyone who chooses to take up residence here. Beyond the city itself, the Bay Area has world class golfing in Pebble Beach, breathtaking views on Marin County hikes, award winning wine country in Healdsburg and beyond, and the coastline is dotted with charming towns with their own eclectic histories and activities. It’s a place where you can do anything you want, with perfect weather, all year round. As I mentioned - lots to love!
What your favorite thing about traveling?
My favorite thing about traveling is absolutely building a community wherever I go. I spend a lot of time making friends with locals and other travelers with similar interests. Whether I end up visiting again and making plans with those I meet or not, I deeply appreciate understanding different cultures and sharing experiences with strangers. Being a tourist and being a traveler are markedly different things, and I work to make sure I am never the former. I spend huge amounts of time curating travel lists (as all of my friends know, I am very generous with my 80 or so Google Maps lists when requested!) and delight in finding hidden gems across the world that I can share with my networks.
What is the best destination you've traveled to recently?
We recently traveled to Placencia in Belize which was an incredible trip I would recommend to everyone (and often do!). We spent our days among the wildlife - bird watching, boating down the “Monkey River” in search of howler monkeys and manatees, snorkeling with nurse sharks and rays, and on a rainy day, making new friends at a local bowling alley and playing lots (and I mean LOTS) of rummy 500. Lately we’ve been excited by the adventure of ecotourism after a few years of some admittedly less outdoorsy locales (think Saint Tropez, Tulum). We hope to check out some wildlife in Kenya next.
How would you describe your personal style?
I think a lot about how to capture my style and have gone through a myriad of ways to try and put myself into a more manageable box. I've done the Kibbe Body Type test to understand what shapes flatter me best (soft classic, with longer lines and silhouettes), the "three word method" to attempt to distill my essence (I can never choose three - somewhere between polished, playful, feminine, elegant, and dramatic), and seasonal palettes to stick to colors that look best with my skin tone (warm/deep spring, leaning towards lighter neutrals and greens). All of this, of course, flies out the window when I find something that speaks to me - often in the wrong color, a shape that doesn't flatter me, and something entirely incompatible with the rest of my wardrobe. But for me, style is supposed to be fun, unexpected, and though maybe we all reach for certain shapes, colors, and styles - at its core - I really love playing dress up. I love to wear my glossy custom cowboy boots when I spend summer nights in Park City, and dress like a 1950's flight attendant when I'm in Italy. I don't care if something doesn't flatter me if wearing it makes me smile.
Where are some of your favorite places to shop for clothes?
I tend to gravitate to certain brands based on the season and activity. For summer, I lean towards Zimmermann, Agua Bendita, Ulla Johnson, and Johanna Ortiz. Spring, I love Chloe, Aime Leon Dore, Celine, and Gucci. Autumn, I spend a lot of time in Maje, Sandro, ALC, and Ralph Lauren. And winter I'm in Jenni Kayne, Frame, Acne, Sezane, Allsaints, and Valentino. I think Ronny Kobo makes gorgeous wedding guest attire, and I'm a sucker for Prada and Gucci shoes. I spend a lot of time (and money) at The Real Real on vintage, and love supporting friends who make gorgeous clothing and jewelry (By Fede makes all of my summer jewels, and Sullivan makes the cutest neutral sets).
What’s your favorite piece in your wardrobe right now?
The item I have been reaching for seemingly every day is my white Gucci Jackie bag, which a friend aptly commented is "Ellie in bag form." The silhouette is classic and sophisticated, and since I wear tons of lighter colors throughout the year, it has become a bag I can't stay away from. As fall approaches, I know I'll be reaching for my favorite Acne coat, which I searched obsessively for after ordering last year, and received an email letting me know it was out of stock. It's the perfect long, loose silhouette that balances slimmer evening wear, and adds something unexpected to more casual street style.
Do you have any packing tips?
I will scream from the rooftops how much I love using Storey for putting together packing lists when I leave for a trip. I pride myself on packing well, and finding modular ways to wear pieces in different ways when I travel. I don't fully subscribe to the idea of capsule wardrobes, but that may just be since I'm not very good at or interested in wearing basics. Traveling provides a great opportunity to find, say, four new ways to wear something you may not have reached for in the last year and falling in love all over again with a piece you used to love. I try never to bring more than five pairs of shoes and four bags, even if I'm gone for as long as two or three months. Those are the pieces that end up being challenging to travel place-to-place with, but this is always tough for me given a collection of both I am incredibly proud of. More specific tips include: a scarf can also be used as a shirt in about 30 ways in the summer with the right necklace to hold it up. Always pack bags within other, larger bags. Keep a travel bag ready of all of your toiletries and travel-size versions of your makeup, and keep jewelry packing simple aside from one or two statement pieces (if you bring more, you'll never wear them).The one rule my partner and I abide by is to NEVER forget a swimsuit, no matter the location.
Are you as obsessed as we are? Go find @Ellie Baer on the Storey app! Then upload your own wardrobe so that your closet can reach its full potential. Finally, don’t forget to use Rinse to dry clean your most loved pieces so they last a lifetime! Storey members who create a Rinse account will receive a $50 credit towards extending the longevity of your wardrobe.
