The Simple Life

I'm loving this patchwork tunic dress by Australian designer Therese Rawsthorne. I'd take the gold or the black. It looks so perfect with just some tights and basic shoes. Dresses that don't require a whole lot of styling are the best ones.

brand new heights

Stacy Bendet of alice + olivia designed these space-age patent ankle boots for Payless's fall collection and they've finally arrived in store. With a towering 4.5" wedge heel, you'll be able to see everything, even when you're stuck in the back at a show. They also come in red...delicious.

Labor day coney style

Supposedly, this is the last summer for Astroland at Coney Island. Bands and burlesque equal one hell of a Labor Day...
Line up and more info at Brooklyn Vegan.

Like Love Her

I have been way into Lykke Li since hearing her music in her home country of Sweden earlier this year. Here's video of her performance on Conan the other night. She's singing "Breaking It Up" and has the most amazing spastic (but adorable) dance moves you will ever see— if you have a chance to see this woman live, DO IT. She'll be playing again in New York on October 20. Needless to say, she has sick style too!

Around my neck

Nylon Japan is uber cool. It has more pictures than the US one and they give you a free gift with a lot of issues. For the September issue, it came with this cute heart coin purse by Cher. I don't really use coin purses (I have a wallet for that), so I made a necklace out of it.

big bite

I have wanted this Perks and Mini fang necklace for YEARS. It sold out a long time ago, but now it popped up on ebay to torment me further. But damn, that pricetag...vampires are greedy.

From another Galaxxxy

Let me get something straight here. As much as I love to wear black and get down with the whole "avant garde" aesthetic from time to time, I am just as much into the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm talking about the acid pop, colorful, carnival fashion like JC de Castelbajac for example. On the street level, I'm of course inspired a lot by the fashion-crazed girls in Tokyo. Everything that comes out of that place is from another planet. A brand I recently discovered, Galaxxxy, is a Japanese label that makes sickingly cute clothes. Although they have a triple "x" in their name, they are far from x-rated. Here's a few pics from their current offerings. That backpack is dynamite!

Global Street Style, August

Helsinki, via Hel Looks


Copenhagen, via Copenhagen Street Style



Oslo, via Street Peeper


Helsinki, via Hel Looks


Zurich, via Playlust


NYC, via Street Peeper

Black lips

Any other goth-wannabes out there that tried to get their hands on the limited edition YSL black gloss (as seen on the Fall runway), do not cry any tears just yet. I got this note back from YSL upon seeing it had sold out online in 3 days:

Thank you for your interest in Yves Saint Laurent. We are sorry to have disappointed you, as we are out of stock of YSL Gloss Pur Black.

We would like to inform you that limited quantities of this item will be available at YSL counters at Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom in October.

Thank You
The YSL Beauty US Customer Service Team
1-866-554-4YSL (4975)

October, how morbidly appropriate.

Get out of my way

Those tiny boob vests (that's what I call them) are everywhere this year, so it's refreshing to see a long grunge denim vest like this one. It's got little snaps placed randomly on it and a hood. Everything's better with a hood. I want the eyeball shirt too. Both are by Stolen Girlfriend's Club and their upcoming collection is killer btw.

I Heart Fall

I heart I HEART. This is one of my favorite stores in the city..or have I already said that before? Anyway, their fall stuff is trickling in so I'm keeping my eyes on their blog. They just got in this Sonia Rykiel striped dress that is actually a reproduction of an earlier Sonia design. I'd have fun with this one, picking a stripe and wearing tights to match (purple!).

The words are written in the air

Leikisti is a fashion label based in Finland, named after a Finnish phrase used by children meaning "make believe." Founded by two fashion students, Leikisti puts out a collection twice a year consisting of unique pieces constructed from recycled materials. Their clothes are simple, yet spirited, and in working with a very refined color palette they are able to focus on just pure form.

Burfitt Romper

I don't really need any more black romper jumpsuit thingies but this one by Burfitt is different than the other ones I have. It has a mini polka dot print and a rope around the waist, plus a cute tie on the shoulder. Plus, it's on sale right now at Tres Bien Shop...hmmm.

cheap medicine

Lately, I've been thrifty with my shopping habits, particularly because we are about to move into a new season and I want to save my dough for some things on my wish list. So I've begun to take a closer look at mall chains and forever-teen stores in hopes of finding some cool deals. I had honestly forgotten about Charlotte Russe, probably because I don't go to malls since I haven't lived in the suburbs for ages. So I took a refresher course and was surprised to find quite a few things I liked. This side zip jacket is very Rick Owens, and it's only $22.99!



I poked around and was amped to see there are lots of tops, bottoms, and shoes with zippered detailing(which I'm a sucker for), and done tastefully for the most part. I spied some Luella and Alexander Wang inspired pieces as well, which is news in itself. Here's a sampling of what's up for grabs.







Not bad, right?

Good Night

Ebay of course.

...and sleep tight.

Spotlight: Alter

Last weekend was our very first IS MENTAL field trip! We obviously had to start in Brooklyn (where we all live) at one of our favorite stores, Alter. Tommy and Roy have made it even more awesome with a separate (huge!) shop just for the ladies. The new store (140 Franklin St in Greenpoint) is located directly across the street from the original store (109 Franklin St), which is now men's only. This time around we could only fit in a trip to the new ladies store, which was an adventure in itself. We pretty much tried on every piece in the store (thanks T+R)! Shoes, bags, short skirts and tight dresses, jumpers and an amazing trench coat were just some of the pieces we fell in love with...



After almost 2 hours of speed shopping and talking about clothes, we just had to ask the owners some questions.

IM: What do you think will be the strongest trends for this fall? Give us examples of lines you will be carrying to support the trends.

Alter: We are very into a sculptural and drape-like attitude when it comes to clothing for fall. Whether it be a dress with an interesting bubble hem, a strongly-shaped coat or an interesting texture or a bag. Anzevino and Florence is really taking us there with this feeling. Also, dresses, tops and accessories that add an editorial punch to any womans fall wardrobe.


trench coat, C.Luce


dress, Triple 5 Soul


tee, Kill City; jeans, Cheap Monday

IM: How often do you add to your inventory? What lines will you be introducing in the next couple of weeks?

Alter: We are adding inventory weekly or bi-weekly to the shop. We are expecting deliveries from a new shop favorite, Triple 5 Soul, as well as Californian-based Half Life (a super sleek and chic take on basics) this week alone. Heavier fall looks will be coming in September like sweaters, coats and scarves. Fall is our favorite season and we have the most amazing things in store for our customers.


romper, Triple 5 Soul; tank, Kanvas


shoe wall


chains and bracelets

IM: Please share any news, updates, or special promotions/collaborations.

Alter: We are currently starting our Fall/Winter Season with the addition of the Cheap Monday Fall Collection. This label is our best selling line because the product is so affordable, yet very stylish and fashion savvy. We have many things in the works for the coming weeks and seasons that I don't want to divulge quite yet...so stay tuned I guess.


skirt, tank, and hoodie, Cheap Monday


tank and jeans, Cheap Monday; shoes, Melissa by Vivienne Westwood


Dress, Cheap Monday

IM: How have you seen the neighborhood develop around the shop and what have you done to promote yourselves to the masses outside of Greenpoint/Williamsburg?

Alter: Since we opened the original Alter a year and a half ago, we have seen and been excited about the opening of Word Book Store, Jan & Aya, Hayden & Harnett, Kill Devil Hill, Alphabeta (70 Greenpoint Ave), and Dandelion Wine. They are great shops with a vibe all their own. This is what makes Greenpoint so amazing. The creativity of everyone who lives here just keeps adding to the vibrant community we live in. Dalaga is also a great place and is the first shop to open here that is still rocking out. Valhalha was the first shop but it closed almost two years ago. Dalaga opened soon after that (Dalaga is now 2 years young).


shoes, Melissa by Vivienne Westwood


bangles and necklaces


trench coat, C.Luce; hooded vest, Kanvas

We manage a blog for the shop to communicate with people outside of the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area. We have a dedicated fan base that is always looking at our little blog here in New York. We have shipped out items to people in England, Singapore, Australia and many other countries where people have found our blog and want to shop from us. It is always very exciting when you can reach someone across the globe through a little posting on a blog. We hope to open an online store in one years time to accommodate these international shoppers and locals who cant make it out to the shop.


dress, This Old Thing; trench coat, C.Luce; hooded vest, Kanvas; skirt and tank, Cheap Monday

So next time you find yourself in the Northwest corner of Brooklyn and have some time to kill, check out Alter...you won't be disappointed!

PS. Alter also happens to be steps away from some of the best bars in Greenpoint/Williamsburg...in case you need some more convincing. ;)

YSL tote

On Sept. 6, Yves Saint Laurent will be handing out 5,000 of these totes in NYC for FREE! Inside the totes will be newspaper-style catalogues emphasizing YSL's Fall Ready-to-wear collection. There is no clue given as to where these totes will be handed out, but a good guess would be Bryant Park (duh, fashion week) and Soho, among other obvious places.

rain avengers!

Every heroine needs to keep her feet dry while fighting the rain, but with these galoshes you can strut the street on the sunniest of days or get down on the dance floor on the clearest of nights. Besides being badass 3" rain boots, I was surprised to see how affordable they are ($49.95!)

Available in black, hot pink, buttercup yellow and apple green by Shuella.

another threatening glance

The punk in me really likes these Han Cholo rings and spike studs. I kind of want both. Available at 80s Purple.

Woodley & Bunny Fall Collections have arrived

Like, woah! Woodley & Bunny has stepped it up major for fall, so it's going to be hard not to take a peek— especially since it's in my neighborhood. Brands like Linda Farrow, Christian Joy (Karen O's stylist), Rick Owens Dark Shadow, Life With Bird, Society for Rational Dress...you get the point. If you're in Williamsburg and need some retail therapy, don't miss this place.