Dogs Rule

I say, where DOES the time go?  At Saturday evening’s fourth annual Fashion for Paws runway show and fundraiser (1,200 guests in the Italian Embassy, raising over $315,000- waiting on final $ numbers) one of models nudged me and said, “Do you remember the first Fashion for Paws? At the French Embassy? Oh my gosh, has it changed.”  I nodded.  “Yes, remember I wore my own outfit?” She laughed and recalled, “Yup, and Freddy was like just, have a few drinks, go out there and have fun.”  We paused. If there were a cartoon bubble above our heads as we looked up thoughtfully, reminiscing, it would have looked something like this:

Pictured above in the 2007 Inaugural Fashion for Paws at the French Embassy: Beverly Kirk, Elaine Leibsohn, Jayne Sandman-now- Dufour, Lindsay Czarniak

Alas, time is fleeting, but the positive aspect is, if you work smart, hard, surround yourself with good people, you can have one heck of great time over four years building something together.  And so the Fashion for Paws (which is Trademarked by the way) model has become just that.

Pictured: Ashley Taylor and Chair Amanda Polk by Vithaya Phongsavan http://vithaya.zenfolio.com/

This year, the Italian Embassy was bursting at the seams with extra tents, themed lounges, VIP tables (whose area was considered a tad too small), VIP seating, and standing room only general admission folks.  The back where the models were getting ready, seemed to finally have gotten the formula down to “controlled mass chaos”, quite a feat from last year’s “mass chaos” and 2008′s “hysterical mass chaos” and the first year’s … well.  I actually can’t mentally picture that year so well.

Saturday night, the fundraising model veterans took on the task of mentoring the newbies and Aba Kwawu of The Aba Agency (7 months pregnant no less – yes, I stared at her belly and blurted out, “Is there something you want to tell me?” She replied, “What did you think this was, lunch?” as she pointed to her bun in the oven) was calm, cool, and collected.  Even the dog nannies had the pups walking and doing their business outside in the back.  There were no accidents-at least not that I could see nor smell, no dog fights (no female model cat fights either).  The model outfits were all hung, organized, steamed, easy to find, and the hair and make up artists ticked along and the numerous volunteers just were ahead of the game. It was like a fine Swiss watch.

(photo by Moshe Zusman www.moshezusman.com)

Granted, we kicked off the show 15 minutes later than the published start time, but hey – let’s be real, what fashion show starts on time?  It was an honor and pleasure to Emcee for the second year in a row and thank you so much to Betsey Johnson for dressing me.  For those of you not familiar with the funky, flirty, no holds barred designer known to cartwheel at the end of her shows, Ms. Johnson’s sizes drift towards body types who have not yet reached puberty (tweens), yet can afford her attire and are confident enough to wear her styles.  Or, they easily fit young ladies who are of age, but mother nature seems to have gently and kindly forgotten to place breasts, rib cages, tummies, and hips, that if they haven’t already popped out a few, are begging to.  So, after an hour of tears and thoughts of knifing my body extra “adult woman” body parts, the Sugar & Spice dress did the trick, thereby verifying that YES, VIRGINIA, there IS a fashion god, who looks down at and hands us the perfect outfit.

Pictured: Steve Chenevey walks Shredder, Bill Dean’s bebe pup appropriately named – I saw her leash, or what was left of it – by Fido Journalism http://fidojournalism.com/

This year, the dogs ruled the runway as almost 90% of the models walked a dog or in some cases carried (like Fletcher Gill and his front and back doggie pack) their pooches.  Some of the local stars who dazzled us were: Tommy McFly, Dana Perino, Angie Goff, Ashley Taylor, Victoria Michael, Amanda Polk (Chair), Windy Shepard (Executive Committee Co-Chair), Steve Chenevey, Will Thomas, Paul Wharton, Kiki Ryan, Susan Roberts, Jay Varma, Amit Anand, Jeff Lutton, Jessica Gibson, Annie Van Meter, Courtney Caldwell, Chantall Attias, Julia Karpov, Michael Clements, Jan Cousteau, Philippe Cousteau, Lisa Clark, Kathryn Minor, Lana Orloff, Shelley Tidmore (on bedazzled crutches!), Lena Aburdene and so many more.

Congratulations to Dr. Dondi Dahlgaard for raising $25,000 in order to win Female Model Washingtonian of the Year and to Joseph Robert, III for winning his second Male Model Washingtonian of the Year Award with $10,000.

Here are links to re-caps, photos, videos and more.  If you are on Facebook … well, you’ve seen the onslaught, so enjoy.

http://www.thegeorgetowndish.com/thedish/fashion-paws-2010-was-dogs

http://www.bisnow.com/washington_dc_the_scene_news_story.php?p=7995

http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/1901439

http://www.michaeldomingo.com/ (under Events and Fashion for Paws 2010)

http://ohmygoff.tv/2010/04/dana-perino-clinton-portis-the-paws-come-out/

http://washingtonscene.thehill.com/party-events-pictures/archive/3361-fashion-for-paws-fourth-annual-fashion-show-and-auction

http://moshezusman.com/photoblog/?p=874

http://www.fashionbsradio.com/

http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/people/capitalcomment/15420.html

There will be more coming certainly especially via video…

There’s a ton on Facebook … please feel free to check it out on http://www.facebook.com/pamela.sorensen