"Mmm, maybe a bronze, nice middle ground between coppers and golds. Hmm... if you don't like a literal shield, maybe projected shields. And a breastplate over the leather..."

She drew something vaguely shield-shaped for the breastplate on the chest.

"Symbols are good cognitive reinforcers, most likely, so I think every bit of theming is worth testing to see how much it helps or hinders."