The way I look at it is that each ROM gear/weapon item contains two parts - the properties and "the skin", as in the appearance. At creation, they are set to be from the same pair, so each Elemental Flame hat has the same, slightly randomized, properties, and the same skin. But as you assign new skin to the item, it becomes the current ones. The old skin is gone. So, when devil wings got the skin from heavenly black wings assigned to them with agg, that became their current skin. That skin will travel with them anywhere, including magic wardrobe.
The magic wardrobe itself is effectively just a collection of skins. Instead of being permanently attached to the item, it is assigned dynamically, as specified by you.
One main drawback of the magic wardrobe is that as a skin collection, they dont keep the properties. Any wings placed there are effectively destroyed, except for the skin. The value of the wings is the stats on it, the skins are just cosmetic. You will notice very few people showing wings at all, anyway.
-- Rustyx --- 92R / 92S / 92M on Reni (Guild KnightShift). Yes, running the new FOTM R/M, cause I am not elf enough to be WD/S.
Oh, and people who have more than 3 classes are clinically insane.