all words and photos: Katie Warren

As far as benefit galas go, Fashion for Paws is one of the most highly anticipated of the year. The Washington Humane Society throws this lavish benefit to raise money for their pooches and kitties, and offers an over-the-top excuse to get dressed up in exchange.

The gorgeous National Building Museum acts as the background and is filled to the gills with decorations, enormous floral arrangement, and lighting out the wazoo. With tables for the most generous donors at a cool $10,000 and open bar for all, what’s not to love?! And as a bonus, they put society fundraisers in 6″ platforms heels, tight dresses with unmanageable trains (courtesy of all the lovely stores @ Tysons Galleria) and hand them a pair of antsy Golden Retrievers and shoot them down the runway. An impeccably beautiful event professionally executed to a T? Certainly. Hilarious runway situation with a perpetual potential for impending disaster? You’re damn right.

My dapper partner in crime artist Martin Swift and I ventured forth to bring you backstage and document the evening through photos. I set up and took studio portraits of the models backstage fresh out of hair and makeup with Toka Salon and Aba Agency, and air kissed my way to the front of the photo pit (major thanks to the incredibly accommodating Maha and Dannia of Moki Media for the prime location!). Documented all of the runway shasaying and near falls (no one did, luckily!), and photographed late into the open-bar-induced dance party. Plus of course, I snuck into the back for really freaking cute pictures of dogs. Cheers!