It’s everyday for many of us, but why not celebrate it with a special day? Yep, it’s Spoil Your Dog Day, and I’ve found some wonderful items for the stylish pup!

Having just experienced my first SuperZoo pet convention, which was an overwhelming experience with thousands of vendor booths, I’m fresh off the floor with some brands so new, they’ve just debuted there, and others I’ve newly discovered and love. I’m excited to share them with you.

Here are my top 10, in no particular order,  for the style loving pet parent!

Willis for President

They’re eco-friendly, shelter dog conscious and super cool. With the slogan, “Every Dog Deserves a Bed,” the brand, founded by Nicole Widowski and Rob Viola, was inspired by their dog, Willis, who’d done good deeds in their home city of New York, giving out his treats to dogs in need.

Utilizing recycled, 100% cotton tee shirts, they make one of a kind pet beds that are original. Each bed is unique and each is backed with locally-sourced denim. They’re filled with a light poly. I loved them and, if you like arty, vintage, cool kid stuff, you will, too. www.willisforpresident.com.

Bella Bean Couture & Finnegan’s Standard Goods

I usually pass the canvas or ribbon collars by at pet conventions, not because some of them aren’t pretty, but because there are just so many of them. I like to share more unusual things with you.

However, as I was passing the Bella Bean booth (that’s a tongue twister!), something caught my eye and I stopped, turned around, looked again and knew I had to check these out.

I’m glad I did, because Michelle Clinton, founder of the Bella Bean, designs and makes some of the most beautiful and interesting collars and leashes I’ve seen. I especially connected with her newest line, Finnegan’s Standard Goods, named for their third dog, Finn, and each piece has a No. 3 and three small, woven lines to represent that.

There are many styles in this collection, from Vintage Indigo Shibori to Limited Edition Ikat; from French Countryside to Flannel, channeling our favorite, cozy, faded flannel shirts. Michelle also has  eco-friendly, 100% cotton and water resistant waxed cotton styles. Matching leashes for all. A must see.

For more traditional and beautiful tastes, the Bella Bean collection is perfect.

See both at www.bellabeancouture.com and www.finnegansstandardgoods.com.

Suitical

This is an innovative, stylish Dutch company solving problems for pet parents. If your dog or cat has just had surgery or has itchy skin, using a “cone of shame” is so passe. Suitical, with the tagline “Happy Recovery,” makes full body and partial body suits that prevent your baby from getting to its affected area(s), while keeping them comfortable and looking great.

At SuperZoo, Suitical debuted its new cooling vest, a first-of-its-kind garment that cools the body with plain water. Just pour some into the designated spout and the smart technology in the vest knows to cool the dog’s body to its optimum temperature. Suitical is doing some exciting things, which you’ll hear more about on the blog and in the radio show in the future, so stay tuned. For more info, go to www.suitical.com.

The Wooly

When I saw this product, which made its debut at SuperZoo, I had no idea what it did, but I liked how it looked. It’s a noodle rug at first site, but when I spoke with Wooly maker, Paw5 co-founder, Dennis O’Donnell, I discovered it’s so much more.

The Wooly is actually a way to feed your dog and stimulate their foraging instincts and, therefore, their brains at the same time. For dry food feeders, it’s especially easy. Just drop the dog’s meal into and throughout the rug, and set your pup to finding the nuggets.

For wet food feeders and raw feeders, it’s a bit messy, but doable, and the rug is machine washable.

The Wooly is made by a woman-owned coop in rural Thailand, and I love that Paw5 is creating jobs for these ladies. The women drew inspiration for the design from the nature around them. They used up cycled cotton from the tee shirt industry there, and I could feel the stretch and texture of our favorite tee’s in the material. The Wooly is also eco-friendly. I’ll be trying one in the coming weeks and will report on how we do with it, so stay tuned. It’s so new, it’s not yet up on the Paw5 website. I’ll keep you posted on this one.

Dazzle Pet

My friend, Ann Clinger, makes gorgeous, very blingy collars for pets. But this year at SuperZoo, she debuted two completely new collections I love. The more affordable Cute as a Button collection featured the stand out Peter Pan-shaped collar. This charming piece is very stylish, with its dazzling rhinestone border and featured rhinestone cluster. It’s also cruelty-free, made from a polyurethane that wipes clean easily.  It currently comes in pale pink and is available in 10″ – 20″ sizes.

Talk of the Dog Park is another new collection for the active lifestyle dog. It’s the first active-oriented collection for Dazzle Pet, yet it retains the fashionable and attention-getting qualities of other Dazzle Pet pieces.

This collection features collars made from polymer coated webbing. Ann uses a variety of colors and patterns, including a Paris-themed Eiffel Tower motif and an ombre leopard pattern. But, there are lots of others.

The leash she chose to feature was pretty cool, with a row of round LED lights along it, which you can recharge, by removing the egg-shaped piece from the leash and charging that. Love! For more info, go to www.dazzlepet.net.

The Quilted Belly Pouch & More

Jeanne Chin of JCLA is one of my favorite people in the pet industry. She designed the Rescue Me carrier I bought three years ago and continue to get stopped on the street about.

This year, she has some new, very light weight carriers with laser cut designs and chain detailing that are very chic and allow you to conceal your pup in what looks like a women’s handbag. The linings are contrasting in color and it’s all cruelty-free.

But…when I saw the quilted belly pouch, everything went to slo mo and the music kicked in! Think if Chanel decided to make a belly pack that transforms into a shoulder strap, complete with chain links, pebbled quilting and a dual zipper. The pouch is generous, but not too big and will hold your necessities – you know,  poop bags, treats, phone and keys.

Add a bedazzled Chihuahua head silhouette (she’ll be making other dog types soon, too) and that it’s all cruelty free, and you can see why I flipped out over this bag and begged Jeanne to sell it to me. It’s a testament to how nice she is that she did, because this baby is the only one in existence at this point! Jeanne has been wanting to make it for years, so you’ll be able to get one of your own soon. Stay tuned here for more info. To see Jeanne’s other great products, go to www.jclaboutique.com.

Lavish Pets

Elly Kaye is one fashionable girl. She’s an LA-based model, singer, dancer who became frustrated looking for a reflective garment for her baby, Bella. So, she designed her own. Elly debuted her brand, Lavish Pets, at SuperZoo, and I was impressed!

With an entire collection of glow in the dark couture, called Gloture, featuring everything from that coat she made to a party dress,  shirt collar and more, this collection is innovative and beautiful.

But that wasn’t enough. Elly is very prolific and she’s got an eye for solving problems for dog parents. She’s created plush mats that turn into carriers and gorgeous party dresses; stylish coats, accessories and more. Keep an eye out for Lavish Pets. This girl is going to be making some noise. For more info, go to www.lavishpets.com.

Evans Collars

Fine Austrian crystals on velvet? Pretty patterns? Yes, please! I passed this booth and, like a cartoon character following a great aroma, nose first, my love of bling drew me in. Turns out this is a 50 year old company, run by one family. Their collars and leashes are well-made and very pretty, and the ones I loved most – the velvets and faux leathers – are cruelty-free. And, wait until you see the colors to choose from! Violet, royal, neon pink, regal red…there are many and when you’re talking velvet, the effect is lush, rich.

Suffice to say, I had to get one for each of my dogs. Walking the SuperZoo show is dangerous work, my lovelies! 🙂 To see more and order, go to www.evanscollars.com.

Soggy Doggy

How may times has your pup run in from playing outside, promptly jumped on the couch and made a mess of it all? My hand’s up; how about yours? Soggy Doggy can help with that. They make noodle rugs and wipes from millions of textured, ultrafine strands woven together, so the surface area of these products expands tremendously.  This expansive surface area is the secret to the microfiber chenille’s tremendous absorbing power. It’s fast drying, too. Love the feel and the colors.

Beside rugs in various sizes, they also make a shammy you slip your hands into to make for easy drying of the doggies. I’m going to be testing one on my unruly brood soon, so stay tuned on the blog for how things go for us. For more info, go to www.soggydoggydoormat.com.

Jeweleash

We’ve seen pearl and jeweled leashes, but these are more dazzling and better made. And, what makes this brand even better are the beautiful, bedazzled harnesses founder Eriko Liebers designs and makes.

Eriko & her pup, Wasabi

Both feature Swarovski crystals and Japanese pearls and when your pup is rocking this, trust me, they will stand out. For more info, go to www.jeweleash.com.

Summary

SuperZoo is a great place to discover stylish brands from around the world, and I came across several I’d never heard of and loved. Hope you enjoyed learning about them with me. Stay tuned for a special radio show on Bella Bean Couture and on reviews of some of the products in this post.

Which of these would you spoil your dog with? Or, is it all of them?! 🙂

Elegant and inspired, Anthony Rubio’s Fall/Winter 2016 New York Fashion Week runway show was a triumph, pushing the designer to new and greater heights! His were truly the most beautiful dogs of fashion week, but the pup’s accessory models, as Anthony likes to call the humans, were so impressively dressed, I am excited I got to experience it all, and want to share these dazzling designs with you!

Who is Anthony Rubio?

If you haven’t been reading the 5-week Bark & Swagger series from Anthony called Just My Style, and you’re not connected to the world of haute couture dog fashion, you may not know Anthony Rubio. He is a pet couturier, a prolific, extraordinarily creative fashion designer who studied his craft at F.I.T. (the Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York and chose the path of designing for pets.

Anthony has clients from all over the world, who seek him out for his jewel-encrusted, bright-colored, statement pieces. With this, his second New York Fashion Week runway show presentation, Rubio has, in my opinion, taken his designing to another level. He is clearly more aligned with the European designers that inspire him, and there’s a reason. Read on to find out what the catalyst was for this brilliant collection!

Experience other cultures and be inspired!

Photo credit: Anthony Rubio

Travel can be incredibly inspirational for a designer. Whether it’s an exotic locale like Morocco, or a classic one like England, France or Italy, designers throughout the ages have found inspiration in the colors, textures and lighting of a culture’s architecture, textiles, art and more.

For Anthony, it was the time he spent last year in Italy that informed this show, in everything from the rich, deep colors of his fabrics to the way he layered or embellished them to achieve his vision, one he describes as Italian Baroque.

Photo credit: Anthony Rubio

“On my recent trip to Italy, I had the privilege of a private viewing of the works of artists like Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Raphael, Dosso Dossi and Jacopo Bassano at Galleria Borghese,” Rubio shared.  “I was, at first, taken by the rooms and the elaborate decor and the richness of color. The paintings drew me in to get a closer look and study of depth and contrasts. I noticed so much darkness surrounding the saturated colors. This was what inspired the choice of colors for my collection.”

Nicole & Henry strut down the runway in a saturated, rich yellow piece with sequined netting overlay Photo credit: NYC Dogswag

I asked Anthony how the particular fabrics he chose, reflected this theme.

“At first, I chose textiles in colors that had just the right sheen and texture as I was going for, but that was still not enough,” Anthony explained.  “There was something more that needed to be done to bring the depth to the forefront. I studied the art work, and when shopping for the fabrics, I  came to realize that I was not bringing in enough of the darkness. I had a moment of enlightenment,  realizing that to capture that depth, I would have to layer the fabrics. I chose to layer dark sheer netting over the bright saturated fabric, in this case shantung, and it worked beautifully. To add that final touch I was looking for, I chose to use glass beaded netting. The bead work is in rich jewel tones of deep crimson red, emerald greens, amber, gold and deep blue.” Stunning!

Instagram dog, Marshall, shows off his and his human’s rich, brocade outfits.

The Piece De Resistance…

The final design that comes down the runway is a very important piece, indeed. It’s meant to tie the show together for the viewer and leave them wow’ed. The dress Anthony chose was just breathtaking. Its skirting was so voluminous and intricate, the color so wonderful, I wanted to know what fabrics and embellishments he used to achieve this incredible effect.

The Grand Finale Ball Gown; Bogie complements in his coat of many colors Photo credit: Dez Santana

“As a designer, I knew that I had to leave my audience with a lasting impression,” Rubio declared. “The last piece had to bring that Wow factor. I chose to do a huge, over-sized ball gown with a contemporary feel. I wanted to recapture that old fashioned way of closing a show with a wedding gown, but at the same time, I did not want it to be an actual wedding gown. I must confess, I really wanted to do this closing piece in a rich red, but after shopping for fabrics and trying red, it started to look too much like Christmas. It’s funny, because the show was unexpectedly moved up to February 14th,  Valentine’s Day, from the original 17th, and perhaps that red might have been better received, but I stumbled upon this rich navy blue, sequined, sheer fabric, which has metallic gold embroidery. I knew right away this would be the show stopper.

“To achieve the depth and volume, I used layers of navy organza, which was also used for the train. I created a simple, three quarter sleeved top with a scooped neckline, and attached an applique I made from the same sequined fabric on the skirt. That made the entire look more contemporary and less stiff. The end result was that magical gown,  which stole everyone’s breath away as it seemed to glide down the runway. [My Chihuahua model] Bogie wore a robe of many rich colors, which I decorated with tiny metallic autumn leaves. The collar of the robe was jeweled in crystals and amber.”

Who was Anthony’s special canine guest?

If the human models were dressed so elaborately, the dog, who Anthony always calls the stars of his runways, were certainly no slouches. I asked Anthony if there was an especially challenging dog outfit he created in this collection.

“In this show, I had a very special canine guest,” Rubio divulged. “You may recognize him. He was rescued by Bideawee and went on to became the poster dog for their adoption campaign, including a huge billboard in Times Square. He was ultimately adopted by a wonderful gentleman, Todd B. Richter, who donates to Bideawee.

“For Henry, I created a vest of putty-colored ultra suede, to which I attached a very opulent layer of black sheer netting encrusted with vines and flowers of metallic gold, black jet beads and white crystals. His accessory model, Nicole, wore a fabulous dress, which featured a mustard yellow skirt, covered with the same sheer jeweled fabric as the one on Henry’s vest.” It was so beautiful and I couldn’t help myself from oo’ing and ah’ing, but I wanted to know how regular pet parents could incorporate such opulence into their dog’s wardrobe.

Henry in his complementing vest Photo credit: Rula Kanawati Photography

“All of the garments, though opulent, can be used for various occasions,” Anthony explained. “There are so many dog friendly functions, as well as weddings. I attend fundraisers for shelters and I dress up my boys in elaborate outfits like these to make that grand entrance.” And you, do, Anthony, my darling…you do! We look forward to seeing what you’re going to dress those boys in next!

Now, more of the runway!

Yellow floral, sequined gown and dog coat. Ceili the Shih Tzu was the winner of a contest to model in the show.

A gorgeous floral paisley skirt and embellished top. Model is walking Roxie.

A dramatic, sequined, bold striped gown worn by model walking Leonberger, Mr. America, in a stunning filmy, blue sequined vest.

Instagram dog star, Mochi of @MochiintheCity, in a rich colored coat.

Dex, the Dachshund, in a lovely colored olive green, sequined and appliquéd jacket.

What are Naughty Ties and how do they fit in here?

Speaking earlier of what’s next, Anthony is doing so many things right now, including a new men’s shirting line and his Naughty Ties, an embellished and whimsical tie collection for humans. Would this fertile time of inspiration and vision give birth to other things for these fabrics and this palette?

Anthony in one of his Naughty Ties Photo courtesy of Anthony Rubio Designs

“Oh, you are so intuitive!” Rubio exclaimed. “Yes, I have started the new Naughty Ties, using some of the same fabrics, as well as colors. I am thinking I’ll create other men’s accessories, as well, to match the pups.”

Another Naughty Ties style
Photo courtesy of Anthony Rubio Designs

Ladies, alert your stylish guys and guy friends and consider for yourselves. I love a woman in a smart tie! Fashion lovers…Anthony Rubio is in the house!

After a very long day, a tired but happy Rubio at the afterparty with Kimba, both still in their runway attire. Bravo, Anthony!!

Hear more from Anthony Rubio in my exclusive post-fashion show radio interview on my YouTube channel! Please Subscribe for more interviews and other stylish stuff! 🙂
 

For more information on Anthony Rubio Designs.

If you like what you’ve seen and want more, subscribe to our email list and become a part of the Bark & Swagger Family!

What’s your favorite Anthony Rubio design?

Fashion hounds of the two and four-legged kind, there’s a fun and fabulous designer dog fashion competition going on right now you’ve got to know about! Want to discover the designers canine couture-lovers seek out?   The ones who help set the trends? They’re all gathering in one place through November 10th, displaying some of their best designs, under the umbrella of an organization called PawVogue. And, we can get a sneak peak at the entries in the Fashionista 2014 competition! The best bet? If you see something you like, you can own it, custom-made for your little baby.

Tater Tot, of Atlanta, winner of the Fashionista 2013 Award

I’m really excited about this competition, because I think pet fashion designers who are elevating the game need as many solid platforms to get what they’re doing out into the world. PawVogue, originally started by a fashion and pet-loving man named Bob Shaughnessy, was the first, ongoing organization to gather top-notch designers under one roof with the sole purpose of showcasing their talents.

Now run by the talented pet designer, Janice Craig, of Belle Diva Couture, PawVogue is continuing Bob’s vision of bringing high quality pet design to us!

Mocha, from Richmond Hills, TX. was the Fashionista of 2012

So, I urge you to stop over to their Facebook page , sign up to become a member of this exclusive group, so you can see fresh fashion any time, and  view the Fashionista 2014 photo album of this year’s contestants thus far. And, don’t be shy!  Comment on what you love and, if you do love something, buy! Let’s support the wonderful designers who create the beauty that makes life with our little fashionistas so much fun!

Do you like to dress your dog? What’s your favorite designer? Tell me about it in the Comments.