armand’s costumes are such an interesting data point re: his nebulous sense of identity.

when analyzing any costume, there are always many factors to consider: the setting, the character’s personal taste and economic constraints, storytelling concerns like tone and genre, etc. with armand, we also need to remember that he’s 500 years old and violently disconnected from his human origins. everything he wears has an element of disguise, selected to blend into a new environment.

armand was enslaved as a child in 16th century delhi, and barely remembers his mortal life. unlike louis - who can return to new orleans after 80 years and reconnect with his past - armand has no home to return to. his whole backstory, even his name, is rife with traumatic subtext, leaving him with an obsessive need for structure and control. this adds an extra layer of meaning to costuming choices that initially seem like straightforward menswear. 

armand’s 1940s wardrobe is very put-together - primarily three-piece suits and coats that make him look wealthier and more formal than louis, who is purposefully dressing down. most of these outfits are tailored to bulk up armand's frame, leaning into the "maitre" persona. and like his business-casual dubai wardrobe, he always leaves his collar open. when i interviewed costume designer carol cutshall, she described this as a symbolic power move, signalling that he's an apex predator who doesn't need to protect his throat.

my personal interpretation is that while armand clearly likes to look good, he has a complicated relationship with attractiveness. he doesn't always want to draw attention. his color palette is shadowy (black, grey, brown, olive green), and he’s much less flashy than the other Théâtre vamps. however when he’s feeling confident and flirty, he becomes more of a power-dresser - for instance his hunting outfit with the big coat and sunglasses, or his habit of wearing kohl.

interestingly, most of armand's 1940s costumes set him apart from the coven. the Théâtre vampires dress like cabaret performers, embracing a lot of period-specific styles. by contrast armand is more timeless and neutral. in fact, due to the relatively minor changes in men's suits over the past 100 years, there's a lot of overlap between his wardrobe in the 1940s, '70s and 2020s:

louis' final three costumes in S2 are so, so cleverly chosen. after the curated blandness of his interview wardrobe in dubai, this is our first glimpse of his personal taste in the present day. each outfit is full of meaning.

in the first half of S2, louis and armand’s coordinated interview outfits seemed like part of their performance as a happy couple. by the end, they have a more sinister subtext. louis has gone from having stylish, flashy fashion sense to wearing uniformly expressionless black and grey:

dubai-era louis exclusively wears the colors of depression and mourning, in a style stripped of personal expression, physically and spiritually separated from the outside world. i’ll write a separate post about armand’s costumes later, but you could interpret this as louis' taste being subsumed by armand’s nebulous 500-year-old absence of identity. at the very least, louis is blending into the chic minimalism of the apartment, presenting himself as part of the household unit.

with that in mind, his final three outfits signal a seismic change after leaving armand. his NOLA tour costume reflects the philosophy behind his 1940s wardrobe (ie. selected to blend into a human crowd) but he's also reconnecting with his home, wearing a New Orleans Saints hat with (in a potential piece of double symbolism!) a fleur-de-lis logo.

then we have the loustat reunion outfit, which is more enigmatic. he’s going for subdued colors (although not pure black and grey), with a silhouette echoing his mid-20th century wardrobe: high-waisted, wide-legged trousers and a bomber jacket - a cut he wears pretty often. IMO the reunion’s overall color palette is a major factor here, with lestat and louis' costumes and surroundings sharing a spectrum of dark brown, sepia and muted gold.

finally there's the last scene in dubai, arguably the most “pure” expression of louis' taste because he’s not wearing this outfit for an audience. coordinating with the apartment’s colorful makeover, he’s wearing a multicolored cardigan with yellow highlights, matching claudia’s dress, the yellow couches, and the gold background of his new painting. (i’ve identified this as a YMC cardigan retailing at £250; a mid-range english brand.)

this piece (paired with navy blue pants with a yellow stripe) is modern and distinctive; basically the opposite of his interview costumes, which displayed very little in the way of personality or cultural markers. you immediately understand that louis is expressing himself through fashion again, now in a more casual streetwear context than the tailored and accessorized suits of his youth.

ATEEZ WANTED SPECIAL

The bamboo grove in the Ambassadorial Residence was the only untidy corner in the curated garden of koi and lily flowers, a dark nook of dense foliage that smelled of soil and leaf-rot. Reinhard had gone within to hide when he’d heard attendants calling his name, tired of company and needing the quiet. Now he’d been walking for an hour, swallowed in odd twilight dusk, unable to find the way back and growing increasingly frustrated. The unseasonal warmth of the grove had his crisp jacket and shirt sticking to his skin, and Reinhard muttered a curse as he stripped off the coat, folding it over his arm.

A soft laugh behind him had him whirl around, hand dropping to the ceremonial sword at his hip. An older Chinese boy sat perched on a rock that hadn’t been there before, watching him with amusement. The stranger wore his hair in a soft untidy mop over his gentle face, dressed in a plain dark blue hanfu over white inner robes. Reinhard stared. The officials and servants alike who Reinhard had seen so far wore their long hair bound under hats or pins, even the children.

“So it’s true,” the boy said, studying Reinhard intently. “You foreigners have hair the colour of new gold and skin like bleached bone.”

“Who are you?” Reinhard asked, wary. Everyone—including the governor of Changjing City—had treated Reinhard’s father and his family with polite deference. He blinked. “You speak German.”

“Not at all,” said the boy. On closer inspection, the words the boy’s lips shaped were indeed not the words that Reinhard ‘heard’. He took a step back, gripping the hilt of his sword. The boy pursed his lips. “If you’re going to be rude, I’ll leave.”

He was being rude. “I’m sorry. You startled me.” Reinhard forced his hand away from the blade. “My name is Reinhard von Müsel.”

“Yang,” Yang said.

Stunning gardens

Beautiful wisdom general.

Father and son✨

sci-fi jobs that must exist that i find inexplicably amusing:

feel free to add more

[LOGH fic] Guys Like Me

Fandom: Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Pairing: Oskar von Reuenthal/Yang Wen-li

Wordcount: 2600+

Summary: The opening scenes of an artist!Reuenthal and history professor!Yang modern AU for @beingevil. It’s incomplete for the time being and I don’t know when I’ll be able to pick it up again, but I wouldn’t consider it abandoned. Title from this song by Aimee Mann. 

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I AM SO HONOURED PLEASE LET ME CRY INTO MY HANDS... I DO NOT DESERVE BUT I WILL STRIVE TO BE WORTHY. I LOVE <3333333333