Hollywood Fashion for Dogs

Vocabulary

• Luxury
• Handmade
• Conundrum
• Focusing
• Exclusively

Article

In the 1990s, a woman named Yana Syrkin moved from Ukraine to the United States. For more than 20 years, she has designed fashionable clothes for pets and she owns a luxury pet store called Fifi & Romeo in Los Angeles.

Yana believes that if people can wear expensive clothes from brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and Chanel, then their dogs should have nice clothes too. Her store sells everything from cozy sweaters to elegant evening dresses, and all the items are handmade. A single outfit can cost more than $700.

In the early 90s she worked as a costume designer in Hollywood. Then in 1997, her chihuahua named Yoda caught a cold and Yana couldn’t find a sweater in local pet shops. Determined to care for her pet, she used her experience sewing costumes and turned an old jacket into a sweater for Yoda. Other pet owners loved the idea and soon asked her to create clothes for their dogs too.

Yana realize that she could turn her passion for dog clothes into a business, but she didn’t want to stop being a costume designer. This conundrum inspired her to start her own fashion line for dogs.

She was asked to design outfits for the dog in the movie Legally Blonde in 2001. Speaking about the experience, Yana said, ‘It felt like this movie was my personal advertisement’. After the film was released, people began asking her for dog clothes, which led her to quitting her job making clothes for people and focusing exclusively on pet fashion. Since then, her business has continued to grow, attracting more and more dog lovers, including celebrities like Cameron Diaz, Britney Spears, and Oprah Winfrey.

Summarize the article in your own words.

Speaking

• What do you think of fashion for dogs?
• Do you have any pets? If yes, what are their names?
• How much money would you consider spending on a pet?
• What type of fashion do you typically buy for yourself?
• Would you enjoy working in Hollywood?

Writing

• Compare expensive and cheap clothing. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Listening

• Describe what happened in this video. Would you rather photograph dogs or people?