Cosplay Girl Wearing Tifa Lockheart Costume

Tifa was developed to use the "Martial Artist" character class that appears in previous games in the series. She has long, black hair in a style resembling a dolphin's tail at the tip, and garments described as simple and monotone consisting of a white tank top and black mini-skirt. In addition, red boots and gloves cover her hands, sleeves extend up her arms from her wrists to her elbows, suspenders connect her skirt to her shoulders, and a large metal guard covers her left elbow. She stands about 5 feet 4 inches (167 cm) tall, and has three sizes of 36-24-35" (92-60-88 cm).
Initially Nomura had difficulty deciding whether to give her design the mini-skirt or long pants. Seeking input, he passed his sketches around Square's offices, and the majority of the staff members approved of the mini-skirt design. This additionally served as a contrast to Aerith, whose "Long Skirt" was her trademark. The attire was explained in respect to the game as giving her freedom of movement due to her affinity of weaponless fighting, and the skirt, noted as "quite short giving a considerable degree of exposure", kept as a staple of her alternate costumes. The developers additionally noted that due to her figure, her otherwise plain garments took on a pleasant appearance.