CMU School of Drama


Friday, March 08, 2019

CMU Lunar Gala shows off glowing fashion

The Pitt News: After completing their initial walk, models for Carnegie Mellon University’s annual Lunar Gala fashion event waited as the stage became dark, revealing the glow-in-the-dark paint on their garments that highlighted new embellishes on their clothing.

8 comments:

Katie Pyzowski said...

I knew Lunar Gala was a big event, but I had not realized how much this event interacted with the greater Pittsburgh community. I think it is really cool that this event is student created, managed, and designed, that is supported enough by the larger community to be as large as it is, and that it has become an organization that facilitates relationships between students and the other Pittsburgh designers. Organizing a mentoring relationship between student designers and designers from Style412 makes this event more than just a show – it also makes it more of a learning experience for students. I know that there was a ton of School of Drama students involved in Lunar Gala this year, and I was kind of sad that I could not take part in the execution of this event as well (I had class on the performance day). I would love to take a closer at what the lines looked like and what the designer’s processes were. I am particularly interested in laser cut items like the one shown in the article's primary photo.

Cooper Nickels said...

I think Lunar Gala is a really cool opportunity we have here at CMU. I think fashion is often overlooked or not really pursued at a lot of schools, but I am glad it has a place here. Of course it is not as big as schools with specific fashion design departments, but I think it is a good alternative. It is really impressive how much work the designers really put into their lines for something that is completely extracurricular. It is no small feat to build an entire line like these, and I think it is impressive that these people have dedicated so much time and energy to their work. It really shows a desire and willingness to pursue one’s passions, and I think that is a really good thing to offer students. I also love the fact that it is so well attended by Pittsburghers and talked about as a main event in the city’s annual calendar.

Margaret Shumate said...

Lunar Gala was an amazing opportunity, and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it. It’s a very new experience seeing a production that I worked on getting press coverage (even if this article is somewhat riddled with misspellings and inaccuracies…). I think that Lunar Gala is a great place for fashion designers, theatrical designers, and marketing designers to come together and engage in a collaborative process that combines elements of each field. It can be challenging: each area comes with it’s own vocabulary and paradigms, and they don’t always mesh easily, but that’s part of what makes it interesting, and it can be a great learning experience for all involved. When it comes together, it combines into work that we can all be proud of, and that 1200 people can enjoy. I know that this year’s Lunar Gala just happened, but I’m already looking forward to next year.

Willem Hinternhoff said...

Last week I also wrote about Lunar Gala, and again I am writing about it this week. I think that Lunar Gala is a very important and relevant event for Carnegie Mellon and Pittsburgh as a whole. Lunar Gala is such an iconic event for Carnegie Mellon, and I hope to one day participate in it, in some way. I think that this event provides valuable, important information to those who would not likely have another opportunity to gain experience in. A lot of designers for Lunar Gala are not, in fact, costume designers. In fact many people who participate are majors unrelated to Lunar Gala as a whole, such as architecture. I am aware that a lot of architects end up participating in the Gala, as it allows them to flex their proverbial “design” muscles. I understand that this is something that architects lack in their first couple of years, as the building blocks are build for their education.

Maggie Q said...

Lunar Gala was so much fun. I enjoyed participating in something outside my normal school day. This article in particular has a few bumps but overall it gets at what is so amazing about Lunar Gala, which to me is the scale in which young professional adults are able to collaborate in a large team to put on something amazing. It was also a great opportunity to see fellow DP’s do their thing. As freshman classmates can see how I function as a designer, but it’s harder to see how classmates function as a stage manager or leader. LG gave me that opportunity to see my classmates thrive at a new task and let me explore skills I’m not practicing as much in my classes. On a separate note, I’m really glad this article decided to define the title of the show, Anomie. Personally I was really confused when the theme was announced and the posters came out. I thought the title was anime on first glance. Then I thought anemone, as in Nemo’s plant thing. I honestly didn’t figure it out until I had actually been in rehearsal for two days, which for a show so important is kind-of sad. I think it would have been good to do that in their theme reveal video. Overall it was a really amazing experience and I’m fortunate to have participated.

Shahzad Khan said...

I highly recommend Lunar Gala to everyone in the blog, it is such a fun event and it gets even better when more and more people are involved. As was seen in this past years Lunar Gala, you could never use enough managers and everyone has something to give when making an event of this scale. I enjoy doing this because there isn't really anything like it for me in the School of Drama. As a stage manager, I'm always developing a working relationship with the cast of shows, making families amongst the team and the cast, but with Lunar Gala, it feels like you're truly there for the work, and we love every minute of it. Last year, I was an ASM, and the feeling you get when you don't know the models name (because you really don't need to) is unlike anything else. It's also a great opportunity to work with creative directors like Anna Gusman, who isn't exactly like everyone else's speed, who doesn't come from a theatrical world at all, and really combine your knowledge and expertise to make their dreams come true.

Sophie Nakai said...

So I helped with Lunar Gala and it is really interesting to see another part of the production. I only helped as an Usher and with strike so I did not touch this side of the show. It is amazing that this is the only fashion show in Pittsburgh and that so many people come to see it every year. The designs are amazing and I cannot believe that the students are the ones that make them. Watching the show this year really inspired me and I hope that I can play a more active role next year because I would love to design a line and get it showcased. Reading this article is so fun because I know so many people that designed or modeled and I love that they are all being recognized for their months of hard work. I also know two of the producers and I know how much hard work went into making this show as amazing as it was.

GabeM said...

This year, I had the pleasure of being on the production crew for Lunar Gala. This experience was unlike any other I have had, to be a part of such a large scale production that is all student-produced is inspiring. Lunar Gala not only shows off the talent of the designers and models but the talent of the production team and that a team of people can be college students and still pull off the largest fashion show in Pittsburgh. I thought this article was very thorough when it came to the details of the Gala. One complaint I have is when reading articles like this, name drop the designers and producers whenever it is needed, those people worked very hard and deserve the recognition. However, aside from that, I liked how the article gave some history of the event and included some key pictures of some of the garments from the assorted fashion lines.