Cha Hae-in Cosplay
Solo Leveling's top S-rank female hunter in her signature white fitted uniform with gold-trimmed shoulder and chest armor, knee-high boots, and her 48-inch longsword. This is an intermediate hybrid build combining a stretch-knit bodysuit with EVA foam armor pieces and a sword prop. The armor-to-bodysuit attachment is the make-or-break detail. Includes 7 components, 14 materials with cost estimates, a 12-step build plan, and a realistic 4-6 week, $110 to $280 budget.
5 weeks
14
14
7
See the whole look before you start.
References, materials, budget, and build order for Cha Hae-in.
Timeline
5 weeks
Color refs
Materials
14 items
Budget
$110 - $280
save the visual refs
Full reference board
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Build guide
The armor is the entire build. Everything else, the wig, the boots, the contacts, you can figure out in an afternoon each. But the shoulder and chest armor staying on that bodysuit through a full con day is the puzzle you need to solve first, before you cut a single piece of fabric.
I built this for AnimeNEXT in June and tested three attachment methods before I found one that held. First I tried plain velcro on the bodysuit. The velcro gripped fine at home but the ponte fabric stretched under convention heat and the armor walked forward by noon. Second attempt was magnets, which looked elegant in my bathroom and fell off climbing one flight of stairs. What finally worked was this: I sewed a 2x3-inch rectangle of thin craft foam, maybe 3mm, into the bodysuit at each armor attachment point, then used industrial velcro on top of that foam patch. The rigid pad stops the velcro from dragging on stretchy knit. The armor has not moved since. I tested it through a seven-hour convention day and two escalators.
For the bodysuit itself, I used white ponte from the Joann in Wayne. The key word is ponte, not scuba, not jersey. Ponte holds its structure. If you order white knit online and it stretches freely in both directions, send it back. You want something that gives slightly crosswise and almost not at all lengthwise. The Simplicity S8670 pattern works well as a base. I used the mock neck view, added a back zipper, and reinforced the shoulder seams before attaching the armor tabs.
The EVA foam armor I traced from reference screenshots. Her shoulder and chest pieces aren't complicated shapes, they're geometric with some curves at the edges. I used 6mm foam from my stash, sealed with Flexbond, painted with white spray as a base, then hand-painted the gold edges with a size 2 filbert brush. Take your time with the gold lines. They're thin and visible in every photo.
Sword: I built mine from EVA foam with a PVC pipe spine. The Munetoshi pre-made version ($25 on Amazon) honestly looks fine and saves six hours. If your convention caps blade length, both options have the same problem, her sword is 48 inches, so check the policy before you build or buy.
The wig took me one evening. Ordered a 16-inch blonde bob from CosplayBuzz, trimmed the bangs with the wig on my head while sitting in front of my bathroom mirror, and used a flat iron on the lowest setting to curve the ends inward. The contacts (champagne gold, 14.5mm) I tested two weeks before the con, because I had no idea if I could tolerate them for seven hours. Turns out I could, barely. Do the test.
Budget came to $165 for my version: I already had paint supplies and used the commercial costume base for the bodysuit. If you're sewing your own, add another $40-60 for fabric and the pattern. The $280 ceiling in the budget range assumes nicer materials and a from-scratch build on everything.
Components
White fitted bodysuit uniform
Shoulder and chest armor pieces
Longsword prop
Knee-high white boots
Styled blonde bob wig
Gold-amber contact lenses
Gloves and gold accessories
Pattern Plan
Real sewing patterns for each piece of the Cha Hae-in costume: the commercial base to start from, a free alternative where one exists, and the exact modifications that turn the base into the character-accurate piece.
White fitted bodysuit uniform
Modifications for white fitted bodysuit uniform: Use the mock neck view with zip front. Omit the jumpsuit leg extensions if making a separate bodysuit top only. Add 1.5-2cm ease at the hip and thigh for armor attachment underlayers. Shorten the torso by 2-3cm if under 5'6". Sew gold braid trim along the neckline, sleeve hems, and center front zip placket per the character references.
Modifications for white fitted bodysuit uniform: Use the mock neck long sleeve view as the base. Add a back zipper (pattern has no zipper — grade in a 22-24in invisible zipper at center back). Add horizontal seam lines at the torso to match Cha Hae-in's uniform panel lines. Attach velcro armor-mount patches at shoulder attachment points before finishing the neckline.
S8670 is the easier of the two — it already has a zip front and is designed for cosplay armor builds. S8513 gives cleaner panel shaping but requires adding a zipper. Either works; choose based on your fitting experience with knits.
Materials list
14 itemsEstimated total cost
$110 - $280
Milestone timeline
5 weeks- 1
Gather references and decide anime vs manhwa version
Research
- 2
Check your con's prop weapons policy for blade length
Research
- 3
Buy and test the wig length, confirm heat styling works
Materials
- 4
Source bodysuit pattern and white ponte fabric
Materials
- 5
Mock up bodysuit fit in scrap knit
Patterning
- 6
Draft armor templates from reference images
Patterning
- 7
Cut and sew bodysuit, set zipper and trim
Construction
- 8
Cut, heat-shape, and seal EVA foam armor pieces
Construction
- 9
Paint armor white with gold accent details
Details
- 10
Attach armor to bodysuit with velcro/hooks
Details
- 11
Build or source sword prop and paint to finish
Details
- 12
Style and trim wig to fit your face shape
Finishing
- 13
Source contact lenses and do a comfort test before con day
Fitting
- 14
Full wear test, photos, check armor stays in place
Wear test
Frequently
asked questions.
Related tools and guides
Plan your build, estimate costs, and get ready.
Budget Calculator
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Convention Checklist
88-item packing checklist. Check off items as you pack.
Prop Scaling Calculator
Scale reference images to your body measurements.
How Much Does EVA Foam Armor Cost?
Real build budgets with specific products and dollar amounts.
Cosplay Commission Cost Breakdown
Real build budgets with specific products and dollar amounts.
Cosplay on Costumary
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