A DIY Guide to Making Zoey’s Costumes from KPop Demon Hunters

Creating Zoey’s “How It’s Done” Costume from KPop Demon Hunters

TopIn “How It’s Done,” Zoey wears a blue halter top with black trim and some floral embellishments to one side. There are a couple of different ways to recreate: you could get a teal blue tube top and wear a black criss-cross halter top underneath it, to create the look of a blue top with black halter straps (like Zoey’s). Alternatively, you could get a teal tube top and add the black halter yourself, using black ribbon and fabric glue or safety pins. When you’re making the halter, make sure it’ll fit over your head (or it can be detached) without looking too loose. You can use black fabric tape to recreate the rest of the black trim on Zoey’s halter. The design on the right side of Zoey’s shirt features the lotus flower. Cut magenta and yellow felt into lotus flowers shaped like the design, and attach them to the shirt with fabric glue. Don’t want to put the whole costume together yourself? Understandable. There are plenty of Zoey costumes for sale on sites like Spirit Halloween and ProCosplay.

PantsZoey wears dark navy or black parachute pants while in her “How It’s Done” popstar outfit; the pants have geometric yellow and blue designs on them. It might be a little tricky to find pants that look exactly like Zoe’s out in the wild, so start with a pair of plain navy blue parachute pants (or black parachute pants, as a substitute) and add the embellishments yourself! Cut out yellow and blue felt or foam into each geometric shape featured on the pants, and attach them with fabric glue. Zoey’s pants have thick yellow stripes covering each shin (from the ends of the pant legs to just below the knee), which then wrap around to the back of the pants and up, meeting in the middle around the buttocks area.

ShoesIn keeping with the streetwear theme of Zoey’s popstar outfit, her shoes are actually chunky athletic sneakers with blue and yellow colors on them. Try shopping online or thrifting for athletic sneakers with the right colors, if you want—but there’s no need to break the bank over it! You’d be totally fine with plain yellow or plain blue sneakers, or even just solid white or black sneakers, which are much easier to find. Zoey doesn’t appear to have visible socks, so you’ll want to opt for ankle socks (or just go sockless) with this costume.

AccessoriesZoey’s “How It’s Done” accessories include a pair of chunky gold bracelets on either wrist and a yellow norigae hanging from the waist of her pants. Norigae are traditional Korean good luck charms, often worn on clothing and made up of elements like pendants and tassels. Finally, Zoey wears a black pouch on her right arm.

HairZoe’s trademark adorable hairstyle includes a pair of braided buns with bangs and fringe in front. Whether or not you have bangs, styling your hair this way is actually quite easy! We show you the full process in this guide, but the long and short of it involves separating your hair into two pigtails, then braiding each pigtail, winding up the braids, and pinning them in place with hairpins. If your hair isn’t long enough for this, or you want to match Zoey’s hair more precisely, there are plenty of pre-styled Zoey wigs available.

Making Zoey’s “Golden” and “What It Sounds Like” Costume

TopZoey’s “Golden” top is a black, cropped, long-sleeve shirt with golden detailing and epaulettes on the shoulders; meanwhile, her “What It Sounds Like” top is nearly the same, but the black shirt is white instead. Choose your version of Zoey (black shirt or white shirt), and then use gold fabric tape to add the detailing to your shirt. The gold trim at the bottom of her shirt is extra-wide, and the rest is finer. Zoey’s top has a diamond-shaped cutout just below the neckline. You can look for a shirt with a cutout or just make the cutout yourself! Trace a diamond shape on the shirt and use scissors to cut the shape out. Then, line the new cutout with gold fabric tape! If you’re just looking for a premade Zoey costume, we’ve got you covered! You can get them online, on sites like Amazon and EZCosplay.

Shoulder guardsZoey’s top also has armor-like shoulder guards on either shoulder—and they’re white with gold trim and detailing, no matter which version of the outfit (“Golden” or “What It Sounds Like”) you choose! You can make your own shoulder guards out of craft foam and attach them to either shoulder on the shirt with fabric glue. To make the shoulder guards: Trace two large, rounded rectangles on craft foam, making sure they’re the same size (and just a little longer than the shirt’s shoulders). Then, cut them out. Hold each craft foam piece up to a steady heat source (like an iron), then shape it so it can curve over the shoulder. Paint your craft foam white if it isn’t already (or just buy white craft foam in the first place). Finally, use golden paint to add the detailing onto each shoulder guard. When they’re completely dry, attach them to the shirt. You can also find some shortcuts online. One Etsy shop has a pattern and tutorial for Zoey’s pauldrons, and another sells 3D printer files for them. Or, if you buy a pre-made Zoey costume, the pauldrons will be included!

SkirtZoey’s “Golden” and “What It Sounds Like” skirt is relatively simple: it’s just a short white skirt with two smaller slits in the front, roughly over each leg. You can look for a white mini-skirt with two side slits yourself (online or at stores near you), or you can get a plain white skirt and cut the slits yourself, if necessary. There isn’t even any gold lining on the skirt to worry about, so your alterations, if any, should be minimal! For extra warmth (and coverage), you can also wear a pair of white spandex shorts underneath the skirt.

ShoesZoey wears white lace-up boots (with gold-colored laces) during the “Golden” and “What It Sounds Like” numbers. The boots cover her shins, stopping before her knees. Find a pair of boots that work for you; then, if you’re a stickler for detail, remove the regular laces and add gold shoelaces instead.

AccessoriesZoey’s main accessory is her gold belt, which sits around her waist just below the top of her skirt. The gold belt has linked diamond-shaped pieces within (although you don’t necessarily have to find an exact replica) and gold chains hanging from either side of the belt. She also has gold tassels hanging from the innermost corner of each shoulder guard. You can glue the tassels to your handcrafted shoulder guards!

HairIs there an entirely new hairstyle for this costume compared to the previous one? Nope! Zoey wears her hair the same way throughout the entire movie, so your hairstyle here is the same as the one above: braided buns that are coiled and pinned in place, with bangs in front (if you have them). You can follow this guide to get Zoey’s full hairstyle. Once again, if you’d prefer not to style the hair yourself or just want to match Zoey perfectly, you can buy a pre-styled Zoey wig online. Some Zoey costumes also include a wig!