- July 16, 2022
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- 11 minutes read
Haute Dogs: The Latest Designer Canine Fashion from Ralph Lauren, Burberry and More – Forbes Now
Little Lola Sunshine in a Gucci inspired Lola & Pooch design and Gucci sunglasses outside a fashion… [+]
In the world of “canine couture,” dogs are dressed in cashmere sweaters, branded sun glasses, collars with precious stones and knitted, tailored shoes. The social networks are populated by a growing number of celebrity dogs and cats, the “#petfluencers,” who promote products, advise their followers and have their own brands of products.
Adjusting a dog’s dark grey jacket with a high collar and buttons down the front at Temellini’s… [+]
The most recent news about the world of high-end products for super-elegant canines comes from Italy. A fashion designer in Milan who has worked for more than 25 years in human high fashion and a veteran of brands including Bottega Veneta and Armani has launched a new line of canine couture that has drawn international attention.
Exclusive designs made to measure from Italy Photo: Temellini Dog A Porter
Woolen coats, hooded jackets, striped t-shirts, cashmere polos all in exclusive designs and made-to-order for each pooch according to size and breed, and to match the owner’s elegance and style are among the offers of the new “Italian sartorial experience for human and dogs” by Temellini Dog A Porter.
A very elegant dog at a best-dressed pet contest Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The fashion house works from dog-shaped mannequins to create the various sizes for different breeds, including dachshunds, dobermans, basset hounds and greyhounds that are adjusted to fit the “personal” measurements of each customer. As for the prices, a cashmere T-shirt is $171, a merino-wool bomber jacket $260 and a coat with small pockets around $300.
A special edition of winter jackets by Moncler and Poldo Dog Couture that sold out last year
A dalmatian wearing a spotted coat at a dog fashion show in England Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Here are other examples of the available array of decadent doggie luxury fashion items:
“Ultrachic and refined clothing for dogs” by Poldo Dog Couture, also from Italy, offers “the trendiest baseball style bomber jacket, 100% handmade in Italy, with side pockets, luxurious metal hardware and customizable patch letter (a must-have for your stylish pups)” starting at $220. A hooded raincoat costs about the same.
A dog model at the Anthony Rubio canine couture and woman’s wear collection during Fashion Week in… [+]
In a recent article about the latest designer outerwear for fashionista-dogs, The Telegraph included descriptions of some of the models and the price tags of what they were wearing:
Dexter, the miniature dachshund, for example, “enjoyed modelling his pink-checked Mungo & Maud pullover” that bore a price of $125 while Luddo, a whippet, wore a $300 monogrammed-canvas collar from Louis Vuitton and ate from a $735 Versace porcelain dog bowl.
Applying nail polish to the paws of Theo Brody at the Chateau Poochie, a luxury hotel for dogs which… [+]
“Meanwhile, Sascha the saluki cut a dash in her Sniffie houndstooth cape, embellished with a diamanté trim, looking at home on an elegant button-back chaise,” the paper explained.
There are pillows and cushions for the pups’ beds at around $70 each from Mutts and Hounds, and Charley Chau’s wooden beds “painted in three coats of Farrow & Ball that can be custom-matched to your own wall color,” because, as noted by the founder of luxury dog and cat outfitter Mungo and Maud (where a leather dog bed starts at $2,700): “No one wants to spend the time making their house perfect and then have pet accessories that don’t work within it.”
Tinkerbell, spied at New York Fashion Week Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images
“Burberry and Ralph Lauren vie to fill the seasonal wardrobes of couture canines,” reports The Telegraph. “While Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton, Brunello Cucinelli, Hermés and British heritage house Connolly provide dapper collars and leads.”
The list of lavish and fanciful products for dogs can go on forever as the demands of affluent pet owners grow and get more extravagant. That tendency includes parfumes, specially-tailored food to fulfill complicated dietary requirements, high-end, dog-friendly hotels when the pets are traveling with their owners and ultra-luxury hotels for dogs’ vacation or while their masters are traveling.
A model dog with its fur-covered purple at a Paris fashion show Photo: Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty… [+]
“Essex Pooch Palace in Wickford, England, features centrally-heated bedrooms, suites with chandeliers and tufted chairs, chauffeured pick-ups and drop-offs, butler greetings, day trips to beaches, a disco-themed spa and a private cinema where dog guests can watch their favorite movies,” according to the National Post in an article about the dogs that are part of the 0.01%.
“The D Pet Hotel in New York City will collect your dog in a Rolls Royce or Ferrari, while Chateau Poochie in Florida charters jets upon request and offers aromatherapy sessions, hair color streaking and customized pet birthday parties.”
About to start its catwalk at a Sao Paulo Fashion Pet show Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/GettyImages
In a her review of the recent fifth spring/summer Canine Couture collection in New York, Mona Chalabi from The Guardian wrote in a sobering and compassionate column: “These dogs were petrified. And it feels as though I was the only person that was worried….Everyone else is grinning. Everyone.”
In her analysis she finds the whole canine luxury fashion world offensive. “Dogs don’t have egos,” she insists. “Humans do. They are unburdened by any idea of the self. Isn’t that why they don’t need clothes, let alone fashion shows – they have no modesty to protect. Their genitals can hang freely. Nay (I’m getting riled up now) their genitals should hang freely.”