Bought this in a Medium Plus for my 7 yr old son and 8 yr old daughter. They both are a little tall for their age, and the medium plus fits fine, and has room for them to grow- it could fit them until they're 9. They absolutely LOVE these costumes. From a parental stand-point, I consider it money well-spent, especially since the medium plus is (when I bought it) only $6. They're made of a pretty light, stretchy material, like most children's costumes. They fasten loosely in the back with small velcro tabs- I intend to add snaps since I'm pretty sure my kids will be wearing these for the better part of a year. The mask is also actually a separate piece, a square of black fabric with laces on the top and bottom which tie behind the kids' heads. It looks good, but slips down during play and they're constantly asking me to retie them, so I'll either be sewing the mask to the hood or adding velcro snaps so the kids can take the mask off when they need to eat/drink. The chest piece lined in red is thicker than the rest of the costume, and adds a layer of protection from roughhousing. Not a lot, but it's mentionable. The arm and leg ties are pretty authentic, and look great- but they also tend to slip down or untie often so either the kids trip on them or the cats end up chasing them, and again I have to retie them a lot. I'll be sewing those permanently to the costume- they could also be cut right off without any real detriment to the look of the costume. (They also might need some help untying these the first couple of times they visit the restroom). The costume comes with two light foam fabric shuriken that attach to the foam belt with velcro tabs, and the kids also love these. I love that they can throw them without actually hurting anything or anyone, and it makes them feel super-ninja-y. The costume actually came with a little plastic toy ninja, which made the kids day. Seriously, they shrieked when they saw the toy fall out of their costume bag, almost more than they did when they saw the costumes. It's not super-sturdy, but it'll last. And let's face it, if you want a masterfully crafted costume it's going to cost a bundle- and reasonably so, considering the cost of material and the work going into sewing it. And kids are kids- it doesn't matter how finely crafted or sturdy something is, they'll find a way to rip or tear it. So basically- for the price it's a great costume, whether you're just planning on wearing it once or for months on months. Some alterations might need to be made for long-term use (the mask and straps and ties, as mentioned) if you don't want to constantly retie things, but nothing complicated or difficult. Someone who's never sewn or handled costume adjustments should have no problem dealing with the minor long-term play concerns. Most importantly, MY KIDS LOVE IT. Which makes me pretty happy.
