Forget the Met Gala. Have you seen the Pet Gala?
Perfectly groomed and ready to strut their stuff, the stars dazzled in their Met Gala looks last night. Sure, they looked cute. But you know who would look even cuter in those couture styles? Dogs.
Pet Couturier Anthony Rubio is making that fever dream a reality this year, and you can attend. He’s hosting The Pet Gala at the AKC Museum of the Dog in Midtown East on Monday, May 20. Expect to see up to 20 Met Gala looks re-created for dogs at pet fashion’s biggest night.
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Rubio is no stranger to creating couture looks for pets. He regularly hosts pup fashion shows during New York Fashion Week. And he’s recreated Met Gala looks for the past decade, though usually just to share photos with journalists and social media. His most famous re-creations include looks worn by Salma Hayek, Cardi B, Rihanna, and Pedro Pascal.
A passionate advocate for animals, Rubio hosted his first in-person Pet Gala event last year, recreating 12 looks worn by celebs and even replicating the iconic backdrops at the Met Museum in miniature form.
While last year’s event was invite-only, this year’s Pet Gala is open to all; tickets cost $300/person. The dogs will walk on a 24-foot red carpet and pose for photos in front of floral walls. The evening’s program will also include a runway show of the stars and conclude with a sit-down dinner for patrons. Rubio will be on hand to talk about his inspiration and the work that went into creating these iconic looks for pets.
“I love to challenge myself,” Rubio says. “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.”
For The Pet Gala, I have to figure out how to translate garments worn by humans onto our four-legged stars.
With its display of more than 180 sculptures and paintings of four-legged furballs, The AKC Museum of the Dog will serve as the perfect backdrop for this dynamic dog event.
“Having borne witness to the stunning fashions of the Met Gala for decades, it was instantly clear that the AKC Museum of the Dog is the only suitable home for Anthony Rubio’s Pet Gala,” said Christopher Bromson, Executive Director of the AKC Museum of the Dog. “Just like the Met, the Museum boasts one of the world’s most impressive collections of dog art. On May 20, it will be the steps of the AKC Museum of the Dog that brim with glamour, where breathtaking pieces will wind their way through our gallery. Together, we’ll celebrate these creations for what they truly are: art.”
To give you a sense of what to expect from the Pet Gala, here are a few of Rubio’s previous Pet Gala creations:
