These are pretty great for costumes. I bought these to modify as Captain America boots by painting them red. They're pretty high quality for the price, although there was a small rip in one of the seams when they arrived. I think these are designed as Jedi boots, which they seem really well suited for. The piece that runs down the front of the boot isn't connected to anything -- although it seems fairly secure when you have them on since it sits behind three straps. However, since it isn't connected directly to the boot, the part that comes down over the top of your foot tends to flare out instead of being as form fitting as the photo implies. You could probably fix that with some glue or velcro. Wasn't an issue for me since I ditched this piece to make the boots look a bit more traditional.