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The first model to walk down the runway of Christian Dior's fall show last February was Olga Sherer. She wore a belted jacket, the shade of a fine merlot, with fur-covered sleeves that seemed inspired by a toy poodle.

The first model to appear on the runway at Pet Fashion Week last Saturday night was Eli the Chihuahua. She wore an Oscar-worthy orange beaded dress from Emma Rose Design, a Rhode Island-based atelier that caters to posh pooches.

In both cases, the message was the same: Unleash the luxe. Your beagle Max or your mutt Molly will always prefer a pork chop to a pleather parka, but Swarovski-studded sweaters and taffeta trains have the potential to turn four-legged friends into fashionistas.

The 13 international pet-clothing designers, whose outfits ranged from army fur-tigues to ruffled rumps, made a strong case that clothes make the canine. I'll bet that anyone with a bone to pick over covering a dog's natural coat with one made from faux fur could still be wooed by the tricked-out collars and carriers (embellishments du jour include studs, grommets, mock croc and bows).

There were even extravagant items aimed at owners. Athough difficult to see, Andrea Levine's jewellery collection could be described as breed-specific bling: Bangles and charms in white, yellow rose or blackened gold feature diamond encrusted poodles, pugs and rottweilers among others. One human model cradled a tiny black pup, her finger pointing outward to show off a sparkly paw-print signet ring.

To be accurate, Pet Fashion Week is really Pet Fashion Two Days. (I figure that the seven dog years for every human year probably explains the discrepancy.) Moreover, the tradeshow, which was founded in 2006 by Alexa Cach and Mario DiFante, is not open to the public and is a major showcase for product categories beyond apparel. But be it a bowl or a plush bed, high design and originality took precedence.

Not to mention a fierce loyalty to fashion trends. Metallics - from space-age silvers to warmer golds - appeared on armour-esque capes and shoulder bags alike.

Rumi the Italian greyhound looked smashing in a red tartan dress from One Lucky Dog Couture, while black cocker spaniel Daphne, who received the esteemed title of America's Top Dog Model, trotted happily in a handmade grey suit with white trim from New Zealand designer Robin Rive. A Canadian-appropriate yellow Labrador retriever was dressed for winter in a slimming red-and-white striped down vest from IDawg Clothing (the DJ, clearly enjoying himself, started playing music from the White Stripes).

The pooches, courtesy of All-Tame Animals Inc., remained adorably professional as 300 well-heeled industry types and media hounds treated the 90-minute presentation with the same gravitas as the women's ready-to-wear shows, which will start again next Tuesday with the spring/summer 2008 collections.

A miniature bull terrier posed as a boy dog, but was credited as Molly. Moto the borzoi had killer legs and a flirty smile.

Other dogs belonged to exhibitors or friends of the organizers. Beauie the Chinese crested had hair so naturally stylish that no grooming seemed necessary. Then there was Sushi the bassett hound/sharpei mix whose wrinkles were concealed by a pink wig which complemented a teal fur-trimmed nylon hoodie. Sushi got stage fright - or maybe she simply became paralyzed by the incessant flash bulbs - and had to be carried away.

If there was any drool to wipe up, it probably came from the audience during the canine couture grand finale, in which human and dog were paired in breathtaking themed ensembles; peacock feathers, glowing orbs and pagodas were among the objects emerging from the models' heads. This was the collaborative work of Sathit Suraphiphit, a poodle breeder who is based at the Starwood Grooming Centre in Thailand, and makeup artist David Klasfield. John Galliano, whose Christian Dior couture collections also get tongues wagging, could not have done it better.

But as Los Angeles based Hip Doggie designer Suyun Kim said after the show, "Our fashion is more urban street, everyday wear." Highlights include a Wilma Flintstone-meets-Foxy Brown jumper dress and a bomber jacket with dragon decal (outfits retail between $25 and $60).

"Everyone is trying to out-bling each other," added her partner, Russ Cress.

I'm happy to report that my sighting of fashion bitches was limited to female dogs. I did, however, hear one man sigh, "I wish there were cats." Maybe next time. It's called a catwalk, after all.