+1
Same here.
Thing is that I wear the same fur armor at lvl 18 which I wore at lvl 2, because it's the best looking thing ever (long sleeves). If only fur armor would be also available for smithing/upgrades I'd never ever wear anything else. Now I'm constantly switching between the above two armors. Look good vs armor rating
I wear the same fur armor. However, you CAN upgrade the fur armor. At level 25-30ish smithing you can upgrade it to Superior and at level 65 you can upgrade it to Exquisite. I hear at level 100 smithing you can upgrade it to Flawless, but I haven't gotten there yet. You can not upgrade it to Epic/Legendary or whatever since those require you to have a perk in the material to get it that high (steel, elven, orc, etc).
Edit: OP, I agree 100% about that armor. Even though I would prefer it tighter around the collar so I can wear a bear helmet with it and have it look right, that is minor....I NEED pants. In a land so cold, all these armors make for many a dingleberry flapping in the wind.