We’re familiar with doggie clothing, but we NEVER would’ve thought that spending close to $600 on an outfit for your dog was even possible… until now!!
Photographer Paul Nathan put together a chic book titled, Couture Dogs of New York, which shows off pooches wearing fancy outfits by designers, Anthony Rubio, Ada Nieves and Roberto Negrin.
And just like any other normal dog-loving human-being, we were automatically intrigued by Paul’s book.
In an interview, the photographer revealed the low down behind his masterpiece, in which he expressed everything from how the dogs stayed put for the shots and how the idea came about.
Here are the HIGHlights:
On what inspired him to create Couture Dogs of New York:
After finishing my first book, Generation Ink: Williamsburg Brooklyn, I was looking for a new project. With the dog project, my starting point was people who look like their dogs. After probably a dozen or so shoots, I received a response to a Craigslist ad I had placed from a woman named Stella. Included in her reply were a whole lot of pictures of her and her dog Chico in what is called ‘matchy-matchy’ ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ they were dressed in matching outfits. She then introduced me to some of her friends, and very quickly I met a large group of people who hold regular parties and events for their dogs, all of which are focused on dressing up their dogs (and quite often themselves to match).”
On the shooting process:
“The project took about a year from start to finish. I first concentrated on photographing the events and the members of this group in their homes in order to create a context. The second half was photographing just the dogs in studio, in their finest outfits. When I shoot, I am pretty fast, which is beneficial when photographing dogs. A lot of my commercial work is look books for fashion brands in New York so I feel very confident with studio work. I managed about 15 looks in an hour for dogs with larger wardrobes. Time really is of the essence when photographing animals. Most of the dogs were well behaved but Tasha and Cuba, who are married and who are photographed together in some of the pictures, had sexual relations as soon as we finished the shoot, which I thought was quite brazen. The outfits are all designed so as not to be soiled by bodily functions. Most of the detail happens on the animal├óΓé¼Γäós back. But of course there was stuff to clean up.”
On how he got the dogs to pose:
“Dogs look great whatever they are doing. The challenge was deciding which angle was going to best show the garment they were modeling. All the shoots of just the dogs were on the same table with the same white background in order to keep it consistent.”
On what surprised him most while creating his book:
“What surprised me the most is the utter devotion of the members of the Doggy World, to each other and to their dogs. It├óΓé¼Γäós an obsession for most. They are an extremely tight group of people who are both eccentric and fun loving.”
On the dogs’ owners:
“I think I got on with everyone. Of course whenever fashion is involved there are politics that go along too. Some doggie moms or dads favor one designer over another which can cause allegiances.”
On the doggies wearing the outfits:
“These dogs wear clothes every day. I├óΓé¼Γäóm not sure if they enjoy it, but they certainly don├óΓé¼Γäót seem unhappy. As the father of a one-and-a-half year old I can confidently say that it├óΓé¼Γäós easier to dress a dog than it is to dress a small child.”
We’re loving every bit of Nathan’s adorable book, and we simply cannot wait until it comes out!!
The good news is that it’s set to debut February 1, but before you buy, peep a preview of some of the photographs (below)!
[Image courtesy of Paul Nathan.]
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