A couple visiting New York from Wisconsin got a taste of New York Fashion Week madness when they asked a woman what she was standing in an extra long line for, and she replied with, “Dog runway show.”
Anthony Rubio, a self-professed “Master Pet Couturier,” was holding his annual presentation on the Lower East Side, promising a collection “Where people are the accessories.”
Though not on the official schedule, Rubio has had a presence at Fashion Week since 2012. Due to some backstage dog wrangling that delayed its start time, the event began a full hour late, which gave the scene an air of legitimacy during a week not known for promptness.
But don’t put the blame on any of the very good boys and girls who cantered down the runway once the show did go on; the Boston Terriers, Chihuahuas, and assorted mutts were dressed to the nines in gilded capes and bedazzled leashes, which they modeled with aplomb.
Though the cast favored small pups who were carried by professional (human) models, there was a bit of diversity in size. One extremely jolly yellow lab bounded down the aisle with its tail wagging and tongue out, looking very baroque in a brocade vest.
One larger hound, ever the professional, looked nervous onstage but kept walking anyway. He probably knew he looked good in his embroidered tulle coat. But the show’s true prince was Rubio’s own dog, Kimba, a chihuahua with a miniature hat to match.
Dressed in a jewel-tone poncho with canary yellow ruffles, a tricorne hat covered his eyes. He looked like he might have been asleep. Or maybe he was just calm and confident, knowing his tiny outfit was so on point.
