SOE has posted the publish notes for Star Wars Galaxies: Game Update 6, which adds a new appearance feature allowing characters to wear gear for fashion and not for stats.

Appearance Window:

• The Appearance tab has been added. All characters may now access a window that determines the outward appearance of their characters. This Appearance window allows you to equip armor, clothing, and jewelry that do not alter your stats, but instead are simply for show.
• To wear an item as an appearance item, you must be able to normally equip that item and that item must be in your inventory at the time you equip it as an appearance item.
• Items equipped as appearance items do not count against your total inventory space.
•  All profession, level, and species restrictions are still obeyed by appearance items.
• A radial option "Equip Appearance" has been added to items that are eligible to become appearance items. You will only get this option if you could normally equip the item and if the item is currently in your inventory.
• Added an option under the "Misc" page in the Options window. This option called "Unequip Items When Double Clicked in the Appearance Window" allows you to turn on/off the ability to unequip items in the Appearance window simply by double clicking on them.
• A "Hide Appearance Items by Default" option has been added to the Misc section of the Options window. This option will automatically show you the normal appearance on any player creature you examine. The "Hide Appearance Items" option can also be toggled on the Examine window; it will just default to hiding those items.
• The Examine window now has a checkbox to show/hide a user's appearance items. This will allow you to see the "true" items a character is wearing.

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