Tibi designer Amy Smilovic designed jackets for the dogs to wear to the ASPCA Rescue Me Gala last night. What was her inspiration? “It was just to do something really fun and outrageous, and something that no dog in the world would ever be caught dead wearing,” she said, laughing. “Fortunately, they don’t have a voice; they can’t say, ‘No, I’m not going to get covered in ruffles and sequins tonight.’” That’s not the only reason dressing dogs is easier than dressing people. “If I could design for dogs for the rest of my life, I would totally be there. They also make the best models,” Smilovic continued. “They’re not too busy, they have no attitude, they know how to walk a runway. They’re amazing.” She also had some ideas for Bo Obama’s wardrobe. “I think a Portuguese Water Dog in the White House would look really great in something very colorful and flamboyant,” she said. “It’s kind of a he-she moment — he’d look like Liberace. I think that, at the White House, that would look wonderful.”
Isaac Mizrahi had very different ideas about how the First Dog should dress. “He’s so well accessorized already. He has those white socks, and a little white bib,” Mizrahi said. “What would I design for him? Probably something red, you know. Or maybe like a little bow tie, like a black bow tie, so he’d look like a Chippendale’s [sic] dancer. That’s it! That’s what I would do for Bo Obama, a black bow tie to make him look like a Chippendale’s dancer. That’s it.”
