<i>Haute Dogs: Boutiques that Dress Your Pet</i>
FUR FASHION: The GTR Marketing Department’s news hounds, Annie, (pink bow), General-ly (butterfly bow), Dixie Pearl, Tara O’Hara and Rhett Butler are “dressed to impress.??? These little “alarms with charms??? know they are special with clothes, bows, travel bags and toys.
ELIZ HOLLIS for GTR Newspapers
“If you are a dog and your owner suggests you wear a sweater…suggest that he wear a tail.” – Fran Lebowitz, comedian
My job is to make you smile. I should be paid twice as much because it’s twice as hard to muster a smile these days. I’m lucky to be paid at all for this banter. The economy? Sorry, can’t help you there. In my fur-what-its-worth opinion, however, there’s one great way to boost the morale in America: get off your laptop and get yourself a lap dog or an English mastiff for that matter, and take ‘em shoppin’.
For a mere $875 lira ($70 USD) your poochy too can wear a Gucci baseball cap with a strappy little chin strap in black or beige and ebony GG fabric complete with red and green signature trim around the ears.
Or maybe it’s a more conservative Burberry trench coat your hirsute herder needs this fall. For less than thirty shares of General Motors stock (at this writing) or “ruffly” $225 USD, you can buy it for your medium-to-large companion replete with icono-checked cotton lining and a leather-covered buckle.
There’s actually a Puchi Pet Boutique online “to be or not to be” confused with Emilio Pucci, the Italian jet-set designer synonymous with kaleidoscopic colors and geometric designs.
In a pinscher for a quick birthday gift for a furry friend? Juicy Couture’s Heart Bathrobe and Ducky Gift Set usually ships in one to three days and will only soak you for $65. Kiss Me Yoga Coveralls with leggings fetch about $80 at Paris Erotica and have been said to have marvelous heeling powers.
There is Chewy Vuittan, Sniffany & Co., ChiWowWow.
The Donatella Versace of dogdom since 2003 would undeniably be Little Lily. Fashionista Little Lily is the alter-ego of designers Laura Allamedine and Daniel Dubiecki, inspired by their Yorkshire Terrier whose name is, of course, Lily. They refer to themselves as a lifestyle company, based on the concept that “your dog is an extension of you.”
Little Lily deserves an Oscar Meyer for her Red Carpet, Emmy, and Academy Award Collections as seen on “E.” Truly. You must, I repeat must visit their Web site funnyfur.com and do it often. (If you are a fandingo of boring email distribution-lists, do yourself and all your human friends a favor and forward this site instead and hope that they start donating to animal shelters the way Barnes & Noble does for its pet projects concerning literacy, arts, and education.)
The Paris Hilton Collection by Little Lily is on sale right now with a snakeskin bubble Lily Dress for under $60, Lily Jams for under $40, and a legally blonde Paris Hilton Star Charm for less than a big bag of Greenies.
Of course couture is obscure in some households. If a walk on the dark side is your pleasure, Skull Lilybracelets are $7.99 each and tattoo tees are at Paris Erotica for $60.
Sports fans won’t be left out either: all the sites have hoodies, and the merchandise shops carry doggie tees for all Oklahoma athletic fans including OU red and white; OSU orange and black, and TU blue and gold.
If you’re “cutting back,” our own eLiz at GTR News has found a solution. She has several Yorkie “children” to clothe and has found a marvelous way to do so for less: She has built a wardrobe for her brood at the Build-A-Bear Workshop Kennel located at Woodland Hills Mall. They are the best-dressed “kids in the kennel,” with lovely back-to-school clothes, pumpkin Halloween costumes, and every dog has a different leopard jacket. (Build-A-Bear incidentally lends a paw to many worthwhile causes including children’s cancer organizations.)
You can go to PetSmart, PetCo, and Wal-Mart for a quick fix, but if your doggie is an extension of yourself, don’t be hasty or you might be barking up the wrong tree!
(NOTE: This column was not approved by PETA. To make amends, may I make a serious appeal to my big-hearted readers. If you do not have a four-legged best friend, log on to www.cvilleok.com/animalshelter and think about adopting one at the Ward-Weisman Animal Haven, a no-kill shelter. Be forewarned, you will fall in love before you leave the site. Another important way you can help, and it won’t cost a penny, is to log onto theanimalrescuesite.com and to vote in the nationwide competition once a day to help WWAH win a $25,000 grant. They are currently in second place. )
Ciao – Chow for now!
Updated 10-27-2008
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