From couture to upcycled pet wear: Gift your pet something fashionable

HT Café gives you the low-down on some interesting accessories and outfits your pet can sport.

Pet couturier Anthony Rubio showcased his Fall/Winter 2016 canine couture at New York Fashion Week this year, where his canine friends who were escorted by human models wore his womenswear designs. Anthony, a proud caretaker of two chihuahuas — Bogie and Kimba — also walked the ramp along with him, wrote, “In my world the humans are the accessories”.

Quite similar to Anthony, socialite and DJ Paris Hilton, too, loves to design accessories for her furry friends. Paris was once quoted as saying, “In addition to my own sense of style, I think a lot of people admire Tinkerbell’s look as well, which is why I decided to include a pet collar as part of the collection.”

Back home, a lot of celebrities such as Anushka Sharma, Sidharth Malhotra, Jacqueline Fernandez and Alia Bhatt, among others, update their social media feeds with posts about their pets. With winter setting in, a lot of pets are seen wearing jackets, caps and scarves, just like their human friends.

Paris Hilton’s Moschino outfit and her pet Prince Hilton’s pink polo neck T-shirt complemented each other when they stepped out together in New York, USA. (David Krieger)

Delhi-based entrepreneur and environmentalist Vimlendu Jha designs accessories for pets using old fabric and other waste mediums. “We have a range of upcycled dog wear and accesories that are made from old airline seat covers, quilts, denims and tyre rubber,” he says.

Gap sports an indigo blue-coloured jacket and a collar made from old airplane seat covers. (Vimlendu Jha)

While most pet parents love dressing their dogs or cats with funky accessories, Vimlendu suggests that utility and comfort is more critical than the looks. He further adds, “It’s important to keep in mind the fact that a product, for instance, a jacket needs to serve the primary purpose of keeping your pet warm and comfortable. We all want our pets to look handsome and pretty but leaving them cold or sweaty is not a good proposition.”

POP STAR

Bogie rocks the Michael Jackson look in this Anthony Rubio jacket and hat. (James Ambler)

You can opt for this Anthony Rubio jacket and hat worn by Bogie, for your dog. The look is inspired by Michael Jackson.

BOHEMIAN

Zizou goes the hippie way with this fun scarf and yin-yang locket. (Suvajeet Dutta- Gupta)

Zizou loves to keep it simple. If your pet has thick fur, you can opt for a hippie look. Like Zizou, who sports a retro Bollywood scarf from The Bombay Store and a chain with a yin-yang locket.

MONOCHROME

Tinkerbelle walked the red carpet in a black and white dress. (Ben Gabbe)

Tinkerbelle walked the red carpet in a little black and white dress accentuated by a peach-coloured bead neckpiece for the Vivienne Hu Spring/Summer 2017 show at the New York Fashion Week.