From skimpy minis to a full line of pastel wedding gowns dubbed "dearly belovely," 150 models strutted gorgeous, bizarre and luscious outfits down the runway at the 22nd Cornell Design League fashion show, April 8 in Barton Hall at Cornell University.

In pursuing the theme Model Citizen -- paying "homage to our growing awareness of issues, fashion and non-fashion related, which continue to confront all citizens around the globe" -- some of the 60 or so student designers opted for ultra-casual. Apparently for some, skin is in. One "outfit" was more flesh than fabric and consisted of a grey lace bra, long gray sleeves and a blue thong bottom that snaked past the navel up the belly to the bra.

The more bizarre (but perhaps tomorrow's rage) conveyed the designers' unbridled creativity and included an otherworldly cream-colored 3-D "dress" composed of horizontal rings and accessorized with a gas mask; a short, belted tunic adorned with floating branches of ribbon jutting out from all ends; and a shimmering painted latex black mini-dress that was long-tailed in the back and bejeweled with red disks, some like floating lollipops.

The designers included textile and apparel majors as well as architecture, human development and even engineering majors. Some participants submitted a single outfit, while others produced full lines of up to nine ensembles. One line came in neon browns; another employed black and white designs in clever combinations. Yet another featured "personas of classic fairy tales stepped out of the woods and emerged from the sea to encounter then embrace the modern realm."

All this just goes to show that some things are never out of fashion when they are out of this world.