Depends on the mage.

My current character, a sorceress (based on the sorcerer class that appeared in previous games) uses heavy armour but others have used light or none.

Is an opinion, but robes are pointless.

Also, we see many non-college mages use light armor like bandit mages, forsworn mages, and the imperial mages from the tutorial (when running from ALduin outside, some of the imperial legionnaires are mages)

Light armor tends to be so light weight and as you START with 300 carry weight no matter what, that is not really an "advantage" in any way.

Also, the mage-armor perks do not make up for the fact that Armor (even with no perks) + the flesh spells are still better.

i wonder if alteration potions effect dragon skin...

Potions and enchantments do not affect greater powers such as Dragonskin.

If you're talking about the master-level Alteration spell Dragonhide, all that a potion will do is increase the spell's duration once you cast it.

hehe, so if i wanted to ever roleplay a character who for whatever reason needs unlimited mage armor, i can do that. (due to the restoration exploit). *drinks super fortify alteration potion that lasts 2,345,625,634 seconds*

I like the robes, for all the witches in the game wear robes. The ones that hang around the hags.

My favoriate is the tavern clothes that one gal wears when you go and clean out the vampire lair in Morthal. With the right enchantments robes work fine for me. Especially since I do not use the alteration tree at all.

I think the only real downside is the magic regen that robes offer. No matter how good you get in enchanting even with the help of alchemy you will not be able to reproduce the 125% or 150% magica regen that you get on mage robes.

Scaled bracers fit the Archmage robe perfectly: http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx34/lordtru/20121019_233239.jpg

Easy protection for my mage too. I go light armor because I just don't like wasting time/magicka resources casting protection spells.

Robes, eleven boots and gauntlets, dragon priest mask.

nah it doesnt matter to me what i wear if the gear is good i equip them

Robes or light-armored robes.

My "pure mage" typically involves wearing robes with some kind of light armour gloves and boots, like glass or elven. My battlemage uses full plate armour, a one-handed weapon and usually a powerful ward in place of a shield.

Depends if pure mage or battlemage.

A Battlemage to me is a mage who wears armor and specialises in conjuration & destruction. For battlemages, spellswords and crusaders etc I prefer light armor over heavy.

Pure mages I like to wear enchanted robes.