Thank you to all who sent in screenshots of your outfits for the Retro contest! Thank you for all your kind comments, congratulations and personal messages. Outfitting is still a thing in LOTRO, and it turns out that the older pieces, especially from the Isengard expansion, are still incredibly popular.
The participation in the contest was just enough to make it hard to pick my 10 winners. I really enjoyed reading your stories about how those outfits came together. I was surprised to learn that some of you never switch up your outfit and only ever keep tweaking the same outfit as it has become an inseparable part of the character’s identity.
Unfortunately I had to disqualify a few outfits because items were used that came out after 2017. I cannot break my own rules so those have not been considered.
However, the 10 amazing outfits that I have picked to win 500 Lotro Points are:

1. Iltatähti of Crickhollow
My elven Loremaster’s Cirque outfit is my crowning achievement when it comes to screenshots that capture the essence of an outfit — colorful, whimsical, and everything a wise lore-master should very much not be; but she is young and carefree, and maybe a bit of a pyromaniac.

2. Dorren of Crickhollow
It wasn’t until I got to Moria though that I first got into the whole cosmetic scene, and I stumbled across the class-specific raid armor pieces that are bartered from the trainers in the 21st hall. Each set had a different theme to match its respective class, but they all reflected fragments of the glory of the ancient dwarvish realm. Moreover, since a player can only speak to the trainer of his own class, I could only see a small fraction of the full array of armor that could be obtained, and the mystery of treasures beyond reach made the other sets all the more alluring. As a player would have to level every class in the game at least to around 50 (an impressive feat, it seemed to me then) to even lay eyes on them all, they seemed something of an achievement to own–a badge of mastery in a given field.
As I gradually unlocked more character slots and levelled more and more classes to cap, more and more of these sets were revealed and made available to me. Some were certainly better than others, and some were a mixture of good and bad. When I first saw the Warden set on my elf, I was struck by the impressive and intimidating design of the helmet with its golden horns, and by the great brass pauldron that covered the left shoulder, but the other pieces didn’t do much to capture my imagination, dull and antiquated as they were. Still, I kept it in the back of my mind that, some day, I would try and find a use for them. Only when I entered the Ettenmoors, the pinnacle of the elite warriors in my imagination, did I find the means to fulfill its promise. I discovered that the leather used in the level 75 armors (then cap) was the same fashion as the ancient armor of the wardens of Khazad-Dum, and the brass embellishments were also a perfect match. I finally had all the pieces I needed to bring those works of ancient craft out into the light of day.

3. Neere of Laurelin
Neere has red hair and her story is connected with the idea ehm… of being somehow an heir of the Balrog. A very distant relative. A bit of a grand idea for a poor girl from Rohan, but it keeps her wearing fire and flame as much as possible – in clothes and in housing decoration. Being a huntress she prefers plain clothes that don’t constrain her movement and she hates helms. So during all these years her outfit has been pretty minimalistic with only the yule scarf as some sort of trademark.

4. Doegred of Crickhollow
I started working on this outfit about a year ago when I got some pants from the Curator. Once I made it into Dunland I found the Clanweave Robe in a drop and knew I had to use this shirt somehow.  I loved the sleeves and the chest, but my biggest problem was the neckline.  I finally found the perfect option once I levelled my tailor’s guild rep enough to make the Combat Pauldrons of Eomer. After that, the outfit just came together.  The Shabby Cap and Fingerless Gloves from the Yule Festival, and Rugged Quiver from… somewhere were already in my vault awaiting their time to shine and I think they just added to the overall effect of wandering huntress.

5. Meriodas of Laurelin
The armor has been carefully chosen around the aesthetic of the shield (with exception of the hat, it was a gift from his aunt!) to show his affection for the elves of Lorien, being the kindest and most graceful people he has met on his travels, with the silver colors being used to accent the gold in a soft transition.

6. Glorhirion of Landroval
Glorhirion is an elf champion of Rivendell, so naturally I wanted the images to depict him in his homeland.  His name means “Golden Lord”, or at least that was my intention, and so he predominantly wears gold. The Cloak of the West-tower works very well with this outfit, I think. This outfit is definitely retro! I put it together early on, likely 2009 or 2010. The cloak was acquired in Annúminas. The breastplate dropped off an orc in Moria. The rest, I believe, was purchased from an NPC in Rivendell. 

7. Merilana of Crickhollow
Merilana, as much as any other hobbit, loves farming. She spends most of her days in the fields near her home, tending to the wheats and vegetables that she grows. Because of her laborious work, and constant exposure to the sun, she always wears her Sightseer’s Straw Hat and Common Long-Sleeved Tunic And Trousers, dyed in Gold. When working and crafting in the fields, she always wears a Pack Of The Yield which is often filled with carrots and other vegetables. Most recently, she has harvested some corn and can be seen holding a freshly picked Cornstalk in her hand. Farming is a full-time job, but Merilana loves to do nothing more.

8. Khavlur “stout hammer” of Laurelin
I wanted to create a believable outfit for my traveling dwarven warrior (Guardian) based upon early medieval Viking and Germanic clothing styles with a bit of fantasy spice. I went for a nice big dwarven hammer which serves my characters’ nickname “stout hammer” well. The cloak (Cloak of Greyhammer) is inspired by a Germanic geometrical art style so that  was the way to go. Sigil and color of the cloak are personal colors of Khavlur.

9. Yvela of Landroval
This was a uniform in a town watch guild, my first experience with role-playing in Lotro. A long time passed since then and my toon does not exist anymore, but I have only the fondest memories. 

10. Kamryn of Belegaer
It’s one of my first outfits I’ve created (back in 2017) for my beloved Lore-Master Kamryn and I still love to wear it.
Kamryn has aged since then and become a lot wiser. The large fellow behind her is her most trusted friend.

Thank you all for sharing your inspiring outfits and stories with me. Of course I can only pick and feature 10 winners, and have to disappoint some of you, and for that I apologize. But who knows, there may be new opportunities in the future.
The winners will be notified and sent their codes by e-mail.