HI! New here and have a question.

[Hellmut]

First off would just like to say Hi to you all

My question here is to do with the gear that we get in this game.

I have noticed that the gear is somewhat and to be polite.............camp.
Does the gear later in the game look more traditional (standard looking medieval chainmail etc etc) or does it actually get more "Flamboyant" and downright garish?

Honestly some of the sets I have seen so far make the Village People look butch!

[MuseTraveller]

Hello New Adventurer, welcome to Eorzea! ^_^/
Through your time you will find various sets, from simple looking garbs to detailed and flashy clothes.. or funny such as chocobo or a pig suit. At level 15 (I believe!) you can do a side quest near Horizon (Thanalan) and learn how to apply glamours. This will allow you to make any gear you wear look as other pieces of gear you had previously obtained if you prefer their looks more!
Happy adventuring! o/

[Raldo]

A lot of the armor up until ~50 is pretty bleh. At 50+, there's definitely a fair amount of all types of gear (traditional, flamboyant, garish all in supply). The armor sets definitely get a lot better looking, and you're also able to change the appearance of what you have equipped with "glamours".

It is worth noting, however, that there's quite a bit of lv1 equipment whose sole purpose is for you glamour over your current gear, if you really hate what you're wearing right now, but I don't know when you unlock the ability to glamour stuff. There isn't much lv1 stuff that looks like actual armor though, you'll have to level up for that.

[Iscah]

As a mage, you'll have limited access to things like armour, as it tends to be locked to only be used by physical fighters (and the heavier gear only by tanks). Mage gear tends to be more feminine, with lots of robes, though it does get more variety later on. There are the Lv1 glamour items as other people mentioned, as long as you have access to the marketboard, but they can be rather expensive on a new-player budget. Some are cheap though, so have a look and see if there's something that you like, or can look forward to!

Another place to look for glamour options is the Gold Saucer - I see you've started as a thaumaturge so you'll have access to the unlock quest in Ul'dah's main street. You need to play minigames to earn tokens for prizes, but there are some things there that can be bought fairly easily by participating in a couple of their events.

For now in the early part of the game, if you want more tunics and vests rather than robes, also have a look at the gear for "disciples of the hand/land" (ie. crafter/gatherer) - if you're still in the early "playing solo" stage of the game you can get away with wearing that, although once you get to multiplayer content you should be in proper gear - but then you'll also have access to glamours at that point.

It is worth noting, however, that there's quite a bit of lv1 equipment whose sole purpose is for you glamour over your current gear, if you really hate what you're wearing right now, but I don't know when you unlock the ability to glamour stuff. There isn't much lv1 stuff that looks like actual armor though, you'll have to level up for that.

The quest for unlocking glamour prism use is Lv15. If you started in Ul'dah, you can go to Vesper Bay (at the far end of western Thanalan) as soon as your character reaches that level, otherwise you'll need to get through the MSQ until you unlock airship travel to the other cities, also at Lv15. or technically, if you're desperate, attempt an overland hike from Gridania through Lv30 aggressive enemies... you could party up with a high-level player who can fight things for you, I guess.

Also - I don't know if it's pointed out to new players now, but once you've unlocked access to inn rooms at MSQ Lv10 there's an item in there called a "glamour dresser". It lets you store gear to set up image plates of an appearance you like, and then can easily apply it onto your current equipment. (Most likely it won't work until you do the other glamour unlock quest first, but it's possible that it can be used earlier. Also you'll need to buy "glamour prisms" off the marketboard to put items in there initially.)

[CainCrimson]

Yes, level 50 is where things start to get interesting with the armor.
There are several well done pieces below level 50, just not overly flamboyant.

Personally my current favorite single style so far is the Hempen Coif. Cuz I'm a beanie/hoodie guy...

[Niwashi]

Overall, I'd say there's quite a bit more garish and flamboyant gear than realistic gear (in part because flamboyant lends itself to lots of variety), but there's enough of both that you should be able to find something to suit your tastes either way.

There's a couple of quests in Western Thanalan that you'll want to take if you haven't yet:

Color Your World unlocks the ability to dye your gear different colors. (Well, most of it anyway. There are some pieces that aren't dyeable.) Sometimes, just coordinating your color palette better is all you really need to turn something garish into something that looks good.

If I Had a Glamour unlocks the ability to make one piece of gear look like another. Oh, and if your into crafting, you can follow it up with Absolutely Glamourous to unlock the ability to make your own glamour prisms for it.

[Hellmut]

Thanks for all the replies.
I did thankfully get half a decent looking set from doing the duty training quests

Ye that's not bad at all.
Did change to making a Lancer my main focus though.

[Iscah]

Nice, I like that set. There's a red version you can find (piece by piece) in dungeon chests as well. (That was actually my first incentive to pick up lancer as well - I started out only playing mages, but I'd gotten the tabard from a dungeon and wanted to have a class that would let me equip it!)

Also, in case you haven't noticed, there's an option to make your headgear invisible. There should be a small button below the picture of your character in the Character menu.