There is a lot of cute stuff out there for pets these days, and even though I don’t have one, I can’t help noticing that things have come a long way from those dog coats (and booties, yikes!) of the 80’s. Walking by this little store on East 11th street, I admit that the first thing I noticed was the light fixture. A stunner. Since I was staring in the window I felt obligated to step inside and discovered that Wagwear carries tasteful pieces for canines from carriers to Heath ceramic bowls to, well, merino sweaters. And denim fleece jackets. And ski jackets. OK, so maybe your dog doesn’t ski, but if I ever were to find myself in need of a doggy ski jacket or cool accessories this would be my first stop. And frankly, I wish that merino sweater came in my size -- it’s a great color.

The store itself is understated and stylish, with wonderful cloth dog mannequins that it turns out were modeled after the owners own dog (pictured below -- no dogs were harmed in the making, he's just sleeping).

But back to that light fixture: After a little homework I found out it was designed in the 30‘s Robert Dudley Best, A British lighting factory heir who thought the family designs were outdated. He went back to school, met Walter Gropius, and designed a better light. Originally nobody really ‘got’ the design and it was bought by auto repair shops and the Air Force, but it got very popular after Winston Churchill chose one for his desk. Go Winston! You can have one like this for $599 or Winston’s version for $649. Available at The Danish Design Store