“I can’t go to my local shops without a whole commotion – cars stopping, people staring..”

By Shan Reid

Kyle's Social Media: @nosebleeds_ (Insta/Twitter)

It’s no secret that no matter where in the world you go, there will always be weird and wonderful fashion senses. My aim is to explore the strangest, most eye-catching and head-turning styles around N.I.

Kyle (@nosebleeds_) from Belfast is certain to catch your eye in the streets, and his unmistakable makeup looks and outfits give him a fun twist on goth fashion that you won’t find anywhere else. Kyle started wearing makeup at 12 and found himself addicted to the attention he got from his style and makeup looks. He’s worked his way up over 9 years of makeup experience and goth fashion to find himself doing freelance makeup work and modelling.

Kyle says others tend to typically label him as goth, but when it comes to subcategories, he says “if a mall goth, trad goth and nugoth had a baby, that would be me! I also like to incorporate a little bit of punk into my looks too”. He says that using makeup and fashion can totally boost his mood when it boils down to it, and that makeup and fashion really are his life. Although he typically follows goth senses, he says he likes to keep his style fluid and not tied down, because that would become tiring quite fast.

Obviously having the kind of extravagant, OTT look Kyle goes for turns some heads, but he says “If I’m in a full look, I can’t go to my local shop without a whole commotion – cars stopping, people staring, people shouting stuff at me”. On the bright side, he says not all the attention is negative, and the love he receives drowns out all the negative comments, though he’s definitely learned to become immune to it over the years.

Kyle says he gets his inspiration for his looks from 80’s goth artists, Siouxsie Sioux, Peter Murphy, Patricia Morrison mainly, but also takes inspo from classic horror characters such as Vampira, Sweeney Todd, Elvira and Bela Lugosi. Kyle also looks to high fashion runway looks and religion for further inspiration. He says he “likes to have that classic goth look but also keep it modern and fashionable with my own spin on it.”

When I asked if he had a favourite article of clothing or outfit, he said it would be very hard for him to pick just one thing as he has a copious amount of shoes that he loves very much, but currently this favourite piece is a leopard print blazer that he customised and made himself, along with a stunning black crown-esque headpiece from Hysteria Machine.

Kyle with his leopard print blazer

Kyle loves supporting independent smaller stores online and etsy stores, as they often have more unique pieces or one of a kind pieces, which is often as good as gold when you’re striving for a unique look. He’s also had the opportunity to promote for Dolls Kill and Killstar Clothing, two brands that also happen to be favourites of his.

When it comes to his style, it plays a massive part in his identity – “My style plays a huge factor in who I am. I am bold and courageous and I think my style represents that. I identify as queer so my style is also a big ‘f**k you’ to stereotypical gender norms. I love bending the rules and challenging peoples perceptions of beauty”

I hope as a reader you are also curious to try new styles, even though you may be scared to try something different. In that case, Kyle has a few words of inspiration just to finish off this rendition of Styles of N.I – “It’s ok to be nervous sometimes. I still get nervous in public and I’ve had this particular style for years. Try to find friends similar to you in that sense, or just try gradually getting more bold with your style. It’s not really that scary once you start, it’s more liberating than scary!”