Ok the Thalmor ( aka elfic) suit is damn incredibly awesome looking , and clearly was inspired by the Lotr movie art ... well who cares looks great...

I am instead displeased by the still not so great look of the Imperial armours , and since they anyway every time get inspiration from the Roman empire , from once just they could do the job well and copy the damn armour interely that so it woudl look much cooler than those attempt to copy and keep a variance that seem not to work ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistersable/3051079271/

When I first saw a Thalmor I cried out "Final Fantasy!" (Liked it)

I don't like the imperial armor looking so Roman though.Why the Roman Empire,I mean inspiration is okay but this is Nirn,not Earth so I don't like seeing the exact same armor actuallly.Tamriel should have it's own design IMHO.

I think the different styles depict the vastly different cultures they stem from quiet well.

Well then what about the Nords Copy of Vikings? Redguards Copy of Arabs ? Elves Copy of Lotr? Orcs Copy of Lotr?Akavir Copy of Asia? etc....

I for one really loved the imperial armor... I just think the questline should have given you better armor... I had to go into some random dungeon to get the really nice enclosed imperial helmet and I've yet to find a set like Tullius'

As for the Thalmor armor... I REALLY loved it I would have looted it the first prison convoy I saw but I despise them and didn't want to be associated with them ;_;

I like both the armors. I think it shows the difference between the Thalmor and the Empire really clearly and I think the armor styles reflect that vast difference well. Personally my character prefers the Imperial armor to the Thalmor but I still think it looks damn cool.

I feel the same.The word copy is a little dangerous.Something HAS to be inspiration,but doesn't have to be the exact copy of it.Actually that's what I loved in MW.Sure,the Imperials had roman influence back than as well,but that game had much more original concepts than any other TES title.For example,the 6th House.For example,Ald Ruhn.For example,Vivec.I'm pretty sure these were inspired from something as well,but they are not mere copies of existing things.