119. How to Free Up Mental Space with Brand-Loyal Dressing and Repeating Outfits
The Seven Look Season of Ellie Chappelle.
For most of my adult life, I woke up to that familiar feeling of ‘I’ve got nothing to wear.’ Leaving getting dressed to the last minute meant pulling outfits I didn’t feel excited about from a bloated wardrobe, and starting every day frustrated. I saved great outfits for ‘good days’ and accepted ‘just fine’ as the default. That was until I experimented with a wardrobe system, which I now call the Seven-Look Season. By planning and leaning on a few great outfits on repeat, I removed all decision fatigue from getting dressed without sacrificing creativity. This monthly column highlights the Seven Outfits of women who’ve adopted the framework. Find past editions of the column here.
I’ve been excited to share this newsletter and this week’s guest with you. Ellie and I met through Bec (whose seven outfits you saw earlier in this series). I needed someone to build the Every Body Gets Dressed visual identity, and Bec recommended Ellie. From our first video call, I took to her soft-spoken personality and her artful aesthetic. Ellie has a warm and grounding energy that feels calming. In fact, I edited this interview on a lovely rainy afternoon and didn’t want to leave the softness of her universe.
Ellie is a brand and website designer, developer, and photographer. Through her studio, Here Beyond, she partners with artists, designers, and brands (most of them women) to create strategic and innovative digital experiences. Her design work, much like her style, is poetic, minimal, and refined. She designed our branding, including the banner and logo you see at the top of this newsletter. If you ever need someone to help with your visual identity, I recommend her warmly—her other projects include Bec’s jewelry site and our friend Christel’s new fragrance site.
Today, I’m proud to introduce you to her wardrobe through her seven outfits for fall. About adopting this new process of getting dressed, Ellie shares:
‘I was a little surprised by how often I reached for the same items throughout the week, whether that meant wearing the same shoes or wearing the same top with a different pair of jeans, etc. The line between outfit repeating and being in a style rut is blurry sometimes! I have more adventurous things in my closet, but when it came down to it, I always gravitated toward the pieces I knew would feel easy to wear. Repeating the same outfit formulas frees up mental space when I’m overworked or stressed (and because running a business means endless decision-making), but this process did inspire me to start styling some of the less-worn pieces in my closet.’
I love Ellie’s looks, the clear common thread in her aesthetic, and the practical tip she shares below about making sure every new purchase feels organic to her wardrobe. Most of all, I love the brands she’s curated in her wardrobe; no fast fashion or ludicrously expensive brands here. She gravitates toward designers who have carved out a quality-led niche and created a unique universe.
‘I’m a total brand loyalist, and there are certain designers I’d trust to dress me every day. I follow the work of people like Charlie Hourston, Brooke Callahan, and Eliana Gil Rodriguez and draw inspiration from the distinct worlds they’ve created. Over time, I’ve become more focused on brands that feel like an extension of the designer’s personal taste rather than trends, and I think a part of that reflects in my own style when I buy their clothes.’
Here’s the beautiful Ellie and her seven-outfit season.
Outfit 1: The Easy WFH Uniform
📍Where Ellie wears it: To work from home.
‘I reach for these poplin tie pants when I’m on the computer all day but still want to feel stylish enough to run an errand or grab coffee with a friend. Everything Brooke Callahan makes feels aligned with my approach to style; all of her pieces mix, match, and colorblock effortlessly.
This top is a simple staple in my wardrobe (and like the pants, I own it in multiple colors), but it feels elevated by the asymmetrical neckline. I purchased it on James Street Co.’s archive site, where you can list and sell your gently used items from their brand. They keep each season’s selection intentionally small, which I love from a sustainability standpoint, and the archive site makes it so much easier to snag a piece you missed!’
‘Being a website designer means I’m online window shopping all the time. Since my clients are often creatives, artists, and designers themselves, I’m constantly being exposed to their tastes and styles, too. Working with people and brands like Soochie, Rebecca Mapes, J.Hannah, and you, of course, introduces me to their personal style in a way that naturally influences how I think about my own.
Off the clock, I’m often looking to films and my favorite musicians for inspiration. Clairo’s most recent tour wardrobe was unreal! I also watched Badlands (1973) for the first time this summer, and after seeing Sissy Spacek in a navy tee, white micro-shorts, and loafers with socks, I bought this navy tee from Flore Flore to recreate the look.’
‘This summer, I started posting my outfits to TikTok as a creative outlet. Since most of my other creative practices have become part of my job, I’ve come back to style as a way to express something untied to work. I love that design and photography are such collaborative processes, but sometimes you need a space where no one else has a say. Getting dressed is that for me. It’s something I get to shape on my own terms, without the pressure to please anyone but myself.’
Outfit 2: The Errands-Ready Look
📍Where Ellie wears it: To work from home or run errands.