The Midnight Masquerade Charity Fashion Show flaunted a cornucopia of fashion designs and styles – from pop art-inspired dresses to “Star Wars” costumes – by Sacramento State students Tuesday at the Sacramento State University Union Ballroom.

More than 200 people attended the charity event Tuesday. (Image by: John Hernandez) Design line by Tamika Bellamy (Image by: John Hernandez)

Design line by Irma Tchamourian-Zamora (Image by: John Hernandez)

More than 200 people attended the two-hour charity event, which helped raised funds for the Autism Center for Excellence at Sacramento State or A.C.E., a program by United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Sacramento that provides socialization training programs for children ages 8-12 diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

SFA donated part of the proceeds from the event in the amount of $300 to UCP.

To welcome guests, while keeping with the midnight masquerade theme, the Student Fashion Association (SFA) members donned black clothing, and some of them wore Mardi Gras-style masks. At the ticket booth, attendees bought the Mardi Gras-style masks for $5 and had the opportunity to get their pictures taken at a designated photo booth.

Mardi Gras-style masks sold at the event (Image by: John Hernandez)

"It's more or less a chance for other people in the club to get to have more fun with it," SFA member Lacey Taylor, a 22-year-old apparel and design marketing student, said about the theme of the fashion show and how everyone got to dress up and show their creative side.

SFA President Cassandra Coleman and Miss Asia America Sacramento Princess Emily Tang, drew raffle winners. (Image by: John Hernandez)

Hosted by Miss Asia America Sacramento Princess Emily Tang, the club holds a charity fashion show each semester, with a new theme each time. This is the first time club members have collaborated with Miss Asia America Sacramento, a pageant that offers scholarships to women ages 16-26, said Tang, 21.

"A.C.E. is on campus, and we wanted to keep it within our community," said SFA President Cassandra Coleman, 23, an apparel and marketing design student. Coleman added that she really liked the nonprofit organization, because her sister has Asperger’s Syndrome, a similar version of autism, and can relate to the need for such program.

Made up mostly of Sacramento State students, the designers featured on the show included: co-designers Lacey Taylor and Samantha Rachele Hansen, Julia Moua, Irma Tchamourian-Zamora, Nikki Khotpanya, Joycelynn Brown and Tamika Bellamy.

For Khotpanya, 21, much of her inspiration came from Laotian culture and architecture, from the soft lines of the monk's attire to the hard lines of the temples, she said.

"The fabric is hard, but it's not chiffon; it's like a hard kind of fabric, but then it drapes easily around the body," Khotpanya said of the taffeta fabric that she used for designs.

The stylists featured at the event were Anakarina Pimentel, Elisabeth Poulos, Adrienne Deloatch, Gina Sanchez, Fiona Lau, and Jennifer Siopongco.

Denim Spot Clothing styled by Fiona Lau. (Image by: John Hernandez)

"A designer takes time and design the actual clothing and the stylist they put together the outfit that fits the model and the over all line,” Fiona Lau, 22, apparel design and marketing student said.

Federico Beauty Institute, a cosmetology school, provided hair and make-up for all the models. Some of the model’s make-up were done by the designers and stylists.

Bellamy, 22, SFA vice president, said her line was inspired by pop art.

"I decided to use bright colors coming from pop art pictures, and then I combined it with a little off-white," she said, adding that the five outfits were introduced at the runway.

Sanchez, 19, a stylist for the show, said the event gave her the freedom to put her own twist to Legacy Boutique's apparel, one of three Midtown businesses along with Heart Clothing Boutique and Denim Spot that were featured at the show.

"We have boutiques from Midtown who sponsor us, and we get clothes from them and outfit models," she said.

SFA members Fiona Lau and Jennifer Siopongco. (Image by: John Hernandez)

"We just feel that their styles mix with what we want to showcase this semester," SFA Public Relations Officer Jennifer Siopongco said.

Audio slideshow by John G. Hernandez