A tortoise twosome show off their dinosaur cosies (Picture: caters / Katie Bradley)

It’s been a long time since shell suits were in fashion but the colourful outfits from the 80s appear to be making an unexpected comeback.

Animal-lover Katie Bradley, 36, has created a variety of crochet cosies to help her pampered pet tortoises stand out from the crowd.

The woolly costumes are proving to be hugely popular with tortoise owners across the globe keen to kit out their four-legged friends in the must-have fashion items.

‘My first cosy started out as a fun little joke,’ explained Katie, from Vancouver, US. ‘I came across a picture of a tortoise with a doily on its shell, and had a good laugh.


Undercover: A tortoise disguised as a shark (Picture: Caters / Katie Bradley)

‘I posted pictures on my tortoise blog and shared them on one of the tortoise forums, and very quickly, they became popular.



‘I started getting requests to make them to sell, so I listed some in my tortoise-themed Etsy shop. They started selling as fast as I could make them, so I just kept making more.’

The mother-of-two spends about 40 minutes creating each suit and takes her yarn and crochet hooks with her wherever she goes.

Little pumpkin: The outfits have been a hit online (Picture: Caters / Katie Bradley)

Her designs have become more adventurous over time, with her tortoises now being dressed as sharks, pumpkins and sunflowers.

‘I enjoy coming up with different designs, and have a few more up my sleeve that I haven’t started making yet,’ she added.

‘I found that they were really handy for spotting the tortoises quickly when I had let them out in the garden – I can see where they are immediately.’