Dogs hit the catwalk in canine couture

Sandy Robins • E-mail

A well-heeled audience sits along the green “lawned” runway at a fashion show in New York. The lights dim, silencing the crowd except for a few heavy breathers. The Elvis Presley classic "You Ain’t Nothing but a Hound Dog" echoes through the hall.

All attention is now focused on the runway entrances, framed to look like doghouses, as a new breed of supermodel bounds onto the catwalk to début fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi’s newest line of canine haute couture for Target Corp. Amidst howls of delight and wagging tails, the audience is on its feet begging for more.

“There were some temperamental bitches backstage,” Mizrahi told MSNBC afterwards. “But the moment those paws hit the catwalk, they were as professional as possible.”

The new buzzword in fashion
Canine couture is the new buzzword in the fashion world. Attended by dogs and their celebrity owners, Mizrahi's show was the first of its kind to be held during New York’s famous Olympic Fashion week in February and has been hailed as a milestone by the pet industry.

“My pet collection is directly related to my home and apparel collections for Target," said Mizrahi. But "while there are definite connections between human and dog trends, dogs are ahead of humans by a season.”

Since Mizrahi’s successful show, which featured hot pink and orange polo shirts for dogs, similar scenes have been repeated across the country from Hollywood, Calif., to Hollywood, Fla., and many cities in between. One such exhibition was the Global Pet Expo held in March in Orlando, Fla., where international designers and buyers gathered to view products for the nouveau canine lifestyle. When it came to fashion, there was something for every hound to be seen in.

In fact, with the growing selection of pet fashions, Fido is going to need a walk-in closet to accommodate all these clothes — everything from faux fur coats and casual parkas, active wear, evening wear and bejeweled footwear, to rugged hiking boots, hats, sun visors and backpacks.

Get ready for summer
In case you’ve been left out in the cold, here’s a rundown of the upcoming trends in canine couture.

Slide show Celebrity dogs Click to see celebrities and their four-legged friends.

This summer many dog fashions are going to have a Hawaiian tropical feel with an abundance of hibiscus blooms featured on classic Luau shirts and matching shorts with elastic waistbands, tail holes and non-restrictive bottom openings. Watch out for colorful daisies with a strong retro influence blooming on everything from shoes, visors and carriers.

A new kid on the fashion block and definitely a name to sit up and obediently note is Kara Kono of Miami, Fla. Her signature summer sizzler is a sundress — pretty in pink and a real showstopper — from her current Love Furever Canine Couture Collection. Kono’s designs mix fabrics like lace and chiffon with layering and beadwork for evening wear.

Meanwhile, Robin Kershner’s Fox and Hounds label is going nuts for Snoopy. The animated icon is featured on everything from faux leather bomber jackets to red "doggles." Canines in all shapes and sizes can also wear items from Kershner's Elvis Presley Hound Dog Collection, which includes a gold lame tuxedo, Jailhouse Rock T-shirt, the famed Elvis army jacket, as well as a dazzling Las Vegas jumpsuit and collar charms bearing the letters "TCB" (Taking Care of Business).

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