Summertime Reds

One of my favorite paintings ever is that on the top left. I met Elisabeth de Cherisey at a perfume launch—she's the great great great great great great great great granddaughter of Marie Antoinette's best friend, as well as a fantastic artist. I'm obsessed with her work. Her paintings make me want to wear a red dress, or a red sunhat, or a casual pair of red sneakers. There are oh-so-subtle pops of rouge that just seem perfect for the long and lazy last days of summer.


[photo cred, clockwise from top left, to Elisabeth de Cherisey, 2 and 3]

Easy Chic

I adore this Clémentine Levy fashion story for Grazia Italia, shot by Vanessa Jackson. It seems so perfect for the summer-to-fall transition, with dark colors and easy tees and simple jeans, dressed up just the right amount with a great pair of loafers. (Full disclosure: I hate loafers. Give me a pair of ballet flats any day.) But I definitely want to steal the effortless chic that Clémentine sports here. It's not that I'm over summer, per se, but why bother trying to figure out which sundresses are sheer and which aren't when I could just slap on a pair of not so see-through pants? Is this laziness or just a personal style preference?

Nudes & Neon

And my new favorite pairing is...

                        Try a tasteful pochette in classic Tiffany blue     +     Rachel Zoe dress

(if you're a little more demure)

                           Pair an eye-popping fuchsia clutch            +             Dolce Vita dress

(if you're afraid of just about nothing)

Now I just need a bright, neon bag. I'm thinking a

Claire Vivier foldover clutch in in a vivid royal blue is just the thing.

[photo cred to 1 and 2]

Monday, Monday

I went home this weekend—it's nice to get out of the city for a bit and lounge around my house. My little sister made cupcakes and bought me cookies, so really, the past two days have been one long sugar-high. I also went to Crazy Stupid Love (and adored it). Have you seen it? The trailers (or, to be honest, a well-dressed Ryan Gosling) had me hooked.


As for the winner of the Estée Lauder giveaway, congrats to Sara of Sara in Le Petit Village (#13 of 17 eligible posts on random.org). Thanks so much to all for reading and participating!

Happy Monday!

[photo cred here]

Nailed It + A Giveaway

You know what feels great? Getting a fresh manicure and

waving your hand around like you're the Queen of England.

You know what also feels great? Persuading 200 poor Google followers/fellow bloggers to read my endless prattling about my life and/or objects that I find pretty. To celebrate, I'm throwing my very first giveaway: two fabulous Estée Lauder nail lacquers. The first is Metallic Sage, a very of-the-moment green-grey hue, and the other is Purple Passion, a vibrant lavender shade.

To enter, you must a) be a follower of Mellow Fever and b) comment on this post with your email (if it isn't available in your blog profile). If you Tweet about it, tag it with @deannapai and a link to this post for a second entry. A winner will be randomly selected on Friday. Bonne chance, mes petits choux!


(open to US residents only, sorry!)
[photo cred here + courtesy of Estée Lauder]

Little Flowers

My jewelry style doesn't usually go beyond Tiffany & Co. silver studs and Alexis Bittar gunmetal hoops—simple, understated, etc. The craziest I get is stacking a tiny diamond ring with a very fake Chanel ring that I once discovered behind a drawer. These shots, though, have me pining for embellishment. Flower details are oversized and quirky, striking a sweet balance between ladies-who-lunch and straight-up gaudy. I could most definitely use a gem-studded cuff paired with... wait, are those zippered tweed gloves?

Things you don't need but really want and are probably going to hunt down anyway, no. 578: zippered tweed gloves.


[photo cred here and here]

Skirting Around

It's been so hot around here that I've completely abandoned pants for skirts. I'm obsessed with really breezy, feminine numbers as of late—chiffon and leather with pleats and tucks. I'm currently pining after this Robert Rodriguez crinkled chiffon skirt (does it ever get better than crinkled chiffon?) though my wallet isn't.

I spent my weekend curled up with my AC unit and occasionally wandering out at night to explore the Lower East Side. How are you beating heat? I would do terrible things to have access to a pool right now..

[photo cred to 1 and 2]