This little fashion pooch belonged to one of the Boracay locals we saw hanging out with their pets at the beach. I couldn’t remember her name, nor do I know her breed, but this little girl sure knows what it’s like to live in high fashion at the beach!

The flamboyant collar the dog was wearing seemed to be made from a person’s old belt, while her shirt seemed to have been made from an infant’s shirt. The collar itself is a bit too much for my Shantee’s taste (hehe), but the “beach style” makeshift dog shirt just goes perfectly with the dog’s dark fur. The stretchable cloth of the shirt is perfect for the beach—the clingy material would make it easy for the dog if she decided to take dip in the sea, kind of like a bathing suit a human wears.

Ah. The things people come up with to dress up their pooch!

Shantee partied with the humans in welcoming 2008. So yep, I just had to make her a Polka-dot New Year dog dress!

I got the black and white polka-dots cloth from my mom’s stock. And luckily, I also found a red chiffon cloth I was able to use as a sash/belt for Shantee. Why polka-dots? Well, it’s because of this Filipino-Chinese tradition, you see.

It’s a common tradition here in the Philippines to welcome the New Year with fireworks and preparing round fruits. The fireworks are believed to ward of evil spirits and bad luck, while the round fruits and objects symbolize money or coins. It’s customary here to wear red (which is considered to be a lucky color) and polka-dots so you’d “attract” good luck, prosperity and wealth for the coming year.

I’m not much of a superstitious person, but hey, it wouldn’t hurt to dress up my dog in clothes that would attract good luck, health, prosperity and wealth, you know!

Anyway, I made use of a different pattern for this dress—one with ruffled sleeves. But it was a difficult trial and error thing, especially when you have a very frisky customer The sash around her “waist” is made of chiffon, sewn with three red Swarovski crystal beads—I still have quite a lot of these even with the dog necklace I made for Shantee before. This dog dress isn’t just for New Year celebrations—the neutral black and white with a touch of red gives it a dressy feel for any party my dog would be attending.

My husband Marc said that it won’t be long when he’ll have to build a wardrobe for Shantee with all the dresses I’ve been making for her. Hehe. That’s possible, you know, since I’m actually enjoying making these dresses for our little furry girl. You just wait when I get my hands on a sewing machine!

I made Shantee a red velvet dress with gold trimmings, which strongly reminded me of the Ghost of Christmas Past from the movie, “A Christmas Carol,” whenever she wears it. But my husband Marc calls it “Shantee’s Harry Potter Dress.”

The pattern I used for this dress is the exact same one as the dog dress pattern I used on Shantee’s purple checkered dog dress. The accents were a bit complicated—I made two holly leaves out of green velvet, and the red fruits were made out of five red Swarovski crystals bundled up together to form a “flower.” I also put simple gold bead work on the back area.

I’m proud of this dog dress! See? Even Shantee’s happy! She really likes wearing this dress. I suppose it makes her feel pretty

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!