Ready for the Catwalk...the amazing 'haute CAT-ture' for the fashion-conscious feline

By Daily Mail Reporter


Purr-fect: The crazy creations are modeled by the designers own cat, three-year-old Abbysinian 'Toki Nantucket', whose services can be bought for the price of a few chunks of juicy chicken

Forget a collar and bell, this stylish feline is turning heads with it's range of glamorous accessories good enough for any catwalk.

The amazing 'haute CAT-ture' is the work of New Yorker Julie Song, who painstakingly designs and crafts the garments herself.

Working under the alias 'CatAtlelier', Korean-American Julie, 33, has created a wacky range of hats and collars for the fashion-conscious feline.

Working under the alias 'CatAtlelier', Korean-American Julie Song, has created a wacky range of hats and collars for the fashion-conscious feline

The wacky creations include gold headbands, berets, a range of bow-ties and even a top-hat so that prissy pusses have a look for every occasion.

The moggy milliner targets her work at the 'fashion-forward feline' and their style-conscious owners.

Almost as much work goes into taking the adorable photos of her model and muse, Julie's own cat, three-year-old Abbysinian 'Toki Nantucket'.

Julie, a full-time designer who creates the cat clothes in her spare time, said: 'I think it's really important to prepare everything first - the camera, the area you will be using to take pictures, the lights, props, and the exact accessories or clothes you will use, so your cat is not sitting there wearing all this stuff while you're still fiddling around.

'I keep photo shoots short so Toki knows it won't be some kind of torture session when I dress him. That way he won't dread wearing clothes.'

And while some supermodels won't get out of bed for less than five thousand dollars, Toki's services can be bought for the more modest price of a few chunks of juicy chicken.

Julie said: 'For Toki, it's really all about the chicken. Toki loves chicken.


The wacky creations include gold headbands, berets, a range of bow-ties and even a top-hat so that prissy pusses have a look for every occasion

Moggy milliner, Julie Song, targets her work at the 'fashion-forward feline' and their style-conscious owners

'I bake chicken and cut it up into bites that I keep in Ziploc bags in the refrigerator and freezer for his treats.

'I give him some before each photo shoot, and also immediately after.'

The pieces are priced between £6 up to £56 and can take days to make.

Talented Julie, an illustration graduate of the prestigious Parsons School of Design, New York, said that her sewing skills are largely self-taught.

She said: 'I have been sewing since I was very young. Most of my fashion design and garment construction skills were just picked up over the years, through experience.'

And the self-effacing designer is not precious about her creations, and said she is fully aware that many may find them amusing.

She said: 'I think Toki, like a great model, makes the items look much better than they would alone.

'I don't mind when people just think the whole thing is funny. I make myself laugh all the time with my work, and I am really happy to make other people laugh too.


The pieces are priced between £6 up to £56 and can take days to make


Designer Julie Song says the next step for CatAtelier is making shirts and other full-body outfits

'It would be hilarious if I was deadly serious about my cat clothes. Hilarious and sad.'

Since launching her online shop, she has even had requests for custom-made outfits from cat owners with special requirements.

She said: 'I got a custom request for a pirate eye patch for someone's one-eyed cat.

"I made it out of leather with an appliqued skull and bones on it.

'After I put up the listing, two other people wanted pirate eye patches for their one-eyed cats - my joke at the time was that I found an untapped market - eye patches for one-eyed pirate cats!"

Julie said the next step for CatAtelier is making shirts and other full-body outfits, some of which will have a practical application for cats who've just undergone painful vet procedures.

She said: 'I am working on some shirts and things. Also a sleeveless bodysuit, catsuit thing, that is good for cats post-surgery, or cats who over-groom, instead of wearing the "Cone of Shame'.'



source:dailymail