Red Carpet Loves

What girl doesn't dream of walking the red carpet in Versace, Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Marchesa, Alexander McQueen or Zac Posen.  Among our favorite red carpet dresses at Sunday night's Emmy Awards was Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta, Christina Hendricks is Zac Posen, Jayma Mays in Burberry Prorsum,  and Claire Danes in Giorgio Armani Prive. 


Thanks to an amazing collection of formal attire at Bitch New York your four legged furry friend can look just as amazing as those who walk the red carpet.  Dresses range from $50 up to $660 for the baroque flounce harness by Chien Coature pictured left.  

Remembering Katrina

I just returned from spending a week in one of my favorite cities, New Orleans. You can't help but love the people, the culture, the music, the architecture and cuisine. It was five years ago that I watched as Hurricane Katrina's devastation swept through New Orleans. Tears fell from my eyes as the television showed images of dogs stranded on rooftops, swimming through flood water after the rescue boat that carried their human family, and starving from being trapped inside or on balconies. 


What about the dogs and cats in a natural disaster? To the horror of any animal lover, FEMA's response was "they are not our concern..." As there was no disaster planning done to take care of pets, people were instructed to abandon them.  Many authorities found no regard for an animal's life as they insisted animals be abandoned, left behind.  While other authorities found compassion and looked the other way while pets were smuggled onto rescue boats, vans and helicopters where pets were not allowed.  


The human animal bond is greater than any the results of the recent FEMA disaster study. Many Gulf coast residents risked their own personal safety to stay with or rescue their pets, as Jonathan Harvey pictured above returned to save his own dog. Dozens of animal rescue organizations and individual volunteers converged on New Orleans to help with animal rescue and recovery. Though there are far too many stories of pets being left behind, there are stories of families being reunited with their beloved pets and those pets who found new homes through pet adoptions organizations around the U.S. 

What is the fate of our pets when disaster strikes in the future? The PETS Act (Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act) was signed October 2006. The PETS Act mandates local and state emergency management plans to include preparation for evacuating family pets and service animals along with their owners.  It also allows FEMA to provide funding to create pet-friendly shelters and assist with the development of localized emergency mange plans.  For more information on the PETS Act, please visit http://www.avma.org/disaster/petsact_faq.asp.


I encourage everyone to know their local and state emergency plans and learn how to protect your family pet should a natural disaster strike.  Your local Human Society or the Human Society of the United States are available to assist.  Don't let pets be left behind.  

Lady DogGa

My neighborhood was over taken by Lady Gaga inspired fashions as fans gave tribute to this singing fashionista.  Unable to attend the actual concert, I had no doubt that it would be a night to remember for all those who do. 

As many celebrities influence our fashion choices, looks like Lady Gaga’s over the top styles have made a splash with our four legged furry friends.  

Going Funkalicious

Though envious, we loved hearing the stories of our friend's adventures at the Long Beach Funk Fest that was held last Saturday in the heart of Long Beach, California.  The fashions were nothing less than funkalicious.  Everything from California casual to white polyester bell bottoms to orange paisley dashiki shirts to a dog in dreads (now that is a pup that can get down) grooved to the funk sounds that came from the self-contained solar-powered stages.  We have our lace bell bottoms already to groove at next summer's LB Funk Fest.

From Catwalk to Runway

It was nothing less than exciting to have bentley B tees strut down the catwalk along side designs by Project Runway winner Seth Aaron this April at Boutique Unleashed.  Now we are looking forward to Seth Aaron returning to the runway with the debut of his newest collection inspired by SolarWorld at Portland Fashion Week.  The collection will be unveiled October 9 in PFW's Sustainable Fashion Showcase.  Other eco-conscious designers and labels that will put their fashions on the PFW runway include Pendleton, Amai Unmei ad Ethos Paris.  

Vintage Loves

The perfect outfit is a combination of what was and what is...when vintage and modern mix effortlessly.  So it is not surprise that one of our favorites is Free People.

I can't help but be excited that Free People is taking its eye for vintage into an exclusive collection of hand-picked vintage pieces called Vintage Loves.  Vintage Loves one-of-a-kind items, including delicate lace dresses, embroidered skirts, faded denim, woven basket bags and tooled leather sandals, will be the perfect addition to any wardrobe.

Free People's Vintage Loves collection will debut August 9th on www.freepeople.com. 

A little self promotion...

What better way to kick off bentleyBarks than with the tale of how bentley B was created.

Mourning the loss of my Lexi, a little min-pin who passed away to health problems, my heart made room for a new bundle of fluff. Smaller than a roll of toilet paper, with huge brown eyes, out-of-control fluffy hair and a personality the size of a billboard, I welcomed Bentley, a yorkie chihuahua mix, as the newest member of my family.

Eager to show off my new fluff ball we headed to our first play group at Lexi Dog Boutique and Social Club (Portland). I quickly discovered that the cool pups were styled in the latest fashions. I couldn't let Bentley be a fashion outcast, so I started searching for a hip trendy dog tshirt. I came up empty handed and disappointed in the dog fashions that were available for boy dogs.

Not knowing if I would remember anything from sewing class in the 7th grade, I pulled out the old sewing machine from storage, grabbed an old tshirt and got to work on what would become the very first bentley B tee.

Proud of my new found sewing skills, Bentley wore his new tee to the next play group. I was surprised to find Bentley's new tee was a hit with the other dog moms and dads.  And with that...bentley B became a reality with tees being sold online and in pet boutiques across the United States.

bentley B is an incredible line of vintage tees for pups designed and refashioned from vintage, recycled and discounted clothing. Shop online at www.bentleyB.com.

Follow the style adventures of bentleyBarks through our blog, facebook and twitter.  We will not disappoint, there is something for both ends of the leash.