http://herald.warhammeronline.com/patchnotes/index.php?id=2010_1-3-6

Item Appearance
No longer do players have to sacrifice their sense of fashion in the name of better stats! To allow players options to customize their appearance players now have the option of selecting the appearance of any piece of equipment while at the same time choosing their best option for statistics. This is accomplished by selecting the "Appearance" checkbox in the lower left corner of the character portrait on the character window. Then simply drag and drop a piece of equipment to its appropriate equipment slot to take on its appearance. The item used for appearance remains in the player's backpack and isn't destroyed in the process. The new item appearance is tied to that piece of armor, so even if the armor is removed the alternate appearance will be saved. To remove an alternate appearance si ...