@Mercurias A Spellblade would be plausible only if you invest heavily in Alteration. Analyse a Situation wrong and a Bandit chief will kill Cam you ^^ but the Challenge has been going on for a while now maybe you could do a Run where you get to Equip 1 Piece of Armor? You could bend the rules a little if you really want ^^

@Feint You could use a Staff for early gameplay until you feel you can deal enough damage on youre own ^^ Jyriks Staff comes to mind or the free Firebolt staff in Labyrinthion. 

Actually I did that with my Falanu. She was wearingsteel bracers and gauntlets, Vigilant style, because the rules say "only robes", so I understood it that it applies to the body, not hands/feet. It didn't save her though. Also there are no enchanted unarmored gloves and boots in the game, unless you enchant them yourself which is against the rules...

 exactly. The Rules are there so you get forced into playing an actual Mage and used the Items and Artifacts the Game Gives you. , Since i always read about people drifting into there old Build like Stealth Archer or just Fighter and just building there own God Gear. I usually wear Robes Hood Gloves and Academy boots but if you want to wear Armor do it but Keep the Mage Spirit alive. Hell put a spin on it and pick a Armor you like and say Clavicus Cursed it so you cant take it off ^^

Dwarven Armor would look Awesome with a Hood and Staff or a Summoned Sword/Battleaxe ^^ 

In fact, my characters rarely wear full armor even if they are warriors. Well, when I actually make myself play a warrior. Sneaky archer is better for me but mage is still superior. Also I'm a style maniac. I once had a Dunmer running around in black robes with an ancient Nord battleaxe, just because I liked how it looked, and also a Bosmer archer who wears only clothes with armored gauntlets and boots. My main is against any kind of armor just out of principle, the only times he wore armored boots were when the alternative was to go barefoot and changed into regular boots as soon as he got them. But I think that sometimes it makes sense for a mage to wear armor, like an Imperial battlemage (but a leather hood is a must then), or a rogue mage in furs. A Vigilant of Stendarr sort of mage in robes, hood and steel boots and gauntlets also seems a viable option. It's all about the spirit)))

Mmm... A guy in Elven armor and enchanted circlet with a bound sword or bow would make for a classy Thalmory look)))

I Love the Classic Mage Look something like this picture.But i also like a Stylish Armor Mage. Imagine an tall Altmer (as tall as the Ebony Warrior) in really Slender Blue Steel Armor holding a Fancy Grimoire.

The first pic is how the robes of the Arch-Mage should have looked.

That would be a big guy. Should wear a nice fancy cloak then too, maybe white or purple?

I'm not a big fan of armors though tbh, the sight of a guy clad fully in metal is an instant turn-off for me, especially if it is Daedric. Never ever will I have any of my characters wear that. Though there is something fascinating about a paladin type guy in a heavy armor wielding not a stereotypish sword and shield but restoration and fire magic.

Yes i Really dislike the Archmage Robes, they look more like something the Skaal would wear or a Druid. 

I Agree i tend to Dislike Armor, i last played a Fighter in 2009 when i played Through Oblivions Mainquest and dlcs for the last time as Generic Sword Dude who uses what he finds. 

Only thing i like about the deadric Armor are the Fingers of the Gauntlet, I love that claw like design ^^ but i Prefer Dwarven Armor overall.

Would have loved some kind of Stylelized robes, like a Dwarven Robe would be this Elegant long dark purple Robe with Gold stitching all over it ^^ 

Yes, exactly. And it looks weird on Altmer.

I have played a warrior in Skyrim, three times. A Thalmor archer who sometimes uses sword and shield, a Bosmer archer who sometimes uses two swords and an Impl crossbowman who sometimes uses a greataxe, like when enemies manage to corner him. Never ever played a generic sword dude in any game, my first choice is always a mage or a sneaky guy. The closest thing I've ever played to that type was a Dunmer scavenger with the draugr battleaxe, though when that one became too weak she replaced it with a bound battleaxe and became a necromancer.

I always want my characters' look to reflect what they are and fit the circumstances they are in. So won't have my Orc spellsword in Markarth wear college robes, nope, she will wear a dress in the city and a hide armor in the wild. My Thalmor wear uniforms according to their class or some civilian clothes when in Stormcloak territory. My Imp wears an iron armor because he is an average Skyrim merc, until he becomes a Companion and gets the Wolf armor. And so on. The thing with the Daedric armor is that it doesn't fit in any context for any character unless he is a dremora. A fellow walking in that armor somewhere in Whiterun looks so out of place my face starts hurting from constant wincing.

I love cool robes too, wish Bethesda wasn't so lazy and made more kinds of them.

Man you talk like youre my Brother :D I do the same thing. My Main has Casual Clothes being the Tavern Clothes with Gloves and boots and a unentchanted Mage hood if it rains, His Field Research outfit are mage hood Academy robes (they use the Expert Robes Texture but are unentchanted) Gloves and some sturdy boots. i Agree thats why i Always change clothes once i hit the Inn of a Town. I just stick out to much for my own good especially as a Mage. Deadric Armor is something i would only use too Fight a Great battle like Alduin since its so out of place it gives me kind of like a special occasion feel but never just wear it casualy ^^