This feels weird but weirdly right.
I have had a whirlwind of a ride these last fifteen years that I really feel like I need an outlet for. I'm not sure where I plan to take this substack and what/when I will share things but I wanted to start somewhere. I guess I’ll start by sharing a little bit about myself. It’ll be a super short blurb today because my story will take me years to tell, hopefully you’ll come back for more. I'll share a quick gist and just a few photos capturing pivotal moments from the last few years of my life. I’m also JUST learning how to use substack, so bear with me..
My name is Arielle, I’m 36 years old. I’m happily married with three beautiful kids and a very unclear career. I started a blog in 2009 on blogspot called Something Navy. I called it that because I loved the color Navy (still do) and just wanted to incorporate that into my blog name. I kept repeating to myself, “I need to think of something navy, something navy….” and it just clicked. I went with Something Navy. I would start blogging about fashion, styling, runway shoes, things I was passionate about. It eventually turned into mostly photos of myself, styling myself in outfits. Clothing that I would borrow from my mom or my sister mixed with my purchases from H&M and Zara. It became a side hobby as I had to do something to make money. I began working retail at Theory in the meatpacking district in NYC. I couldn’t get a job anywhere, mostly because I had no idea what I wanted to do. As I worked on the floor selling clothing, I would go home and take photos of myself in compromising poses and write out the brands and how/why I styled it the way I did. I’d spend hours messaging and connecting with people all around the world about fashion and styling. It fed me.
Eventually I caught the attention of a woman who was starting an agency that repped people like me to help monetize off of what I was doing. I signed with her and officially became a “blogger” full time. I had some incredible partnerships over the years that led me to a capsule collection with Nordstrom. It was so successful that it turned into Nordstrom launching a Something Navy brand. That was even more successful but I made the decision to take it off on my own and bring everything in house, outside of Nordstrom. I brought on a CEO and a partner to manage and run the company - which was eventually run into the ground. I’m left alone to pick up the pieces of this special brand I’ve built over the last 15 years because of the mistakes I’ve made and the people I’ve let in to my world.
I’m here today because my focus is not to rebuild a clothing brand but to go back to my grassroots. To go back to where I started to remember why I started. Because that was and is the only time I feel happy doing what I “do”.
So, hi. I’m Arielle. I’m a 36 year old blogger/influencer and I can’t wait to rebuild on this platform. Sharing my outfits, style, thoughts, highs and lows, and my story thus far.
