South Alumna Wore What?

By Sydney Falchook

New York City on a Monday morning is comparable to a jungle. The noise, the hustle and the stress are all just beginning for the rest of the week. What’s a better way to accurately capture the city that never sleeps than through fashion? For GNS alumna Danielle Bernstein, this jungle-like ambiance serves as inspiration for her profession: a fashion blogger for WeWoreWhat.
Considered by Bernstein as her “fashion diary,” WeWoreWhat is a personal online fashion blog that provides numerous followers with, as stated on her website, “a daily dose of outfit inspiration from every corner of NYC.” A typical post consists of five pictures of Bernstein modeling the latest fashion trends followed by a short paragraph describing what she is wearing and where the clothing is sold.
After months of blogging, four years ago Bernstein’s detailed and intricate style not only caught the eye of the general public, but also of fashion designers. And suddenly, fame. Currently amassing over 400,000 followers on Instagram and 33,000 followers on Twitter, Bernstein is believed by famous designers to have the ability to promote their styles. “It started off as a street style blog, but my goal was to provide women with a daily source of outfit inspiration for something that should be the easiest part of the day (getting dressed in the morning), but may sometimes be the hardest,” Bernstein said. Designers have been hiring her to advertise their merchandise—through blogging, of course.
Since being first recognized for her talent, Bernstein’s life has changed forever. Being featured in the New York Times as “the future of fashion,” as well as in Teen Vogue, Foam magazine, and many other impressive sources, Bernstein’s style and appreciation for fashion continues to evolve. “As a high school student, I always thought I was just another shopping-obsessed girl,” Bernstein said. “It wasn’t until later that I was able to appreciate and acknowledge the art behind it all.”
Although it may seem simple, running a popular fashion blog is no easy feat. Bernstein starts her hectic week off by photographing her outfits. These photographs are then incorporated into various blog and Instagram posts throughout the week. “The rest of my time is spent going to showrooms, having meetings with brands, and other random blog related work—it’s always different,” Bernstein said.
Although Bernstein mostly works from New York City, running an online blog allows for easy and stress-free traveling. Bernstein has had the opportunity to travel across the globe on all-expense paid trips to attend meetings and fashion shows. “My first trip alone overseas was to Stockholm Sweden for fashion week three years ago. It was liberating and scary all at the same time. I met a ton of editors and people in fashion that I look up to. It was also my first time sitting front row for every show at fashion week,” said Bernstein. This overseas trip was the first of many. Bernstein frequently travels for work and has gone abroad many times for various meetings, fashion weeks and runway events in the past three years.
WeWoreWhat has placed Bernstein in the proverbial spotlight. Describing the experience as “sometimes humbling,” she “couldn’t imagine [her] life at this point any other way.”
Constantly blogging, Bernstein accredits the foundation of her writing skills to South. “I always took creative writing classes throughout high school and loved writing English papers when they were a topic of choice,” Bernstein admits.
While it’s fun to receive free clothing from designers, Bernstein’s main objective is for her blog to emphasize her personal style. Therefore, when a company sends Bernstein clothing to wear, she will not always accept. “I really stay true to my style on my blog, and I won’t put anything out there that I don’t actually like,” Bernstein said. “The most important thing to me is that you feel good about what you’re wearing.”
Bernstein is in the midst of designing projects that remain secret. “Blogging has opened up so many doors for me,” Bernstein said. “And I am so thankful for that.”