From what i know, there are three basic styles of dress;
1)
ceremonial dress/regalia - just as the color of the shield, there were very strict rules (color and arrangement of feathers, straps etc, material used. Not only in the headdress).
2)
war dress (a easier to wear outfit in battle, but still uniform)
3)
barely anything.
Like the Lt says, married men have the black headring, unmarried warriors have nothing or i.e. a leopard ring, but no black ring.
The no3 was the most common during the Anglo Zulu war, also has to do with lack of supplies just like the shield issue discussed earlier.
Too bad I can't tell you exactly what color/pattern shield goes with what dress. I haven't got a large overview. I would really like to have one.
As for now, the WB gloss and matte figures feature the uniform look and can be considered authentic and reliable reference. No expert on others but I do know Trophy sold their zulus as named regiments with distinctive shield patterns and uniforms and Imperial does so as well. I didn't check those on authenticity as I have none. Yet anyway.
Personally, I like to paint them with a little creative input but recently I've gotten more interested in uniforms. It sounds extremely interesting if you can match exotic regimental names to a bunch of feathers
