Instagram fashion: Alyssa Noches

Alyssa Noches is as influenced by designers as by legendary photographers.

For this week’s Instagram fashion spotlight, we snagged a wild one. Alyssa Noches (Instagram handle www.insta
gram.com/alyssa
noches) is a 25-year-old photographer from East Boston who is also art director of No Thoughts magazine, a quarterly photobook. She’s a fan of high fashion, heavy metal, and, of course, cats. A look at her Instagram album reveals a platinum bombshell who isn’t shy about showing off her midriff and shoulder tattoos. Let’s meet her, shall we?

Q. How did you arrive at fashion photography?

A. I’ve been a photographer since I was very young. I started with black and white film, just portraits and such. I really fell into fashion photography doing shoots for designer friends, model friends, and people I know who ran stores back in Oregon, where I’m from. I have an insane personal dedication to fashion and I feel lucky that I even get to photograph it at all.

Q. Do any of the things that you photograph influence what ends up in your closet?

A. It depends. I have a really definite sense of my own style, so if what I’m shooting is something I’d never wear in a million years, I stay away. I know from experience it will languish in my closet. If I am shooting something that is closer to my own style I might give the look a try.

Q. Which has a bigger influence on your work: photography or fashion?

A. I think both have equal impact. Fashion is art, and I’m just as influenced by designers as I am by any legendary photographers.

Q. Heavy metal and high fashion don’t always make comfortable bedfellows. What parts of metal culture have you incorporated into your personal style?

A. I have always been into extreme music. I grew up on classic rock as a teenager. That grew into an appreciation of metal, grunge, and goth. I feel like most people are surprised because they don’t expect someone who wears [Alexander] McQueen on a regular basis to be listening to Slayer , but that’s who I am. As far as incorporating it into my look, I am almost always wearing black. I love studs, rips, draping, anything edgy and maybe a little weird.

Q. You appear to be a recent blonde. Were you ready to have more fun, or did you feel that you had a platinum blonde trapped inside of you trying to escape?

Noches in black leggings.

A. I actually was born blond and started dying my hair different colors when I was about 16. I recently went back to blond because it was my favorite hair color. Blondes really do have more fun. Josh [Truax] at the Mario Russo at Louis Boston worked wonders on it.

Q. When you’re on a shoot, do you think more about style or comfort when you’re getting dressed?

A. Comfort. During a shoot I reserve the drapey silk numbers for night, and instead usually opt for AG legging jeans, a band T-shirt, ballet flats, and a cardigan.

Q. Designer of choice at the moment?

A. My favorite designer is always going to be Ann Demeulemeester. She is truly my fashion soulmate. I really love what Sarah Burton is doing at McQueen, carrying on his great theatrical legacy. I also worship Rick Owens, Alexander Wang, Yohji Yamamoto, Dries van Noten , Rei Kawakubo, and Jil Sander.

Q. You have a lot of cat photos in your Instagram album. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you’re a crazy cat lady in training?

A. Oh goodness, I think I’m already a crazy cat lady. My cat, Hua Mu, is the most photogenic cat I’ve ever encountered, so that only make matters worse.