There is a lot of bias among certain circles against bright colours in UO and other MMO's which are set in pseudo ancient or medieval contexts. Certain people have the mistaken impression that colours in ancient and medieval times were more muted. They call it "natural" colours. Nothing could be further from the truth.
As hard as it is to believe, our ancestors didn't live in a world full of washed out colours, much less a grainy black and white one. Most of the famous ancient buildings we know were at one time painted with brilliant colours, from the medieval cathedrals, to the most famous buildings built by the Greeks, to the ruins of Mayan temples in the jungles of Central America, and the same would have been true for their clothing.
And believe it or not, in many cultures it was the men, not the women, who were dressed in the most outlandish outfits with the brightest colours. All kinds of bright, and even what we would call "neon" colours were used: deep purples, peacock blues, canary yellows, bright reds, and the list is endless. And very much like it is in UO the brightest colours were reserved for the use of the wealthiest, and the most "important" people - or at least those who thought they were important. The higher your rank, the brighter and more flamboyant your colours.
Even the great painted works of masters like Leonardo Davinci were once much brighter than they are now, and a lot of famous statues that we see as plain marble or other forms of stone, were once painted in vivid colours. Our contemporary idea that somehow colours were much more muted in the ancient world is just plain wrong. If anything colours in the ancient and medieval worlds tended to be much brighter than we are used to seeing today, and bold, bright colours were symbols of status.
As hard as it is to believe, our ancestors didn't live in a world full of washed out colours, much less a grainy black and white one. Most of the famous ancient buildings we know were at one time painted with brilliant colours, from the medieval cathedrals, to the most famous buildings built by the Greeks, to the ruins of Mayan temples in the jungles of Central America, and the same would have been true for their clothing.
And believe it or not, in many cultures it was the men, not the women, who were dressed in the most outlandish outfits with the brightest colours. All kinds of bright, and even what we would call "neon" colours were used: deep purples, peacock blues, canary yellows, bright reds, and the list is endless. And very much like it is in UO the brightest colours were reserved for the use of the wealthiest, and the most "important" people - or at least those who thought they were important. The higher your rank, the brighter and more flamboyant your colours.
Even the great painted works of masters like Leonardo Davinci were once much brighter than they are now, and a lot of famous statues that we see as plain marble or other forms of stone, were once painted in vivid colours. Our contemporary idea that somehow colours were much more muted in the ancient world is just plain wrong. If anything colours in the ancient and medieval worlds tended to be much brighter than we are used to seeing today, and bold, bright colours were symbols of status.