LOVELY MOON
CMU students’ Lunar Gala fashion show to be screened online
Carnegie Mellon University’s Lunar Gala typically attracts hundreds of people. This year, organizers hope fans of the student-run fashion show will watch it online. The Lunar Gala (2021.lunargala.org), which was filmed in advance due to COVID19 restrictions on indoor events, will air at 8:30 p.m. Saturday on YouTube Premiere and be available for viewing afterward on YouTube.com and via Facebook. The theme is “Collectiva,” and 16 lines of clothing will be featured.
“It’s basically an exploration of our interconnectedness and how the ecosystems we’re part of and how everything we do affects everything around us,” said producer Jessica Timczyk, a senior who’s studying human computer interaction and technical writing and communication. “Especially because of COVID-19 forcing everyone to be separate, we wanted to highlight how even though we’re physically separate, the actions we make and choices we make still affect everyone around us.”
Planning the Lunar Gala is a multimonth labor of love for CMU students. This year, though, they didn’t know how, when or where exactly the show would go on until late February, Timczyk said.
“It was very hectic and stressful. Basically we were planning for multiple scenarios,” she said.
Once they received permission to film in person on campus, production got underway in March. Over the course of three days, models and other performers were filmed in small groups showing off the featured lines.
Recording and editing the show created more opportunities for students to get involved, Timczyk said. To accommodate these new tasks, a cinematography team was developed.
Model auditions were conducted on Zoom. “They walked their model walk in front of their Zoom camera. That’s how the rehearsals went, too.”
Fewer models were used this year to allow for social distancing and to make sure room capacity limits on campus were followed while filming.
Lunar Gala usually works with professional hair and makeup artists to style models for the show. This year, the pros created style sheets with tips that models could follow to do their own hair and makeup at home.
When it’s held in person, the fashion show is a ticketed event, and money raised goes toward production costs and supporting next year’s event. The online show will be screened for free, although donations are welcome, Timczyk said. Funding was provided by three university and student funds to help cover the costs of the show.
Despite the change in format, she said this year’s Lunar Gala brought students together — even while they’re physically apart.
“Since CMU doesn’t have any fashion classes or majors, it is the only way to get involved in anything fashion. But it also brings students from across the university together,” she said. “It’s a really great community.”