Skip to main content

Carnegie Mellon University's annual Lunar Gala(opens in new window) fashion show returned March 22 in CMU's Wiegand Gym. This year's theme of ELYSIUM aims to highlight that "paradise is not a place, it is an act of becoming."

Run entirely by CMU students, the show aims to create a memorable and breathtaking experience that showcases innovative and avant garde artistry through design, modeling, production and dance performance.

This year's producers were Katherine Wang, a junior studying music production(opens in new window) and business(opens in new window), and Jeffrey Zhang, a senior studying information systems(opens in new window) and economics(opens in new window).

Dancers dressed in white hold their arms outstretched to the side, turning to face the audience

Woman stands holding out a flared skirt that is made up of multiple purple, pink, and wine-colored layers. The skirt is paired with a pink bra and a chartreuse green vest overtop.

A woman stands with her arms outstretched to the side, wearing a pleated skirt, wrap bra top, and head covering - all made of the same brown brocade material. The head covering has strategically placed jewels dripping down over her hair, face, and arms.

Woman stands with her hands on her hips, with one shoulder forward. She is wearing a strapless floor-length plum purple gown with delicate fuchsia piping along the bust. She is also wearing a necklace of three silver flowers.

Woman wearing a pale gray bandeau top with a dramatic emerald green skirt walks mid-stride among a dark backdrop with a spotlight highlighting her profile

Two women stand next to each other, touching their outstretched arms. The one on the left is wearing a crop top and skirt made of knitted black fabric that has draped strings down her arms and legs. The woman on the right is wearing a similar outfit of distressed knits but in white, along with a white head covering tied with a bow under her chin.

Woman poses with one shoulder forward while wearing a navy blue one-shoulder dress with delicate ruching towards the right side of her waist. In contrast with the deep blue of her dress, she has pearls woven into her long dark hair that frames her face.

Woman poses with one hand on her hip and the other bent at the elbow pointing up. She is wearing a dramatic burgundy strapless corset-top dress with several gold necklaces layered around her neck.

A woman walks down the runway, wearing a cage in the shape of a hoop skirt, with the metal exposed and intertwined with white fluffy tulle fabric and pink and green flowers. She has an inverted version of the hoop skirt starting at her waist and extending outward as it comes up around her head. The top part is also intertwined with tulle and flowers, and has a sort of veil draping down from it to frame the model.

A woman wearing a delicate sparkly crown stands while leaning back slightly and holding her hands in a fluttering motion near her face. She is wearing a multicolored dress with a pattern of thin lines shaped in an abstract pattern made up of purple, yellow, red, green, and beige. She is also wearing a dark denim vest over the top part of the dress.

Closeup of a woman's face, wearing white face makeup with dramatic red spots of blush on her cheeks and red lipstick. She gazes into the camera, contrasting her dark hair with gold hoop earrings and a burgundy hand fan that is pressed just against her face.

A man poses holding one hand out slightly in front of him, with his other hand tilted up with two fingers pointing up just in front of his face. He is wearing a gold circle attached to a headdress and has multiple layers of long gold and jeweled necklaces. His outfit is a series of gorgeously draped fabrics, with one pale purple shirt that stretches to his legs, and a pale pink fabric draped starting at his waist and going around his body. His arms are draped in elegant sleeves, one in red and one in purple

A woman walks forward while wearing a short one-shoulder dress made of white tulle fabric. The dress has more white fluffy tulle extending up her shoulder, down one sleeve, and in an elegant and dramatic train behind her.

A woman poses with her face tilted to the side, holding her arm up and out. She is wearing a majestic gown made of a layered red tulle skirt, a gorgeous iridescent corset-like top with red tulle around the bust extending into small sleeves around her upper arms. The dress also has a thin ruffle of iridescent blue fabric gathered around her waist, adding contrast and drama to the voluminous burgundy skirt.

A crowd of people stands cheering and celebrating all around the circular Lunar Gala stage, with production staff and designers standing onstage and clapping. At the center of the stage is a woman waving her hand in the air while being lifted onto the shoulders of two friends; all cheering.

— Related Content —