In the Before Times, my email dinged multiple times a day with press releases for new collections, lookbook previews, and fashion show announcements. In the Now Times, those overwhelming notifications about Fun! New! Things! are as rare as someone who’s able to easily schedule their vaccine appointment on the first go. That dearth of fun, coupled with my complete dependence upon cute animal photos as a self-care method this year, means I was thrilled—nay, ecstatic—to receive notice that the Portland Pickles now have a line of pet clothing.

The collection of bandanas, T-shirts, and hoodies span sizes that will fit furballs and fluff monsters from five to 85 pounds. Each is emblazoned with Dillon the Pickle's ornery grin, and all items in the line clock in at an affordable $20 to $25. Not only do I applaud the motivation behind this line with the force of a thousand suns, I want more. We’re a year into the P-word. We’ve been locked in our houses by virus, fire, and ice. We haven’t been able to hug our grandparents, bump into strangers at a packed show, scream-sing into a karaoke mic, or laugh in a crowded movie theater as a group for 12 horror-filled months. We need tiny pet clothes.

And as both a style editor for more than a decade and someone with a degree in fashion design, might I share some suggestions for the teams in town to go forth and produce at once?

Extra Pickle Please

Props go to the Pickles for taking the first courageous step in this animal apparel journey, but can we humbly ask for more? Why should Dillon get to be the only pickle in town? Take that signature gherkin look and just imagine a long, stretched-out doggie—maybe a corgi or, dare I say it, wiener dog—nestled into a cucumber-based ensemble. Yes, your brain is pleased by this. Also, from a technical perspective, you can seamlessly transition the pickle pattern into a wiener costume so your little hot dog can dress like one too.

Beer Me

OK, hear me out on this. Combine the joy of a springtime Hillsboro Hops game with the fashunnnn of the Kentucky Derby. We all know that Barley the Hop is a joyous, delight-filled mascot. Imagine that jolly triangular plant person running around the field with a gang of pups wearing chic beer stein fascinators. Chase that feeling.

Get Blazed

Not to encourage the millennia-long feud between cats and dogs, but pups should definitely not get all the fashion fun here. Let’s look at our Blazers buddy, Blaze the Trail Cat, for instance. He rocks a signature athleisure style, including a Cliff Robinson homage headband, as he bounds about the court being cute and entertaining (just like real cats). We say lean into the basketball combo and try a kitty-as-a-basketball look. Obviously, this is only for the most good-natured of cats (not mine), but it does double as a toy for any other felines in the house.