legged population feels the financial pinch, designer lines from sportswear to mink coats, evening gowns to bootees are being snapped up... for the nation's dogs. But the jewel-encrusted, over-the-top creations on offer today, together with perfumes, facial masks and Swarkovski-studded leads, go way beyond the imaginings. Unlocking the commercial potential of the instinct to pamper one's pooch are designers like Svetlana Abramova, who in 2004 launched her own brand, Very Stylish Dog, and is now breaking into the foreign market. Having got to grips with canine chic, Abramova last year created a range of matching woman and dog outfits for American firm Diamond Dogs, due to go on display in London in March and later in Los Angeles. But while it is not unusual to see Russian women in restaurants and nightspots with a dog on one arm, the economic crisis has led to some stylistic changes. “We today make more clothes in casual style -- more comfortable, more day-to-day and less luxury. Our clothes are being priced more accessibly but remain elegant and fashionable,” said marketing director of Very Stylish Dog, Nail Abrarov.
