The internet's hottest fashion blogger is a dog, and he's teaching men how to dress

In the winter of 2013, David Fung and his wife Yena Kim drove up from New York to the Catskills for a weekend with Bodhi, their charismatic Shiba Inu. Like pet owners are known to do, they dressed him up — cardigan sweater, shirt, and tie. Just like that, a menswear icon was born.

Today, Bodhi is featured in the New York Times ...

... and top-flight advertisements.

It all started back in January 2013, when David (a graphic designer) and Yena (a fashion designer) uploaded their first photos of a dressed-up Bodhi to Tumblr. This knit tie look impressed Tumblr, garnering some 17,000 notes.

"We started to see its potential when brands started reaching out to us like we were actual fashion bloggers," Fung says. Like American Apparel ....

... and Revlon.

Bodhi turned into an online persona. "He’s the dog version of the Dos Equis guy," Fung says, "the most interesting dog in the world". "My style defaults to the classics," Fung says, like white Converse sneakers or boat shoes. "We get to style a bit riskier with how we style Bodhi … I guess when you’re a dog you can just pull off anything". "When we put on a very dapper suit," Fung says, "and he's supposed to look very pristine ...". "... he has that Zoolander kind of look for us," Fung says, "and it's a very strange thing.". "I think he inherently knows what to do with these outfits we put him in," Fung says. 

In April, Bodhi (and Yena and David) came out with their first book: "Menswear Dog Presents the New Classics: Fresh Looks for the Modern Man."

The core message of the book: style starts with fundamentals. "Investing in basics is something that a lot of guys overlook," Fung says. "It's important to have that perfect T, otherwise the rest of the outfit isn't going to fall into place." Also: Don't fear the tailor. "You don't have to spend huge amounts on a suit, you can get an affordable suit and then get it tailored for a fraction of the cost," Fung says. "Same with shirts." Office style is all about the basics: "Good oxford shirts, a couple pairs of well-fitting jeans, some dress shoes that also work with jeans, sneakers that don't look too sneakery," Fung says, "All those things are in play in office style."

And in the summer heat, opt for chambray. "It kind of looks like a denim shirt, it kind of looks like an oxford, but it has a different texture," Fung says. "It's its own thing: breathable and breezy. You can wear it untucked with jeans and sneakers and it looks good, or you can wear it buttoned up with a tie and a charcoal suit and it will still look dynamite."

"For the summer, if you need to turn it on in a meeting, having a blazer around would be nice," Fung says. "A charcoal grey blazer maybe made of linen, if it’s super hot and you want it to be breathable. Always an easy way of dressing up an outfit."

http://www.businessinsider.com