[Herta Cosplay] Wisdom and Loveliness in Honkai: Star Rail—I Did My Best to Recreate It

The weather on Day 2 of the Guangzhou Firefly ACG Expo was super cooperative. Although the outdoor lighting was a bit harsh, the resulting texture actually added a sense of realism. This time I cosplayed Herta. Ever since I first saw her character design concept, I was fascinated by the color scheme and structure of this outfit—the blue-purple gradient paired with black straps has both the splendor of a mage and the crisp neatness of a lab coat.

First, let's talk about the costume. The hat is the soul of the entire look—an oversized wide brim paired with crescent moon decorations. To keep it stable at the anime convention venue, I specifically added rigid supports inside the brim and fixed hidden Velcro straps on top, so it wouldn't tilt even while walking around. The upper top's strap structure is quite a test of tailoring: because the back features large cutout sections, the crisscrossing straps need to fit the body curve snugly without being too tight or restricting movement. I did two fitting adjustments in advance, resewing the shoulder strap length and waist cinching position to ensure the straps wouldn't slip when looking back or turning around.

For the wig, I selected a silver-white to pale purple gradient wig. The hair fibers are very soft, so to create volume, I layered two wigs together and teased them in sections. In the back shot in Photo 2, you can see the natural curl at the tips—that casual texture was exactly the effect I wanted. The ruffles on the arm sleeves use a crisp chiffon that holds its layered shape well, but it easily obstructs hand poses during photos. So during shooting, I repeatedly adjusted the angle of the sleeves to echo the skirt's trailing hem. The white pendant at the waist was custom-made with a subtle distressed finish, which pairs with the silver embroidery on the fabric to add extra depth.

As for the photography, the photographer was fantastic at capturing angles. Photo 1 is a poster-style layout I designed later because I felt the purple background theme and overlaid text fit the character's aura, but during actual shooting, I preferred the over-the-shoulder glance under natural light in Photo 2. Under outdoor lighting, the blue sheen on the costume softened up, making the back strap details and the skirt's drape very clear. I chose this over-the-shoulder pose to portray that feeling of \"being incredibly powerful yet occasionally throwing a little tsundere fit\"—a slight tilt of the head, a touch of tsundere attitude in the eyes, a hand resting on the edge of the hat, with relaxed body language that still retains a strong presence.

To be honest though, walking around the anime convention venue in this outfit was quite an effort. The train was very long and easy to step on, plus Guangzhou's hot and humid weather made the heavy hat and multi-layered skirt feel stiflingly warm. But seeing the final photos made every bit of hardship worth it. For post-processing, I edited the colors myself without over-smoothing the skin, preserving the transitions of light and shadow to give the image a richer sense of storytelling.

My Day 2 experience was super fulfilling. Walking around the exhibition hall in this full gear, I was frequently recognized by passersby who called out the character's name—that instant sense of connection and recognition is truly the most touching part of cosplay. Although there are still many details that could be perfected, like replacing the waist belt's metal buckle with a more refined design or making the skirt pleats drape more naturally, every shoot is a learning experience and a step forward. I hope next time I can capture more of her classic expressions and moves, like her signature brimming-with-confidence smile. For now, I'm sharing these two photos—one graphic layout with a magical vibe, and one realistic, natural outdoor snap. Which vibe do you prefer?