I've always liked Tifa, but refrained from doing her FF7 outfit because, lets face it, it isn't the most flattering ensemble out there. Maybe someday I'll give it a whirl anyway, but as it was, the outfit never interested me much. But when the screenshots for FF7's film sequel, Advent Children started floating around the internet, Tifa's new look just blew me away. I absolutely loved her badass biker-chick threads, and just had to cosplay her.
EDIT 10/06: The costume has been updated, and so has the description:
I found a thick, non-shiny vinyl fabric on eBay, and bought enough to mess up the pleated back skirt several times. The skirt has pockets and buttons on the front, and is attached by buckles on each hip. The vest was made out of the same material and darted to give it a clean fit. The undershirt is a strechy cotton which is sewn to the sleeves at the top and hangs loose on the bottom under the bust.
The shorts are a different material - a thick but stretchy cotton/poly blend, like the kind a nice pair of dress pants would be made out of. I love them becausze they keep the costume breathable and allow me to jump and kick and move around freely. The ribbons are pleather and are threaded though loops on the shorts.
The new gloves are actually made out of real leather, and the Cloudy Wolf ring I found on eBay fits perfectly over them. I also found a pair of clip-on earrings which are almost a perfect match for Tifa's at Wal-Mart. The ribbon is attached to my arm with Velcro, and I added a pair of snazzy shades cause I find them cool.
Sick of having inaccurate shoes, I found a pair of perfect black boots at Wal-Mart and painted them with several coats to match Tifa's. I decided to keep using my Rinoa wig for AC Tifa however, but I think I've gotten slightly better at restyling it to look different.
This is by far my most comfortable costume yet. I really like wearing it, so this one is going to be in my regular rotation for a while.
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