style – Page 10 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Food September 9, 2013

Catching Up on Life

Last week was beyond busy with work, which left absolutely zero time to take a mental break and blog. So, to catch up…

> Our engagement pictures were recently featured on Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book Blog here

> I finally ate at Coppa and Roost (twice) after they’d been on my “must eat at” list for ages and obviously had to add them to my Best of Houston: Restaurants and Coffee list

> We had the best time in Durango: hiking, ziplining, river rafting, and cycling – house above, more pictures soon!

> Celebrated Pierson’s first birthday and Bryan’s 25th! I love birthdays so much.

> Bought this striped chair for our entryway – final pictures of the Manor to come soon!

> Purchased tickets to The Book of Mormon for next weekend… seriously cannot wait

> Found out that we’re going to be Door Openers at Passion 2014 in Houston

> Headed to San Francisco for a day (here now) – fourth time in this beautiful city in 2013 and cannot complain about that

Fashion August 27, 2013

I bought Sasha this J. Crew Factory Sherpa-Lined Jacket for our upcoming Colorado trip because it was so cheap. I honestly had no idea if he would like it or not, but thank goodness, he took to it immediately and wore it around the house. It is very comfy, I must admit, as I’ve worn it quite a bit myself. The “ultimate GQ man” to me is very rugged – perhaps why I love Colorado as much as I do. Sasha loves this style as well and will be decked out in this very get-up during our trip (I do the packing, of course!). Those MacAllister boots are my favorite, but we had to buy insoles to make them more comfortable. What is your favorite male look?

PS How amazing are those lab boxers? We called them the Belle Boxers (after our pup).

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7

Food August 26, 2013

Rainbow Lodge

As part of my mission to eat Burrata cheese at all of these Houston restaurants, I decided to meet a good friend of mine, Paola, at Rainbow Lodge on Sunday for brunch (99 cent mimosas? yes, please). I had never been before, but had wanted to go for ages, so jumped at the opportunity to check it off the list. As I walked in, I felt like I had in fact been there before. I quickly remembered that I recognized the restaurant because I had seen it on photographer Taylor Lord’s blog. She shot a wedding there last year, and I loved every detail. In fact, little did I know at the time, but I would end up in the same Crepe de Chine BHLDN dress! I was grinning ear to ear when I pulled up the pictures again and saw that.

The food was incredible. The Heirloom Tomato Salad was heavenly – the Burrata cheese was perfect, as were the wonderfully affordable mimosas. The 100 year old cabin home turned into hunting-style restaurant is an amazing spot for Sunday brunch or date night. The views are amazing – windows all around. The vegetarian options are definitely limited, but that’s what I expected from an upscale game lodge eatery.

City Guide August 23, 2013

Paris City Guide

There is definitely no city in the world I love more than Paris. Growing up, it was always my dream to move there and spend my time strolling the bustling streets, speaking French with strangers, sipping coffee at a bijoux-cafe and wine on the Seine. In 2010, I got an internship in the City of Lights, and after a two week stint at the Cannes Film Festival, I made my way up north to Paris, where I spent the next three months adventuring (and blogging every day). I was fortunate enough to have one of my best friends, Andrew, also working there – by complete chance. We made a pact to adventure every single night – never to waste a moment in the most exciting city in the world. I honestly did not want to leave, so in 2010, after I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, I went back with my family. Again, in 2012, Sasha and I made our way to Paris, at the end of our vacation to Turkey and Greece. I genuinely think that being a tour guide in that city, which was once my home, is my favorite thing in the world. If you haven’t gone, you must. And when you go, I suggest you try some of my favorite things to do.

Food

Best Falafel: L’As du Fallafel (Le Marais)

Best Mediterranean: Chez Marianne (Le Marais) and Beytouti (Hôtel-de-Ville)

Best Romantic Dinner: Le Cafe de l’Homme (Trocadéro)

Best Casual Dinner: Le Pause Cafe (Bastille)

Best Lunch Cafe: Cafe Le Buci (Saint–Germain–des–Prés) and Le Restaurant (Luxembourg)

Best Dinner with Views: Restaurant Georges (Hôtel-de-Ville)

Best Dinner for People Watching: Le Bonaparte (Saint–Germain–des–Prés)

Best Frozen Yogurt: MyBerry (Le Marais)

__________________

Drinks

Best Coffee + People Watching: Les Deux Magots

Best Peaceful Coffee: Telescope Cafe

Best Smoothies: Le Paradis du Fruit

__________________

Sightseeing

Best Neighborhood to Get Lost In: Le Marais

Best Walking Tours: Paris Walks

Best Boat Tours: Bateaux Mouches

Most Extravagent Gardens: Le Palace de Versaille

Best Peaceful Park: Les Jardins de Luxembourg

Best Views of the City: Sacre Coeur

Most Iconic: Eiffel Tower (obviously)

Most Gorgeous “Square”: Les Places des Vosges

Best Way to Get Around Town: Velib

Best Church: Eglise Saint Germain des Pres

__________________

Museums

Best Indoor Museum: L’Orangerie

Best (Mainly) Outdoor Museum: Rodin Museum

__________________

Shopping

Best Boutiques: Le Comptoir de Cotonniers and Kookai

Best Department Shopping: BHV

__________________

Accomodation

Best Hotel: Hotel Bel-Ami

__________________

Nightlife

Best People Watching Bar: Le Petit Fer du Cheval

Favorite Night Activity: Drinking Wine on the Seine

Other Favorite Night Activity: Sitting on the Champs de Mars, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle

Favorite Bridge To Sit on at Night: Pont des Arts

__________________

Some of my favorite pictures below from 2009, 2010 and 2012… time for another trip soon, especially as I’m reading The Paris Wife and am so nostalgic!

L’Arc de Triomphe, 2009

Le Petit Fer au Cheval (favorite bar!), 2009

Sacre-Coeur, 2009

Versailles Gardens, 2009

Le Louvre, 2009

Cars Rouges, 2009

Chez Francis, 2009

Le Jardin de Luxembourg, 2009

Paris Plages, 2009

Notre-Dame, 2009

Le Creperie Suzette (love this wine bar), 2010

Eiffel Tower, 2010

La Duree, 2010

Le Paradis du Fruit, 2010

Montmartre, 2010

Hotel Bel-Ami, 2010

L’As du Fallafel, 2012

Notre-Dame, 2012

Le Louvre, 2012

Arc de Triomphe, 2012

Eiffel Tower, 2012

PS What a difference a camera makes! Glad I finally got my DSLR.

PPS Illustrated map of Paris via Rifle Paper Co (love it)

USA August 19, 2013

Florida Snapshots

What an incredible weekend. We arrived at Ft. Lauderdale airport Friday afternoon and spent the remainder of the day on the beach – drinking Acai Mojitos (consumed far too many…). We ate at Hollywood Prime, then headed to the Justin Timberlake and Jay Z Legends of the Summer concert. It was honestly the best concert I’ve ever been to, by leaps and bounds. It was at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, which is uncovered, so we were super hot (thank goodness I chose a black romper – nice and breezy), but danced like fools the entire night. The set list for the concert is here. Could you pick a better compilation of songs? We slept in on Saturday, then lounged at the pool all day (handstand contests for hours), then showered and met Sasha’s cousins for dinner at Sardellis. I got the burrata salad (which we had at the wedding), and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Sunday was a relaxed morning – we headed to the airport in the late morning. It was truly the perfect beach getaway weekend.

Sasha’s outfits

Gray J. Crew shirt // Turquoise J. Crew Factory shorts // White J. Crew slim fit shirt // Brown Cole Haan shoes (Similar here)

My outfits

Striped Equipment Blouse (Similar here)// White J. Crew Peplum top // White J. Crew Chino Shorts // J. Crew necklace // Kendra Scott necklace // Kendra Scott bracelet // Blue J. Crew suede shoes // Tan Tory Burch sandals // Blue J. Crew blazer // Tucker for Piperlime Maxi (Similar here and here)