DIY Dragonball Z Cosplay Boots

Whoa. Halloween is seriously almost here. I'm definitely behind this year, though in my defense my weekends have been filled with fun things like a Japanese Cultural Festival, my first ever Magic the Gathering match, and numerous rounds of 7 Wonders (we now have both expansions, lol).

Anyway, we're going as some Dragonball Z characters this year (YES, SKIN SUITS! EEK), and we were in dire need of some iconic white boots. Here's a reference picture for the boots only (neither of us is cool enough to ever cosplay Vegeta).

(source)

I used this tutorial for the basic shoe covering, slightly modified to fit my needs.

First, Dearfoam slippers, donated by my mom. They are size 11-12, which was a tad bit unfortunate since the shoes are HUGE on our small feet. But free is free!

Start ripping the seam along the back of the boot.

Then along the sole.

The shoe should start to split apart easily.

Here's the shoe, disassembled:

Remove the shoe cover from the inner foam,

and cut the toe of the cover off.  We'll use the extra foam to extend the height of the shoe into boot shape.

Sew the square-ish foam panels to the foam boot to get a finished inner shoe.  Then trace that boot with some seam allowances (1/2~1 inch) to create an outer cover pattern.

I wanted to use a nice, thick vinyl for the boots, but I made due with blackout drapery fabric since it was similar and in the remnant bin. Remnant bin = $avings. If you have something a bit thicker, it will probably look less wrinkly in the end though. Sew up both sides and clean up the edge at the top with a roll over hem.

Now the fun part! Place the rubber sole into the bottom of the outer cover (while it is still inside out), and hand stitch it all back together. Use the thread holes that were already there to make it easier!

Now, simply turn it all inside out!

Boot! I love how nice and finished the sole looks :)

Now, shove the inner boot back inside and you could finish here. But I needed that blasted yellow/gold tip on the end! I'm still not sure if it's supposed to be yellow or gold (which is colored yellow for TV). I went with some gold strap trim (from Joanne's), because I like shiny things.

I'm sorry to say it gets a bit derpy here. Unfold, pinch, and hot glue onto the shoe as best you can.

Trim the excess and glue some more.

And...call it a night!

Not bad, though I know it would have looked a little cleaner if the shoes had been a 7-8 size instead of 11-12. Next time!

They are warm and toasty and comfy too, bonus points!

Alright, I've got a few more pieces of our costumes to finish, hopefully sometime before Halloween! I thought the shoes would be the hardest part, but it really wasn't too bad. I just hope they last. I don't know how easily blackout fabric stains (like, grass/dirt), and I'm too scared to find out. :P

Do you have your costume sorted out yet, or are you just gonna wing it? Some of the best creative "spurts" come under time crunches!