It was an engagement party fit for a European heiress, where the dress code was ‘old money’ elegance and the guest list was over 200-names long.
The bride-to-be, social media influencer and WeWoreWhat founder Danielle Bernstein, donned not one but two couture dresses for the ‘reception’ and after-party, which came complete with DJ sets and an electric violin performance.
The venue was Alder Manor in Yonkers, New York, less than 45 minutes outside of Bernstein’s beloved Manhattan, and where over a decade ago the content creator began her Tumblr-era style blog that propelled her to social media royalty.
In a speech, Bernstein stood alongside her fiancé, real estate broker Cooper Weisman, and shared her gratitude for their close friends and family in attendance. She told guests that the ‘easiest decision of all, besides the man I’m standing next to and saying yes to, was who we wanted to have here to celebrate us.’
In other words – everything was picture perfect. Or at least, that was until one woman took to TikTok to claim that Bernstein, who has over 3 million Instagram followers, had copied her engagement speech from another influencer.
Social media influencer Danielle Bernstein, 33, is originally from Great Neck, Long Island, and launched her fashion blog WeWoreWhat in 2010
Bernstein is engaged to real estate broker Cooper Weisman, and the pair recently held an engagement party in New York
The allegation came as no surprise to many of those who have closely charted Bernstein’s rise to fame over the last 10 years.
As it turns out, this wasn’t the first time Bernstein, now 33, had been accused of copying another influencer. In fact, Bernstein has repeatedly faced plagiarism accusations over the years, though she has vehemently denied them all.
In relation to the viral engagement speech, Bernstein’s lawyer told the Daily Mail: ‘I can confirm unequivocally that Danielle never saw [another influencer’s] video before the claims were made.’
But it’s not just copycat scandals that have earned Bernstein a reputation of being ‘shameless,’ according to insiders who spoke the Daily Mail.
Rather, it is Bernstein’s expert ability to avoid the wrath of cancel culture and controversy that has made the influencer appear untouchable.
‘She’s shameless at this point,’ one influencer, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail.
Bernstein, originally from Great Neck, Long Island, launched her blog WeWoreWhat in 2010 while attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. But she dropped out just one year later, after rapidly turning WeWoreWhat into a money-making business.
‘Slowly but surely brands started reaching out to send me products to post and promote, which is when I realized this was something I could monetize,’ she told Forbes in 2017.
That same year, she made the publication’s coveted 30 Under 30 list at just 24 years old. As Bernstein’s legion of Instagram followers grew, so did her personal brand.
In 2019, she launched her own swimwear line. That was quickly followed by a denim line, a line of activewear and an exclusive collaboration with Macy’s. By 2020, WeWoreWhat became an online shop for wardrobe staples, where prices currently range from $29 to $495.
In just 10 years, Bernstein had transformed WeWoreWhat from a personal style blog into a fashion empire.
‘She was one of the first fashion influencers to monetize on the platform. For that, I actually have respect for her, but that’s about where it ends,’ the first insider said.
In just 10 years, Bernstein had transformed WeWoreWhat from a personal style blog into a fashion empire
Bernstein launched her own swimwear line in 2019, followed by a denim line, activewear and an exclusive collaboration with Macy’s. By 2020, WeWoreWhat became an online shop for wardrobe staples
And the income doesn’t stop at the blog. Bernstein previously revealed in that 2017 Forbes interview that she was charging up to $20,000 per sponsored post. An influencer marketing professional who spoke to the Daily Mail estimated that figure has more than doubled today.
Between brand deals, sales from her WeWoreWhat brand and affiliate links posted to her Instagram Story, the marketing professional suggested that Bernstein rakes in between $80,000 to $120,000 each month.
Such a hefty paycheck can come in handy when you live the luxurious, jet-setting life that Bernstein flaunts for her followers.
Her ‘day in my life’ videos are seemingly filled with ab workouts, lymphatic drainage treatments, salmon-sperm facials and photoshoots for upcoming WeWoreWhat collections.
Her summers are spent in the exclusive celebrity enclave of The Hamptons, where Bernstein and her fiancé rented a ‘cottage’ in Sag Harbor this year from June to August.
When she’s not been in the Hamptons, Bernstein has vacationed on the Amalfi Coast or sunbathed with her beau on yachts in Greece.
Recently, Bernstein has been focused on her ‘bridal era’, after getting engaged to Weisman in June, along with a full renovation of the two-level Tribeca apartment she purchased in February.
While works are being done on the home, she is staying in a $13,000-a-month nearby rental.
Bernstein spends her summers in the exclusive celebrity enclave of The Hamptons and regularly posts about her trips overseas
Bernstein, who has over 3 million Instagram followers, has been accused of copying her engagement speech from another influencer
So for some, it’s hard to imagine that a life of such outlandish excess isn’t just for show.
But according to Devin Sutherland, a Florida-based hair stylist who worked for Bernstein while living in New York City from 2017 to 2019, nearly ‘all’ of what Bernstein posts is true.
‘Danielle herself has always said, “Haters mean you’re doing something right”,’ Sutherland told the Daily Mail. ‘It’s true. I mean, she knows what she’s doing.’
As early as 2018, Bernstein faced accusations from small business owners and fellow influencers of copying their content and designs. One such business owner was Karen Perez.
Amidst the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bernstein capitalized on mask requirements by launching her own line of linen masks adorned with safety chains.
The only problem was she had already reached out to Perez to request samples of her company Second Wind’s linen masks, which also featured a gold chain.
Screenshots of their exchange went viral online in July 2020. In one message, Bernstein had informed Perez that she would also be releasing a linen face mask with a detachable gold chain.
Following public backlash, Bernstein took to Instagram to deny the ‘false’ accusations that she ‘stole or solicited the designs’ from Perez. She added that she would donate her own masks and an additional 5,000 surgical masks to healthcare workers.
Bernstein’s lawyer told the Daily Mail: ‘WeWoreWhat takes all infringement claims seriously and investigates each claim it is made aware of. To date, neither WeWoreWhat nor any court, has identified any instance of infringement.’
Perez told a different story.
‘Danielle is just one example of the bigger picture in this whole thing about being authentic and being creative,’ Perez told the Daily Mail. ‘She’s just always been used to getting everything she wants.’
Such a sentiment was echoed by Sutherland, who described Bernstein as ‘controlling’ during their time spent working together.
‘Even when we would travel, she would get me on the cheapest flight possible, and then make me sleep on the couch in her hotel room,’ Sutherland said. ‘When it came down to asking her to cover my Uber, she would say, “Most people take the train, babe”.’
Sutherland said, ‘Looking back, it was silly, but I was young and I saw it as a great opportunity to network.’
Surely, such allegations would at least put a dent in an influencer’s career – but our first insider couldn’t help applaud Bernstein’s ability to seemingly avoid any repercussions.
‘In a way, I kind of respect Danielle for not letting being canceled a million times impact her use of social media. That is kind of impressive to me,’ the insider said.
