Designer Dogs by Melanie D.G

family & parenting

pet health Designer Dogs By Melanie D.G. Kaplan

After 11 years with his black miniature poodle Tina Turner, fashion designer Zac Posen doesn’t hear much about resembling his dog. By now, he says, it’s simply stating the obvious. As usual, his House of Z juggles numerous projects. In 2014, he launched new eyewear and fine jewelry collections and a wedding collection at David’s Bridal. He was also named creative director for Brooks Brothers’ signature women’s collection. Posen is especially excited about ge returning as a judge on Lifetime’s Project Runway, a rl B which he says now has a “whole different caliber of taste and talent.” He and his partner, House of Z creative director Christopher Niquet, and their three handbag-sized dogs live in New York City. Art director: M a rin director: Art

Photograph by Philippe Reynaud MARCH/APRIL 2015 49 W ebMD.com family& parenting Your dogs are Tina Turner, Betty Blue, and Candy Darling. What’s behind the names? Tina Turner—I’m a big fan. And this miniature poodle has very long legs and likes to dance. Christopher had Betty Blue, a dapple miniature long-haired dachshund, named after the movie character. She’s more shy, but she’s been photographed by all the great photographers. Christopher worked with Karl Lagerfeld for a few years, and Lagerfeld really fell in love with animals through Betty. He named her the Linda Evangelista of dogs. And Candy Darling, an English cream miniature dachshund, is the blond baby that we adopted. Not to be cliché.

What is your home life like with Christopher and the three “kids”? All of the dogs except Betty Blue were meant to be uptown dogs. They

love walking down Sutton Place and B:8.625” seeing all the other fancy dogs. Tina T:7.875” at moments is eerily humanistic— watching TV, watching me cook. Some- S:7.25” times I have to give them chomps of carrots when I’m cooking. It’s hard to resist having these three dogs in bed, but they don’t sleep with us. They have their own little bed on my side. Tina is a superstar poodle-gymnast, and they ® TM all curl into one big dog ball together. Introducingcing [HD] They’re pretty patient until we’re up and dressed and ready to walk them.

What is mealtime like? I feed them twice a day. You don’t want to overfeed them, so you need to be very disciplined because they will HEALTHIER MOUTH† eat until they pop. People will make * B:5.625” S:4.625” comments—maybe the dogs look too WHITER TEETH IN T:5.125” skinny. But our vet said they are the ONE WEEK dream weight. And I said, “Well, they 6X work in fashion and they’re supermod- Introducing Crest Pro-Health HD — a breakthrough two-step system els.” They have a naughty side with ge that isolates key ingredients so they can each deliver outstanding results. a rl food. Betty has an affinity for caviar. B In just one week you’ll see a diﬀ erence so extraordinary, you’ll never go You can’t really put fish roe caviar or back to your current toothpaste. Make Crest Pro-Health HD your next herring on a table. Other than that, #HealthyObsession. they’re very well behaved.

www.crest.com/hd

Where do you stand on dogs M a rin director: Art ud;

and clothing? life opens up with a healthier mouthmouth I don’t go there. My dogs would like

it too much, and I don’t have room R eyn a Phili pp e †Gingivitis reduction via Step 1 Stannous Fluoride vs. ordinary toothpaste *Vs. ordinary toothpaste © Procter & Gamble, Inc. 2015 ORAL-17312

W ebMD.com 50 MARCH/APRIL 2015

PGC 435 A.indd 1 12/19/14 3:06 PM

@ Studio#: 187154.1 CLIENT: CREST Name WC OK Date Agency Job #: PGC 435 Bleed: 8.625” x 5.625” Colors: 4CP VENDOR: PRODIGIOUS in NY Art Dir: Lauren Pantano APP: CS6 PO #: - Trim: 7.875” x 5.125” INK: Creat. Dir: - File Name: PGC 435 A.indd Live: 7.25” x 4.625” FONTS: Neutraface 2 Copy Wrtr: - Text (Book, Bold, Demi Media Type: Magazine Scale Ratio: 1” : 1” Italic; OpenType) Trafﬁ c: Kristan Gabriel LINKS: M_Gemini_Half- Issue Date: 03 2015 Output % 100% Page 12.2.14.tif Prod: Kristan Gabriel LOU_Bar_MP_update.ai Creation Date: 12-8-2014 2:14 PM Actual Size: 8 x 5 ad size Crest HD logo.ai Acct. Mnger: Maggie Cannon Last Modiﬁ ed: 12-19-2014 2:38 PM Ad Size: 1/2 Page 4C Bleed horz Proofreader: Publication: People Studio: Paul DeAngelo Job Desc: Gemini Half Page AE OK Rel: File Location: Procter_Gamble:Volumes:Procter_Gamble:CREST:Mechani- cals:PGC435:Documents:PGC 435 A.indd - Notes:

Proof ROUND #: PGC 435 A Stock: - 6.3 for their closet. The dachshunds have Have you thought about a fashion You have a new office. Does it have quilted jackets in the winter, and Tina show with dogs? space for the dogs? wears a red hand-knitted cashmere I have, and it’s really hard. Animals, Not right now. But instead of being sweater. The only color you can put on children, and lasers/headpieces down in Tribeca, now I can walk to a black miniature poodle is red—that’s become distracting from the clothing. work, so I can go home and walk them. a rule. But that’s it. With our clothing, there’s a real craft What do the girls think about your being so busy? “Three dogs is a lot. It can get overwhelming at I think they’d like more vacation. times. It takes a lot of responsibility and is a Pretty soon they’re going to have to get into the mindset for me having real full commitment for a long period of time. children, when that happens in the But they truly are my best friends.” future. They’re going to be extremely protective. Tina’s going to be crouched near the baby and growling at anyone Are your city dogs upset when you and skill that goes into them, and that who comes near it. Three dogs is a lot. take them into the country? should be the focus. It can get overwhelming at times. It No. Tina loves it. Candy loves it because It almost would be silly or insulting takes a lot of responsibility and is a full she’s a girl from the South. Betty loves to the people who make the clothing commitment for a long period of time. it, but she’s more of a beach girl. They and the people that watch it to have But these dogs have been with me as go in their custom Zac Posen dog carri- it on animals. If you’re looking at a I’ve built my company. They truly are ers—that we used to make—to travel to fashion show that’s about integrity of my best friends. Harbour Island in the Bahamas. They design, you don’t want a cute shih tzu have to get special visas. They love the or poodle stealing the attention. But beach and sunbathing more than any- I have brought them on the Project Reviewed by Will Draper, DVM B:8.625” WebMD Pet Health Expert thing in the world. Runway set. T:7.875” S:7.25”

® TM Introducingcing [HD]

HEALTHIER MOUTH† * B:5.625” S:4.625” WHITER TEETH IN T:5.125” 6X ONE WEEK Introducing Crest Pro-Health HD — a breakthrough two-step system that isolates key ingredients so they can each deliver outstanding results. In just one week you’ll see a diﬀ erence so extraordinary, you’ll never go back to your current toothpaste. Make Crest Pro-Health HD your next #HealthyObsession.

www.crest.com/hd

life opens up with a healthier mouthmouth

†Gingivitis reduction via Step 1 Stannous Fluoride vs. ordinary toothpaste *Vs. ordinary toothpaste © Procter & Gamble, Inc. 2015 ORAL-17312

PGC 435 A.indd 1 12/19/14 3:06 PM

Proof ROUND #: PGC 435 A Stock: - 6.3