Everybody wants to be a cat: Feline Inspired Fashion

I've just recently started reading the Independent Fashion Bloggers site, and every week they set a new challenge. This week's challenge was 'Feline Inspired Fashion' and initially I thought, 'no way can I style that', but then I thought I'd challenge myself, not only to write a blog post about cats within fashion, but also to style a moggy inspired outfit, with hardly any cat related clothing. No easy feat, I tell you!

Part 1: 10 Feline Fashion Pieces under £40:
So firstly, lets talk about how you can bring a touch of the feline into your wardrobe without looking all 'crazy cat lady'. From cats eyes, to hats with kitty ears and big bold feline prints, there are pieces available to suit every wardrobe. Here are my favourite picks, and as usual, they're all available on a budget (under £40).

Part 2: Inspired by my cat:

This is Bobby who is sadly no longer with us but was my feline best friend. Always there for a cuddle, always waiting for me when I got home from work and always keeping me entertained. When IFB talked about taking inspiration from your cat, I thought about how I could put together a Bobby inspired outfit as the ultimate homage to him. So I thought; black and white, furry, cute and a bit crazy! I decided to get into character as well...

Since Bobby has a white chest, white paws and black everything else I could have just gone for a boring suit style combo, but fashion is meant to be about fun and so I decided to have some fun with my outfit! My white furry shrug brings in the flash of white fur that Bobby has on his chest, the nude shoes are inspired by his cute little white paws and the jacket and dress bring in the black of his body without being too bland and one-dimensional.

Not only is this outfit inspired by my cat, it also nods to other trends such as texture mixing with the fur and lace, and the monochrome trend of Autumn/Winter 2013/2014 while staying true to my own personal style using items that I already own.

Shrug - Jasper Conran (a present from my mum for my 21st birthday) | Black waterfall blazer - Tesco | Black lace dress - New Look | Nude Heels - Marks and Spencer