‘The Mirror Stage’: FashionX transforms Memorial Church into runway

Beneath the romanesque arches of Memorial Church, the pews were transformed into an haute-couture runway for FashionX’s fourth annual sold-out production, “The Mirror Stage,” on Feb. 28. Inspired by the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan, the show explored the “ecstatic limit” of self-perception through avant-garde student designs.

In front of the church, the line began forming nearly an hour before doors opened, stretching down the arcades of Main Quad.

But backstage, student designers and models were preparing to put on a show. Organizer Jacob Tan ’27 described the preparation behind the student-run and student-performed show. “From the lights to the arbor, everyone here puts so much of their heart and soul. I really am grateful to be a part of it,” he said. 

The show began in near-total darkness, the historic silence of Memorial Church replaced with the mechanical thrum of pulsing music. A distorted voice served as the master of ceremonies (MC), welcoming the audience in the sanctuary illuminated only by a glowing, white “X.” 

As the music intensified, the lighting shifted into rapid, multi-colored strobe effects — flashing blues, purples and reds across the golden backdrop of the church’s chancel. The show emerged into what the MC described as the “drama of primordial jealousy,” a reference to the complex and often competitive nature of self-perception.

The beat dropped into a faster tempo, signaling the start of the first model’s walk down the makeshift aisle-turned-runway: Avery Pigott ’28, wearing a design by her brother Blake Pigott ’26. Dressed entirely in white — down to a veiled silver peruk — the model’s debut set the stage for dozens more to follow. 

Down the runway came models in floor-length gowns: one in green with a matching veil, pink flowers cascading down and around the skirt; another in iridescent colors whose sleeves fanned out like butterfly wings. In line with the show’s theme, a strong silver theme emerged throughout, with dresses reflecting like mirrors under the stage lights. Models showed off skirts and bodices made of multicolored peacock feathers, shells sewed into fabric that clinked with each step and accessories from a glowing lotus lamp to a sword. 

Claire Chi ’28 walked out with a 3D-printed sword, the blade catching light as she turned. “It is a battle-inspired design,” she told The Daily. She described feeling “empowered” by the sweeping cape, “like a soldier as a woman headed out onto the runway.”

Ian Briski ’27 received a standing ovation when he hit the runway. Suffering a brain injury several years prior, the former student-athlete said he didn’t expect to walk the runway. “I thought it seemed fun, but I didn’t expect anybody to ask me because I know I am not the smoothest walker,” he said.

But when designers Temple Landry ’27, Maeya Sagna ’29 and Claire Nockolds ’27 invited Briski to model their look, he said yes. “I try and do things to have experiences that make me a little nervous,” Briski said. “It’s fun.” 

Inspired by the show’s theme and Briski’s background as a former background as a javelin thrower on the Stanford track and field team, the design team created a metallic acrylic chest plate reminiscent of ancient Olympic armor.

“We mostly did it to signify strength,” Landry said. When the designers found out the runway included stairs, Nockolds decided to walk beside Briski to help him descend, in consideration of the model’s injuries.

Among the night’s models was also Alma Cooper M.S. ’25 Knight-Hennessy scholar and former Miss USA 2024, who came down the runway in a white-lace gown with flower detailing along the train.

Chloe Trujillo ’25 M.S. ’26 co-designed a look with Lynn Collardin ’26 that featured a chainmail headpiece made of 2,000 individually stitched metal rings. Inspired by the mirror stage theme and the idea of projection, Trujillo described the piece as “permeable armor,” reflecting how “fashion is not the best defense mechanism.”

The theme further pushed designers to interrogate identity, reflection and perception. 

Designer Grace Thompson ’26 explored identity in her design. “I was inspired by forming an identity under a gaze — how people of color, specifically Black Americans, often have to form an identity under the white gaze,” she said. 

Thompson interned at Nike this past summer, focusing on material design work and fashion engineering. Her first look for her model, Jaden Clark ’26, featured sharp lines and layered construction, “building up an identity for self-protection,” while the second incorporated cracks and contrasting fabrics, suggesting “a shell is breaking or something new is forming,” Thompson told The Daily.

Clark wore flared pants with spikes down the sides. “[Thompson] really did her thing, using real denim, real quality fabric,” Clark said. “You see a lot of dresses, but we stand out in that we have more of an elevated streetwear.” 

Michael Malone ’26, another model for Thompson’s designs, called it “stepping out of my comfort zone” but a “cool experience” nonetheless.

Also inspired by the theme, designer Ishrita Pol ’26 created an orange and yellow flower-themed dress adorned with melting Dali clocks, modeled by Solange Sylvain ’26.

Tributes to heritage followed, as Riya Narayan ’26 wore an Indian-inspired design with a wheel mounted on her back that caught the stage lights and reflected them across the church. “The wheel represents the wheel on the flag of India, and I’m super happy to be wearing something from my home country,” she said.

The models made two rounds of the runway, before all gathering in a semi-circle in front of the neon “X”, mirroring the symmetry of the show’s theme.

“Since the theme of FashionX is mirrors, [the design] is symmetrical across the body down the center,” designer Kealia Victorino ’25 M.A. ’26 said. The team thought a lot about reflections, “not just literally but also reflecting on growth and how your life develops over time.”

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