People have been begging for vanity slots since beta, they have ignored the requests indicating that "disguises" fulfill the role, which it doesn't.

I am hoping they will eventually rethink this stance...

Given that any class can wear any armor, there is no immediate identification need for having an accurate representation of armor type.

Dyes will go a long way, but the styles differ as well, I too prefer some of the lower level armor designs to the "better" high level ones.