/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

My friend is a big fan of One Piece and I agreed to do a cosplay with him this year for an annual con. I plan on doing Basil Hawkins (pic related) but i'm hitting some roadblocks. I plan on ordering (I am a cosplay-pleb) some major parts such as the coat and the waist tape. also, i'm trying to find some basic black boots that I can customize to look like what he's got going on. The sword I'll be making by ordering a sword and customizing it and I was thinking craft foam to make the arm piece.

TL;DR:
>Cosplay Pleb here.
>Can I trust an online cosplay site to make this?
>Where could I find some basic black knee-high boots (women's 9.5, men's 11.5) to customize?
>Is craft foam a good idea for the arm piece?
>Be gentle with me...