#turtlenecks

Shade, the Changing Man #30, December 1992. Chris Bachalo cover illustration.

Armand as a rule doesn't cover up his neck. So if he's wearing a turtleneck it really sticks out. He always pairs it with a coat (which he may take off) and sometimes with sunglasses.

When Armand wears a turtleneck in Paris he's signaling what a full vampire coven master he is to other vampires and to other humans without any pretense of hiding. He is displaying his power but he also feels insecure, maybe intimidated or a bit threatened. Notice that he almost always leaves his neck open otherwise because he's secure in his role as apex predator so for him to cover his neck seems to signal otherwise.

Carol Cutshall says as much on S2 costumes in Emmy magazine:

Here's Armand, on a coven hunt with Claudia and Louis, right before he orders Santiago to overpower the guard and tell them who and what's in the mansion. He's fully the coven master here. Turtleneck, a touch of orange, sunglasses and a coat!

He gets rid of the sunglasses. " Heyyyy baby. I am in total control of this chaos behind me, pay no attention to it. And this fire stick in my mouth. I can kind of read your mind. I can't read Claudia's mind. I like how you withhold. Don't visit Albert & Roget. Maitre is a coven endearment. Armand for you."

Turtleneck and brown coat. He's covering his neck and wants to project POWER. He's wearing this to interview Madeleine about turning her. Even though he knows he's not going to turn her, the fact he's wearing this screams "I am insecure." And he's totally unsettled by her during their conversation. When retelling this part of the story, Louis says "he had never made one" and Armand says the thought of making one "disgusts [me]".

Now in Dubai, he's not a coven master anymore, unless a coven is a coven of two vampires (himself and Louis). He seems relaxed before Malik arrives. But is he?

Armand left to go hunt Malik with a full coat, and a turtleneck in the middle of the day, in Dubai, a desert, during the summer...

...and came back from lunch wearing his sunglasses.

my BOY