Being stuck with the default Garda armors for years, I know the pain, but we can live with that, they have to look the same anyway. I partially agree with taking out the limitation, but then I saw the other day someone drop a uber mega hyper good Platinum Helmet, but it had the looks of a hood.... You'll say that the helmet is beneath the hood there, but it's just fishy to do that...
For me, I just don't see why it's such a big deal. I mean, ok - hoods made of cloth aren't protective to the head, sure. But why is that a main concern here (not just for you, I mean for the system in general)? Like if people started crafting all items to historically accurate protective gear, would RP suddenly explode and flourish in a rich, meaningful way on the server? I doubt it would change much at all, aside from how generic everyone would look. It also begs the question - why do we even have the hood appearance at all? Why not lock it to a few items like "shadowed hood" and then not let anyone else wear it?
In fantasy games like this, unique appearances and customization is just one of the "fun" little bones that players get thrown. You get to make your hero/villain look unique and creative, rather than
strict adherence to historical accuracy, realism, and combat equipment design. I always liked that, and I always liked seeing some variation in what players choose to have their PCs look like. Do these items kill that entirely? No, of course not. But it just seems like we're putting water on something that wasn't on fire, you know?