Looking for advice on how to pair your gray Club Monaco shawl-collar cardigan with your Gant Rugger oxford shirt? Bodhi, the debonair dog from Menswear Dog, would tell you to throw on a striped tie from Tie Bar with some cuffed dark denim—then finish it off with a pair of rusty-colored Wolverine 1000 Mile boots.
Sounds legit.
Menswear Dog is the newest Tumblr to hit the fashion scene, using an adorable three-and-a-half-year-old shiba inu (named after Patrick Swayze’s character in Point Break) to dress up in some of the latest trends in urbane male attire. The creators of the blog, New Yorkers David Fung, 28, a graphic designer, and his fashion-designer girlfriend, Yena Kim, 26, launched their website Jan. 27 and are getting excited that the project is going viral.
“Out of sheer boredom and idle hands, we decided to put Bodhi in one of my outfits,” said Fung in an interview with The Daily Beast. “We took one photo and posted in on Facebook as a joke, and even the caption was a joke, saying, ‘Now introducing Menswear Dog…watch for his fashion blog soon.’”
The response was overwhelming, and thus, the couple spent the rest of their weekend dressing up their canine companion—whom Fung tenderly refers to as a “spry, feisty little guy” and also a “douche bag” for never listening to his owners—in Fung’s clothes, reflecting his personal style, while Kim took photographs.
“The behind the scenes is super awkward,” said Fung. “There’s all sorts of clips in the back of the clothes, and I’m propping him up. But you get this window of magic between him squirming around.”
It seems hard to believe how many shots Fung and Kim had to take, since the pup looks like a natural model—throwing demure and smiling looks. They managed to capture a human quality to the dog in these outfits, making him look more like something out of GQ.
Inspired by The Hill-side’s “gorgeous ties with funky patterns” and classic menswear staples from the likes of J.Crew, Fung tries to purchase timeless pieces that he knows he would keep for an eternity.
“I’m into textures, herringbone, tweeds ... anything that shows a bit more weight to it,” said Fung. “It feels like there’s some history to it.”
With the positive and encouraging response to the blog, the duo is looking toward creating more looks, hopefully collaborating with retailers, and having guest spots with their friends’ dogs as models. There could even be a different dog with a grunge flair. Watch out.