I’m embarrassed to say that it took me almost three years at Carnegie Mellon to make it to the famed Lunar Gala. Given the hype I’ve heard, I was expecting to enter the show and be magically transported to some ethereal time and place. In retrospect, this was an unrealistic expectation, but I still really enjoyed the show. This year’s Lunar Gala, “Liminal,” focused on the spaces between spaces — transitions between states.
Wiegand Gym felt like the conference room of a fancy hotel — people were dressed up and everyone smelled good. The stage was a sort of cross shape, with a row of metal frames increasing in height standing in the center of the stage like a ribcage. I really loved the way this part of the set design centered the stage and created interest and dynamics as models walked around and through it. At the beginning of the runway, there was a large screen with a doorway in the center. This was fantastic. Each part of the show had different computer-generated art that set the scene for each designer or dance. Most of them were like rolling footage through endless hallways which had been designed to look “liminal” or unreal. These videos were accompanied by what seemed to be student-generated electronic music, all of which were very, very cool. The music accompanying each clothing line was my favorite part of the show — it brought so many of the design themes to life.
Photo by Ire Alarape
Even outside of the fashion designs themselves, artifacts of strong design are littered across the Lunar Gala advertisements, set design, programs, and website. I personally don’t think the website is extremely usable, but I did love the aura that all the components brought to the experience. I also thought that the vertical-line logo design which transformed into words on the screen during the show was tremendous, and its use in advertising is a testament to how well-marketed this event is on campus.
The fashion designs themselves were really cool and cohesive. Each line had a distinct vibe; I especially liked Nandini and Opulence for their focus on specific topics. Themes covered by designers included the 2000s, the insect life cycle, tradition, and perfectionism, among many others. All the clothes looked so well-made, and I loved how some of them became performance objects that the models used, such as knit dresses with an overarching umbrella-like structure that fit two models who walked together. There were so many different colors, shapes, and textures, that I began to wonder what is impossible in fashion.
The models were all super talented, and it was cool to see them bring designs to life through different acting and posing choices. I was really disappointed to see a distinct lack of size diversity in the models — a harsh reality in the real modeling industry that I had hoped would not carry into a university setting where we are free to break rules like that. Even models who did not conform to this standard were markedly absent from photos in the program. I’ve heard many times that the modeling audition process for Lunar Gala is highly selective, and I wondered why this was the case when there were so many designers. To me, it seemed like they could have included twice the number and variety of models, which would likely have made the show more interesting to watch.
Photo by Ire Alarape
Overall, though, it was evident how much effort went into the entire production, and I loved watching it. I had never thought about clothes or fashion in the context of art, nor had I ever been to a fashion show before. I was struck by how much it was like being at a museum or watching a dance show (which was also part of Lunar Gala), and I was really fascinated by it. There are so many experiences that I’ve had at Carnegie Mellon that make me so proud of the work and passion we all have for really interesting things. Lunar Gala, from the dancers to the models to the behind-the-scenes work, made me feel like I go to a super special school and am surrounded by awesome people.
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