Greetings, Kinnies!
This is a quick overview of the cosmetics in LotRO.
There are different types of cosmetics. There are: garb; armour; warsteed barding/caparisons; and likely others that do not come to mind.
GARB:
Cosmetic garb may be found in a number of places. Outfitters have a good, basic selection of cosmetic garb, priced reasonably. Festival vendors have seasonal garb available for barter with that festival's tokens. Some reputation vendors have cosmetic garb available for either coin, or regional tokens, but one's character must be at the proper level of reputation in order to either purchase or to wear it. Once in a while, one will find a quest which has as one of its reward choices, cosmetic garb.
PLEASE NOTE: Everything in Lalia's Market can be found in game. Turbine has even said so. The ideas for the outfits come from two fansites: Cosmetic Lotro and The Starry Mantle. I recommend you visit their fansites to see what they did, and how they did it. Please bear in mind that to do some of what was done, they used the Wardrobe feature.
ARMOUR:
Cosmetic armour is carried by some reputation vendors. Outfitters also have some cosmetic armour. One can also use one's outgrown armour cosmetically, so if one is particularly fond of the look, one may show it instead. Just slot it into one of the slots of the cosmetics panel, click the tab at the bottom, and PRESTO!.
WARSTEED COSMETICS:
Warsteed cosmetics are the barding or caparisons that one sees on them. This would be the fancy blanket, saddle, bridle that one sees them wearing.
[In reality, except for desert warfare (where it was necessary to caparison oneself and one's warsteed to keep the sun from cooking either while wearing armour) one would rarely ever dress a warsteed this way, because one could not ride a warsteed anywhere but in battle. Warsteeds were almost always stallions, rarely geldings, and never mares.
Parade steeds were usually geldings, and sometimes mares. These would have been decked out in fancy barding for the parade, and ONLY for the parade.
After jousting became popular, jousting steeds were caparisoned, because this was a Show of Prowess, for the entertainment of the crowd. These steeds would have been geldings. Again, they were caparisoned only for the joust, not for casual riding.]
Warsteed cosmetics may be found at festival vendors for barter with festival tokens. One must have the riding skill to purchase either the steed or the barding. Sometimes the barding can be found in festival gift boxes as well. For some reason, these cosmetics are often bound.
~Lerillos