@Lomaladylooks, an Instagram account dedicated to posting the outfits of PLNU women, which has recently expanded to post men’s fashion as well, has taken off as an on-campus lookbook.
Charity Pfieffer, the third-year commercial music major behind the account, described her fashion style as a “coastal granddaughter vibe.”
“I love being comfortable, and I love being classy,” said Pfieffer. “It’s a Pinterest, Instagram, Tiktok trend where you dress like a boujee grandmother who lives on the coast; it’s like linens, blues, beiges and whites. It’s clean and it looks like you come from money; it’s just all those little things together.”
Pfieffer, a transfer student this year, has been preparing for the fashion element of PLNU since January. With her own Pinterest board dedicated to PLNU fashion, she said she wanted to hit the ground running.
Initially, the idea was to post her and her roommates’ outfits on an Instagram account at the start of their first semester at PLNU, taking inspiration from a similar page she had seen on her feed. But, after a conversation with her mom, the idea broadened to be something bigger than she had originally imagined.
“I talked to my mom about [the idea], and eventually, she was like, ‘Hey, I think it would be really awesome if you did Loma ladies, like the Loma ladies of campus,’” said Pfieffer. “I was like, ‘That’s an amazing idea because it’s super inclusive, and then it takes it from just being us in our bedroom in our outfits – being all about us – to creating a community.”
Pfieffer created the Instagram account @lomaladylooks on Aug. 5. She immediately got to posting during her first week at PLNU, finding students to feature on the account.
“I see them, I spot them and then I walk up to them and I’m like, ‘Hey, my name is Charity, hand hug’ – it always starts with a hand hug – ‘Can I please feature you on my Instagram?’ Then, we do all the little things,” said Pfieffer. “In the beginning, nobody knew what [the account] was. I would ask to feature them, and they would give me this look like, ‘What?’”
But, as Pfieffer continued with it, the account gradually began to show up on more students’ feeds. She would take pictures of her friends’ outfits, which they would then repost on their stories, bringing in more followers from their accounts. In its first two months of running, the Instagram account has accumulated over 300 followers.
An interaction that was initially met with confusion has now turned into an eager “yes” from the majority of students Pfieffer approaches to be featured.
“[Charity] said hi and that she really liked my outfit, then she shared that she runs the Instagram account and asked if I would be ok with her taking a few pictures of my outfit,” said fourth-year psychology major Madison Stevens. “I was honestly so flattered and told her that I’ve been fangirling over the account.”
With over 100 posts so far, Pfieffer’s vision for the account is to create a community through a love of fashion – a common shared interest among many PLNU students. Whether it’s athleisure, comfort wear, beach attire or a dressy outfit, Pfieffer said she wants to feature it all.
“I can just tell when people are walking that they are confident in their outfit, and so I’ll ask them because I know that they really like what they are wearing,” said Pfieffer. “One of my main life goals is to make people feel seen and loved and connected. If I can do that for people through fashion, which so many people on campus enjoy, then that would be an honor.”
A casual compliment on an outfit and a quick post often has students leaving with that quick boost of confidence Pfieffer intended.
“She was very sweet and made me feel comfortable, so I was like, ‘Totally, I’m down,’” said fourth-year biology chemistry major Hannah Rodarte. “I think that it is a sweet way to compliment girls at Loma and make them feel confident about what they are wearing. I love seeing girls support girls, and I think the account gives a platform to do that.”
Now, running an account that is a real-life PLNU Pinterest board, encapsulating the broad and unique fashion sense of the student body, Pfieffer said she sees her own “coastal granddaughter” style taking inspiration from the fits she features.
“People give me the confidence to wear bolder outfits, to style clothes in unique ways that I hadn’t thought of,” said Pfieffer. “I am continually watching the fits on campus to see where the hottest trends are at.”
