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YC's prestigious New York Fashion Week (NYFW) — no relation whatsoever to the Manhattan Fashion Week — is held in February and September every year. The semi-annual celebration consists of several branded events like the Olympus Fashion Week New York, MADE Fashion Week, and many independent fashion productions around New York City — all showcasing international men's and women's fashion collections to buyers, the press, and the general public.

On Febuary 7, 2019, held shortly before the NYFW events commenced, the independently run New York Pet Fashion Show (NYPFS) put on display a different kind of spectacle: pet couture.

Here, our four-legged friends took to the catwalk in swanky masks and colorful costumes for the charity fashion show — the country's largest pet fashion and animal rescue benefit — at Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City ahead of NYFW (February 8-16) and the Westminster Kennel Club dog show (February 11-12).

Pets and shelter dogs that were available for adoption strutted the NYPFS catwalk in themed costumes — in Hollywood Dreams, Angels and Demons, International Masquerade Couture, and Best in Show categories — to raise money for the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, a non-profit organization that collaborates with more than 150 animal rescue groups and shelters to protect and save the lives of the city's homeless animals.

The Masquerade Ball for Animal Rescue was hosted by celebrity pet expert Harrison Forbes and ably supported by actress Rachel Grant and television presenters Gelena Solano, and Stephanie and Simon Claffey. It also featured a competition for the pet with the glitziest outfit, created by contender-designers from across the globe — including Egypt, France, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, Thailand, and the United States.

SHOP ON  

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ne of the top awardees of NYPFS 2019 is Adrian Stephen Cabuhat, a Filipino pet fashion influencer, and his pet chihuahua Coco Chanel (outfitted and styled by Davao City-based pet fashion designer Maria Sanchia de Asis) — winning NYPFS 2019 Best in Show (second place) and Society Paws Awards 2019 Best Dressed Female Dog. Cabuhat twinned his dog's royal style with matching flame-sequined blazer and black-and-white beaded crown for him and gold-embroidered scarlet train and MassKara Festival-inspired mask for her.

(MassKara is one of the most popular mask festivals in the Philippines, featuring smiling masks that are the host Bacolod City's symbol, earning for it the name of The City of Smiles. Ms de Asis used this as inspiration for her NYPFS 2019 ensemble.)

The occasion also served to present the Golden Paw Awards for individuals and groups that work to care for and support animals in the area. — ANPJ/³