Now that the boring ol’ human Met Gala is over, we can focus on the furry alternative we’ve all been waiting for: THE PET GALA! The inaugural Pet Gala is set to take place on May 20th at the AKC Museum of the Dog in New York City.
Related: Four-legged fashion week: “Fashionable Dogs” exhibit at NYC’s Museum of the Dog
The event will be hosted by iconic canine fashion designer Anthony Rubio, who is also designing outfits for attending dog influencers and models. Many of the outfits will be inspired by human celebrity outfits seen at the recent Met Gala. And this means Rubio will have only two weeks to recreate them! For an example of Rubio’s work, the invite seen above is a recreation of Alexander McQueen’s butterfly dress first worn by actress Elizabeth Banks in the movie The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. (Modeled by Kimba of @bogieandkimba)
Related: Celebrities dress up as Karl Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette for the Met Gala
For the celebrity dogs in attendance, there will be a 21-foot red carpet and flower wall grand entrance, followed by a runway show. There will also be various flower walls and other displays for pup photo ops. Human guests will sip prosecco and enjoy a full sit-down dinner while soaking in the Museum of the Dog’s exclusive collection of canine art.
There’s also an upcoming documentary on the Pet Gala, from its creation to covering the event itself.
This is my favorite time of the year. I love to challenge myself. The designers for The Met Gala have months to create their looks for celebrities to shine on the red carpet. I have two weeks to recreate them and for dogs. When I design for my Fashion Week runway shows, it’s all my aesthetic. For The Pet Gala, I have to figure out how to translate garments worn by humans onto our four-legged stars. Humans can suffer for their fashion, but dogs will not. Their comfort and safety is my top priority. It’s a challenge I’m always up for. I thrive under the pressure.
Anthony Rubio, Canine Couture Book
Unlike the invite-only Met Gala, you can purchase tickets for the Pet Gala at caninecouturebook.com. And make sure to follow along on Instagram at @anthonyrubio01, @petgaladoc, and @museumofthedog.