From polyester tops paired with flare jeans to the elegance of victorian-style gunne sax dresses, the ’70s was a pinnacle decade for fashion.

For some, though, 70’s fashion isn’t just integrated in that once-a-year Coachella outfit or tacky Halloween costume. In fact, many women today incorporate 70’s fashion into their wardrobe. Content creator, Stefane Sheryniele, dresses vintage in her day to day life. Dressing in both ’60s and ’70s fashion has brought Stefane into the eclectic world of the vintage community.

Who is Stefane Sheryniele?

Stefane Sheryniele, 25, rocking vintage fashion. Photo by Stefane Sheryniele.

Walking around the streets of Chicago, you’ll spot Stefane wearing colorful, eccentric makeup looks, Bowie-inspired jumpsuits, and colorful tops.

Stefane’s prominent work centers around this vintage lifestyle. She has her own YouTube Channel, models for her Instagram page, and manages a Depop shop where she sells cool vintage and vintage-inspired clothing.

To find vintage clothing for her looks, Stefane typically shops at her favorite local thrift stores. She also shops from small businesses that create vintage-inspired pieces, like Miracle Eye.

Obviously, Stefane couldn’t learn to dress vintage overnight. She started off getting her interests from unique avenues.

“I’m not going to lie, when I first started dressing vintage it was kinda ‘costumey’ to me,” she said. “So I started looking at pinterest and looking up things, seeing what people dress and what fabrics they use.”

Stefane also dabbled into styling decade inspired looks when she worked at Forever 21. She would have fun by styling the mannequins.

The past also doesn’t just creep into Stefane’s fashion tastes. She’s inspired by ’70s and ’90s music as well. Stefane is currently working on an EP that incorporates influence from psychedelic rock and ’90s pop-rock.

What is the environmental impact of a Vintage lifestyle?

We live in an age of a consumer-based culture filled with fast-fashion and fast delivery services. This consumer culture risks harming the environment in which we live. Americans alone throw away 10.5 million tons of clothing into landfills each year. The average pair of jeans uses about 1,500 gallons of water to create, and 60 percent of the clothing produced contains plastic.

By shopping secondhand, you can help save the environment. One way to help the environment is by reusing and repurposing clothing in your own unique ways. That way, you can save clothing from reaching the landfill.

Specifically, when you shop for vintage clothing, you get to rewear a clothing piece with a special history to it. You can give a used clothing piece a new loving home with new fresh ways to style it.

There’s nothing more magical about my own vintage pieces than the mystery behind the previous owner’s connection to the piece. My vintage pieces could’ve been worn during concerts, first-dates, breakups, graduations, you name it. I hope to create my own new fond memories as I wear these pieces in my day-to-day life.

Having the time to thrift and shop sustainably is definitely a privilege. So for those who can shop vintage, I urge you to give an old piece a new home.

For me, shopping vintage has opened the door to a plethora of unique looks. I have been able to look stylish while also playing a role in bettering the environment.

Read also:
The Problem With Sustainable Fashion
Fast Fashion: Is It A Feminist Issue?
Thrifting My Way To Self-Love