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This is a bit tangential, but I am wondering if, in choosing his new appearance, Saruman had also directly violated one of the cardinal laws of the Istari (the one about not revealing their nature") Based on the way it is described I have always assumed that Saruman's "many hued robe" would be what we would call iridescent. Merely putting muticolored threads next to each other would not accomplish the effect being desrcribed (if they were random, the robe would appear grey or black from a distance, not white (because of the way pigments work versus light). If they were arrayed in spectrum order, you might get gradients of color if the bands were narrow enough but it wouln't change color like described (and from a distance, still could not be mistaken for white). So an iridescent robe (or a robe make of iridescent threads) would seem to be the logical choice. However, making iridescent threads would, I imagine. likey be beyond the tech of ME (unless it is a twisted version of the craft the elves use to make thier camoflague cloaks) The ONLY way I can see someone doing it is through the use of "magic"/ Valarian skills not known in ME, which would violate the rule. Even if the method is one Saruman came up with himself, showing himself with an appearance including something that the other people of ME literally COULDN'T do would probably be a no-no under the rule.
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