Last Woof in Fashion

Wishing to pretty up the world around them, some rush to barbers and hairdressers, others empty their wardrobe of old clothes, and still others buy clothes for their pets and take them to special beauty parlors. Boy Kuzia’s most cherished dream in the old popular Soviet movie An Automobile, a Violin, and Kliaksa the Dog was to paint his dog like a zebra. This is no longer out of the ordinary, for special paints completely harmless to animals are sold over the counter. And there is also dog fashion, which is developing slowly but surely. Ukrainian kennel clubs are also staging dog shows, following a tradition started in Paris several years ago. True, many are surprised to see a dog wearing even a simple coverall, but professional dog breeders have a different approach; they are surprised to meet people who do not understand that no high fashion can substitute what a dog actually needs: being regularly taken out, combed, and having its ears cleaned.

“Just look at this, another booklet on artificial nails,” laughs Svitlana Kolesnykova, a veterinarian at the Brothers M beauty parlor for pets. They just don’t understand that we cater to animals, not people, so they keep sending heaps of literature about cosmetics and such. As we talked showcase poodles Mickey and Leo were jumping around, shaking their doggie hairdos (doggie dos?) of pink and lilac curls. Both seemed not to care about how they looked; what they really cared about was good company. And company was there, all right. Roger Rabbit, this one not animated, was chewing cabbage leaves in his cage. The poodles obviously found him quite entertaining. There was an album with photos of a canine pedicure that made us red with shame, when we looked at our own fingernails and then with even something like indignation; people rolling in cash just don’t know where to spend it! Svitlana, however, was charmingly sincere telling us precisely why beauty shops like this one were actually needed. “We teach people the right way to keep their pets in the city, because they have to be naturally clean. The rest is supplementary, but cleanliness comes first.” Bathing, trimming, treating for fleas and ticks, removing dental plaque, cleaning the teeth – this is the set of basic services offered by pet stylists. After all, you can’t make braids on a dirty and unkempt bobtail. And forget about dreadlocks.

In fact, a canine coiffeur or coiffeuse must have nerves of steel and keep in good physical as well as professional shape. The assortment of poodle hairdos alone is head spinning: eight Scandinavian Lions – Scandinavian because the style was contrived in Finland– plus the English Saddle, English Classic, Modern, Clown, Cowboy, and Middle Pacific.

Cats are also sometimes brought to the Brothers M, and these proud creatures have to endure the ordeal not to look cute, but because the owners of, say, Persian cats are scared to approach their fluffy and aggressive pets with a comb during the first half of the year. Instead, they come and bring their treasured unkempt and odoriferous fur balls. Lest the poor thing look like a first-month Soviet conscript, the feline can have its wool cut in a certain style, Lion, for instance, with mice (presumably hunted down and consumed) painted on the side to keep up morale. Their number varies depending on the cat’s conceit and his/her human’s affections.

The body paint and other cosmetics used at Brothers M are meant exclusively for pets. Zebra stripes will disappear several days later and you won’t even have to wash them off. Knowing from our own experience how hard it is to convince a dog or a cat that a small red terry cloth bow on its neck will look ever so fine, we skeptically examined a special stand with elastic bands, bows, and bonnets. To us they looked more like implements of torture. But then it transpired that our experience was negative simply because we had used the wrong kind of bows. What they had at the beauty shop was imported from across the world, all the way from the Americas to Moscow, every product carefully designed so as not to cause the least discomfort.

While pet cosmetics and accessories are a separate industry, canine clothes have to be custom-made. Practice shows that there no two dogs of the same size, we were told by Olena Sudakova, the dog off-the-rack and haute- couture expert. There are few other such experts in Kyiv; training takes several years and visiting a lot of dog shows. Moreover, high fashion duds for pets are not yet in real market demand.

Paints for whiskers, eyebrows, pedicures, and perfumes are optional, depending on the owner’s whims. Coveralls, particularly hygienic ones, are often a must, especially for females and cold- sensitive breeds. Hats are made for dogs afflicted with ear infections, and rationality is complimented with an aesthetic touch. In the past all dog garments were made dark and inconspicuous, now everybody wants something colorful, made to order, with pockets and zippers, Olena Sudakova went on with her story. Doggie duds have been in greater demand of late, mostly coveralls for long-haired showcase dogs that need them not to keep warm but to protect their natural coats from the snow and slush. Sometimes they order trench coats or shoes. The latter are the hardest to make, because a dog has to get them on and be able to walk, so one must know the particulars of a given paw. Sewing shoes for four takes at least two weeks. Olena has also ordered evening gowns for our four-legged friends. Such haute couture garments are popular mostly with owners of Yorkshire terriers, and the breed is very much in with the Ukrainian beau monde, Olena says.

“Dog shows are sometimes accompanied by dog fashion shows, but the public just laughs at the costumes and hats; our people haven’t become mature enough for this,” she adds and there is no mistaking her professional hurt. “Only dog breeders and owners can understand and appreciate it, not those attending just to look.” A bulldog wearing a Panama hat and Bermuda shorts might make many laugh, but this breed is very sensitive to the cold and heat, they can easily come down with a sunstroke, so wearing heats under the scorching sun is a necessity, not a luxury. When it is cold, the bulldog’s lower part suffers the worst, threatening cystitis, so wearing shorts is also of vital importance.

Olena Sudakova is skeptical about women ordering dog clothes to fit their own style of dress. Yet rational dog wear should also be kept aesthetic. “Camouflage has long been in, although dog owners sometimes don’t understand that this style simply doesn’t do their pet justice. Once I had to make camouflage clothes for a lap dog. Ridiculous, but that was what the customer wanted, and that’s what she got. Light-reflecting bands have been increasingly popular of late. They’re both elegant and rational. If a dog gets off the leash in the dark it’s easier to find, and it can been seen by drivers, which is also important.”

Dog overalls are not a luxury, either. They sell for $10-50. Sophisticated designs are expensive, of course. Brothers M experts note that the better off the customer financially, the more often he or she will turn to them for help. Making money takes most of their time, they let dog stylists take care of their pets. People with lesser incomes spend more time with their pets. Many customers bring them to the beauty shop just once, they watch the experts at work and then try to do the same at home. Oleksiy Dyvieyev-Tserkovny (TV weather show host —Ed.) just came alone for consultation; he has cats and hasn’t brought them since. Apparently he has learned the craft of washing and combing. “We want people with money to learn to look after their pets themselves,” says Svitlana Kolesnykova. “So we make less money. But the pets will be looked after professionally and this will make their masters proud and even more loving. Pet health and good mood have always been in fashion.”

COMMENTS

MASTERS OF THE BIPEDAL PODIUM ON FOUR-LEGGED FASHION

Hanna BABENKO:

“Dog fashion is all right, as far as I’m concerned. Some breeds simply have to wear clothes in our climate. On the other hand, if it’s a matter of aesthetics, if you can afford to dress your pet up for a festive occasion, it should look natural; the clothes must be in harmony with what you wear yourself. Natalia Kryvutsa is a welcome guest at all Fashion Seasons and she always attends with her lap dog Cleopatra, seating her in the first row, a well deserved place considering her pet’s exemplary patience wearing so many bows.

“We have Filia, a tomcat, and our daughter trained him to wear doll clothes when a kitten. Now he is a big boy and wears no clothes. Knowing his tough disposition, we don’t even try to make him wear any.”

Panajotis PANAJOTU:

“Dog clothes are made by people who treat the animals like members of the family. In fact, that’s precisely how one should treat them. Dogs must have seasonal garments and something to wear on special occasions. And everything must be convenient, of course. You can invent accessories like scarves. You can have the dog’s name and your telephone number sewn on a garment, just in case it gets lost. It’s better than a tag on a chain, because you can’t see it at a distance.

“It’s true that many laugh at dog fashion, mostly people that have no pets or those treat them as just domesticated animals, rather than family members. More often than not people indifferent to pets laugh. After all, quite a few of us are not prepared to digest certain things about human fashion, so what can you expect from them watching four-legged models? And yes, the dog fashion industry must be developed, it needs good marketing and promotion. Styles must be worked out proceeding from the gender and breed. We have had several such orders, including a dinosaur suit. I thought it looked good.”

Oleksandr MONIAK:

“I’m a veteran cat owner, I have a male and a female, no dogs. But I have on several occasions designed clothes for dogs, including carnival costumes. Some of friends – they like to celebrate Christmas and New Year with both friends and pets – ordered a crocodile costume for a bull terrier and Santa Claus for a St. Bernard.

“I think dog fashion is a good thing; any fashion is a game of sorts and the same applies to pets, it’s a manifestation of our love. Dog fashion is in these days, dishes with names, custom-made garments, rugs from leading designers, and overalls. It’s important for a dog to feel comfortable wearing such clothes and for such clothes to match the breed. Just as red and blue look good on a blonde, we have to think of something for a terrier or poodle.”

Viktoriya HRES :

“I have Richard, a quite large poodle. He’s not purebred, but I love him anyway. I’ve never ordered or made any clothes for him because I think that a dog must be able to cope with any weather on its own. Of course, fancy things like cushions and pads can make your dog’s life happier. I make them for Richard, and I’ve long planned a silk embroidered scarf, it’s just that I haven’t gotten around to it.

“As for small dogs, they can’t do without clothes. One of my colleagues has a toy pinscher, he is so small, cute, and fragile! She never takes him out for a walk, and when she has to take him, say, to a party, she puts a custom made mink coat on him when it’s cold.”