You are able to look at other skins and see the artist's techniques with which colors they chose together, ways the clothes or such move, and how it blends (etc. etc.), but it is still "part-picking" or stealing if you take any part of a skin and use it in your own. Even if you download the submission and only use a small portion of the skin (like shoes or hair) it is still someone else's work you cannot upload.
Hope that could help clarify! o/
bing bada 
boop
