Board Thread:The Quarters - Q & A/@comment-67.165.106.90-20140413222025/@comment-24150802-20140414012936

Any special equipment like the cat suit (any anything else that goes into the "special" slot on the inventory page) exist outside the upgrade path for the normal equipment. You still need to purchase the lower levels to build up to the Umbral Armour. Think of the special gear as a gift that helps lower-level players get medium-high gear more quickly than they would otherwise.