At first glance, you may think this outfit is black. In fact, the main dye use here is steel blue. Because this robe has a darker base, steel blue actually transforms into an alluring midnight blue. (Finding a background that didn't make it appear a true black wasn't easy.) Once U13 went live, I started experimenting with the new dye color despite not having it yet. I figured that I'd make a couple of outfits ahead of time, that way I could start displaying them once I had the recipe. This is one of those preemptive creations. I have a couple more on the way, each working with lighter shades of steel blue.
As great as this outfit looks, beware. If you plan on duplicating this setup exactly, keep in mind it will only display correctly on male elves and men. If you try to use a female character of any race, the robe will clip through the shoulders horribly. For some reason, the robe doesn't sit skin-tight on a female body. I haven't quite figured out a substitute yet, but I'd recommend something that doesn't go across the entire shoulders. You could swap out the robe, but that removes the central element from this outfit. I try not to display outfits that put races or genders at disadvantages, but I loved this design too much to pass it up.
As time goes by, it becomes increasingly difficult to find original combinations of clothing. After all, I've been doing this for at least three years. Some pieces I've used over and over again, simply because they're favorites or they just work. I've gone through my wardrobe (some 300+ pieces) frequently enough to realize I've been working with what's only appealed to my tastes (about 100 pieces). Honestly, that may be what's been limiting me. For this point forward, I will certainly do my best to use the gear I generally ignore and broaden my fashion palette.
And further down the road, maybe I'll work more with my two least favorite dyes in LOTRO--yellow and ranger green. I'll take this one step at a time :)
Head: Fancy Plumed Hat (Steel blue, LOTRO Store)**
Shoulders: Mathom Hunter's Mantle (White, Hobbit Presents)***
Chest: Assault Robe of Éomer (Steel blue, T8 tailor recipe)
Hands: Sergeant-at-arms Light Gloves of Eruilan (Umber, light armor skirm camp vendor)
Feet: Brushed Leather Boots (Steel blue, LOTRO Store or cosmetic skirm camp vendor)
**Can be substituted with the Plumed Hat from light armor class intros or Slagvi's Hat from a Dolven-view quest in Moria, though they dye a slightly lighter shade.
***Item only exists in the Minstrel, Lore-master, or Rune-keeper loot tables.
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