July 2018 Budget

July proved to be a crazy spending month for me. I had a hard time exercising self-restraint in the face of several huge sales, so it was no wonder that I ended up going over budget. I tried to be fairly selective in what I kept (a mere fraction of what I ordered), and in fact I've already worn most of these pieces. I still feel embarrassed by the shockingly large amount I initially ordered, but at least what I ultimately decided to keep was (mostly) from my wishlist. My prediction is that August will also be spendy, since I still have some orders on their way to me as we speak. Hopefully my spending will calm down come September (famous last words). Anyway, let's take a look at what I bought this month!

J.Crew supersoft Supima tank in stripes (pale sepia ivory S) - Most of my tank tops have developed these little holes in the front (by the way, does anyone know how to fix this???), so I'm slowly replacing them one at a time. Last month I bought these super soft tanks, and this month I added this little striped number. It runs pretty small, so I went up two sizes for a slouchy fit. Doesn't the color scheme look more Madewell than J.Crew? I think it pairs well with cognac accessories. The arm holes are a little big but not enough to bother me. Originally $28. Paid $7.11.

J.Crew denim short in white (white 25) - I actually ordered these shorts at the end of last month as part of that crazy J.Crew sale I posted about. They ended up being the only item that worked out. These shorts are fantastic! For white denim, they're surprisingly opaque as well as soft and stretchy. They do run large, so size down if you like tighter shorts. Personally I went with my normal size, because I want them to be more comfortable. I usually roll up the legs an extra time, because a shorter inseam makes my legs look longer. I've been wearing these nonstop! Originally $69.50. Paid $17.33.

Fitflop Bon II back strap sandal (caramel 6) via Amazon - So I've always been somewhat prejudiced against Fitflops, because I tend to think of them in the same category as Clarks, Crocs, and Danskos: comfortable yet matronly. Now that I own a pair, I take back all of the negative thoughts I had about them, because you guys, these shoes are sooooo comfortable! I feel like I could walk forever in them. The sole is incredibly padded, and it feels like I'm walking on a cloud. However, there is a slightly annoying issue with the synthetic footbed material, where the top layer leaves what looks like pencil eraser dust. Also, the sandal runs slightly large. I would have gone down half a size, but Amazon only carries whole sizes. Originally $130. Paid $66.12.

Top: J.Crew
Shorts: J.Crew
Shoes: Fitflop
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff
Sunglasses: Knock-off Karen Walker
Necklace: Madewell (old)

J.Crew Factory seersucker apron dress (light blue white XXS) - Wearing this apron dress makes me feel like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. In a cute way, although I wonder if the style borders on twee (or maybe Southern belle). The seersucker material is quite heavy and substantial, plus the dress is lined. Hence no problems with opacity, but I would have preferred if they skipped the lining in favor of making the dress lighter weight. Overall, I like it. The color scheme is very clean and refreshing. The dress does run a hair large, but since the waist is elastic, I don't find it to be an issue. Also, it features pockets and an interesting back detail, which makes the dress look more mature. You do have to wear a strapless bra though. Originally $89.50. Paid $38.77.

J.Crew Factory striped studio t-shirt (ivory navy XS) - This is a rebuy. I wore the original version so often that it developed a bunch of those little holes I was talking about, which is puzzling because the tee itself is actually thick enough to be mostly opaque, even given the light color. Anyway, I highly recommend getting one. I wear mine all the time, and it seems to go with most bottoms and layers. Originally $29.50. Paid $10.84.

J.Crew straw hat with grosgrain ribbon (natural navy ivory S/M) - My search for a straw hat is finally over! After trying on countless fedoras and boaters, I decided on this one, which I can only describe as a hybrid. The crown is deeper than your average boater, but it doesn't have that camel hump shape on top that most fedoras have. It also runs large. I have a medium to large head and had to size down, so I don't think it would work on someone with a smaller head. Also it's not packable, but I'm very happy with the straw material, which feels very sturdy and high-quality. I did have to settle for a striped ribbon instead of the solid black ribbon I was originally looking for, but that's okay. It actually goes well with that seersucker dress I bought. Originally $39.50. Paid $14.36.

Cole Haan Tali bow ballet flat (black 6.5) via Amazon - This is also a rebuy. I loved the original pair so much that I wore them almost every single day and ended up badly scuffing the toe/heel on both shoes as well as wearing out the elastic and footbed support. When I saw these on serious sale, I had to snatch them up. If you're interested, I recommend going up half a size because of the elastic sides. Originally $170. Paid $71.00.

RETAIL: $556.00
SPENT: $225.53 (40.6% of MSRP)

SUMMARY: As I mentioned in this post, my clothing budget for 2018 is $150/month starting in April with the ability to roll over leftover money (or debt) at the end of each month. During Q2, I spent $453.82. After this month, I am left with $670.65 for the rest of the year (an average of $134.13/month).

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As I mentioned before, I want to start budgeting how much I spend on my hobbies. Lately I've been running a lot more and needed a new pair of running shorts.

Adidas running M10 shorts (black/white XS) - I really like the way these look and feel. They run a hair small but do a good job of staying put. My old pair needs readjustment every so often, which is the last thing you want to be thinking about while running. So I normally don't like shorts with built-in briefs (yes, they make sense if you're going for a long run and don't want to chafe, but I'm not running that much), but these actually feel very supportive and comfortable. Originally $28. Paid $21.77.


RETAIL: $28.00
SPENT: $21.77 (77.8% of MSRP)

SUMMARY: I am budgeting $75/month for my active hobbies ($117/month if you include my climbing gym membership). After this month, I am left with only $237.88 (once I account for my membership) for the rest of the year.

How did you do with your budget this month?

Madewell Reviews: Dresses, Mini Daisy, and Overalls

I was originally planning to publish this post next week, but a few of the items I reviewed below are now included in Madewell's weekend sale. From now through July 30, 2018, you can take an additional 40% off all sale items with SHORETHING. FYI Madewell just updated their website recently, so it's still a little glitchy at the moment. 

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It's been forever since my last fitting room review! Part of the reason is that I mostly shop online these days, and partially it's because J.Crew's offerings have been pretty lackluster lately. Since I've been shopping less at J.Crew, I started eyeing other retailers to fill the void and naturally turned to Madewell, J.Crew's cooler younger sister. I'm a latecomer to that bandwagon, but I like their feminine tomboy style, which fits well with the direction that my personal style is evolving in. I stopped by their store recently and tried on some pieces I saw online.

For reference, I am 5' 4" and approximately 125 lbs. My measurements are 32C-26-34. I typically wear regular tops but petite bottoms. I have broader-than-average shoulders, and my inseam is 30" long. My usual J.Crew size is 00 and XXS, although lately I've gained a little weight and have been sizing up to 0 and XS. At Madewell, I seem to mostly wear 00 and XXS. 

Striped Scoopneck Knit Dress (Neon Peony XXS)

So this dress doesn't look like much from my pictures, but I thought it looked pretty good in real life, and I could see myself wearing it all the time. The material is soft and light-to-medium weight, but because of the color, it isn't sheer in the least. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the stripes are white, black, and terracotta. I love the scoop neck as well as the slight scoop back. It's on the longer end for a casual tank dress (just a little above my knee) and very comfortable with its shift-like silhouette. I tried on both my usual XXS as well as one size up in the XS. They fit similarly, but personally I would go with the XXS, because the underarms of the XS gaped a bit, and there was a little too much room overall. I could see wearing this dress with a denim jacket and cognac accessories. Anyway, this is a great example of one of those easy dresses that Madewell does so well.

Verdict: Like. True to size. Ordered.

District Dress in Stripe (Nightfall XXS)

I like this dress a lot and added it to my wishlist. The material is quite thick and thus completely opaque. Because of the swingy and very stretchy fit, it doesn't cling to your stomach or backside like many other casual dresses, so no need to worry about VPL! (You might be able to size down, but since XXS is already their smallest size, I couldn't confirm my suspicion). Normally I don't like ribbed material, because I think it looks too casual or sometimes even cheap, but it actually works on this dress. Also, I love the in-cut armholes (really flattering on my broad shoulders). However, it does mean you have to wear a strapless bra. Because of the fit and material, this dress could be either dressed up with sandals/heels or dressed down with sneakers. P.S. I love stripes!

Verdict: Love. Swingy fit. On my wishlist.

Ruffled Wrap Maxi Dress in Mini Daisy (Camille Brilliant Royal 00)

On a whim, I grabbed this maxi dress to try on, because I really like the mini daisy print. The dress isn't really my style, so imagine my surprise when I fell in love with it! It's so soft, pretty, and feminine. The material feels great too, kind of like a sueded silk even though it's apparently rayon/tencel. It's unlined but completely opaque. I found this dress true to size and the perfect length on my frame. I wonder if it might be slightly short on taller women though, since I'm only 5' 4". I think this would be the perfect dress to wear to a more casual wedding. The tassel wrap tie was easy to manage, and you can wrap it around your waist a couple times. The only odd thing about this dress is the side zipper, which doesn't completely unzip down the side, so you have to slip it on over your head. I kind of wish they had executed that part differently, but overall it's a beautiful dress!

Verdict: Surprise love. True to size.

Ruffle-Edge Skirt in Mini Daisy (Camille Brilliant Royal 00)

I love this print, so I tried on the skirt too. Unlike the dress, this skirt is lined. It fits true to size, and I like the mini length (not too short and not too long). I even like the ruffled edge, because it's fairly subtle when combined with the print. I'm just not sure how to style it, because the only thing I can think of to pair it with would be a plain white or striped tee. Not on my wishlist due to its lack of versatility.

Verdict: Like, but not on my wishlist. True to size.

Belle Tank Top in Mini Daisy (Camille Brilliant Royal 00)

I just really like the blue mini daisy print... The top is probably my least favorite out of the three pieces I tried on though. It just had too many design elements going on: the already busy print, the shoulder ties, the peplum, and the button-down front. I tried it on with both my own jeans and the matching skirt. The overall length seems a hair short. Also the v-neck is slightly too low, and the buttons actually gape a bit so it's a little risque. Similar to the dress, they added the same side zipper that doesn't zip all the way down, so you have to slip the top on over your head. Not a big fan overall of the top, but I still like the print and material.

Verdict: Meh. True to size.

Wrap-Front Romper in Mini Daisy (Retro Floral Cranberry 00)

I really wanted to like this romper, because I saw it online and thought it was really cute. However, in real life, it just didn't live up to its promise. The wrap front is too low and shows more cleavage than I am comfortable with. Also, the torso felt a little short, although admittedly I do have a longer torso. Plus the sleeves were too long in my opinion, which makes the whole ensemble look sort of matronly and dated. There is a back zipper which makes getting in and out of the romper alright, but the waist tie takes a lot of fiddling to get right. I also wish the floral pattern was red and white, instead of this faded tan color. Anyway, I think there's definitely a woman out there who can pull this off and make it look awesome, but that woman isn't me.

Verdict: Meh. True to size.

Adironrack Short Overalls in Dawkins Wash (Dawkins Wash XS)

Are you surprised that I tried on shortalls? Me too. I haven't worn overalls since I was a kid, and in general they're not really my style. However, I recently saw them on a blogger and thought they looked really cute, so I wanted to give these a try. Surprisingly they looked better than I expected. Definitely a feminine tomboy style. This particular pair runs small, so I had to size up to an XS. I still found them a little tight in the thighs, so I'd even consider going up another size. The torso seemed a bit long, but you can always adjust the shoulder straps. I just didn't bother at the time, because it had already taken me so much effort to get into them. You have to button/unbutton at the hip to put them on and take them off, which would be a hassle every time you go to the bathroom. 

Verdict: Like, but not sure they're for me. Runs small.

I also tried on a handful of sale items but didn't have time to take pictures:

- I liked this floral silk dress, which ran true to size. I thought the bottom half was very pretty and the knee length was nice, but personally I just don't like flutter sleeves, and I wasn't sure about the color.

- I also tried on this tank dress, which was true to size and had moderately thick material. It was completely opaque. The v-neck was too low though, and I didn't like the chest pocket.

- This striped tee dress was huge, so go down at least a size, although maybe it'll shrink in the wash since it is 100% cotton. I really didn't like the color combo, which looked old and faded.
- This cropped jumpsuit actually looks really great once you get it on, but it was incredibly difficult to put on in my opinion. True to size and would work well on petite frames.

Other sale picks: button-front dress, stripe wrap skirt, block-heel sandals

Do you shop at Madewell? Which pieces did you like and dislike?

Blog Changes

If you visited my blog in the last couple days, you may have notice some changes around here. They are all things that I've been wanting to do for a long time now. I first started making changes back in April but really ramped up recently. At some point, I would like to actually redesign the entire website (and brush up on my rusty HTML/CSS skills!), but that will most likely have to wait until after I finish my PhD dissertation. In the meantime, I want to highlight what's new and different around here, especially for those of you who follow via an RSS reader or Bloglovin and don't necessarily visit the site directly very often.

The biggest change is my name. I don't mean the blog name, although I am thinking about rebranding at some point since the range of topics I write about has expanded. I mean my actual name. I have been going by Engineer L for a long time, and I feel like I'm finally ready for a change. I have gotten more comfortable with showing a bit more of my face around here, and I'd like you to use a more personal name for me. So hi, I'm Lea. Nice to meet you (again).

I updated my name here on the blog as well as on my social media platforms. I also standardized my Pinterest and Bloglovin usernames. Now everything is @dresslikeanengineer. (Previously Pinterest was @dressengineer, and Bloglovin was @engineerl.) Please update your bookmarks accordingly. The updated links are also in the sidebar under my profile picture.

The second change is the new navigation menu on top. I realize I have been writing about four different topics lately (style, personal finance, monthly budget, and healthy living), and it would be nice for readers who are only interested in just one or two of those to be able to filter my posts. Now you have the ability to do that.

The third change is the new Labels word cloud in the sidebar. If you want to find all of my posts on a very specific topic (for example, J.Crew reviews), you can use that to filter beyond just the four broad categories I mentioned above.

I also updated the About and Blogroll sections. About introduces who I am and why I blog. And I added some of my new favorite blogs to the blogroll!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these changes. Please let me know in the comments or via email if you find something that isn't working as it should. As always, thanks!

Gratitude

Lately I have been feeling very grateful for the things in my life that I don't appreciate often enough. As a type A person, I am always striving to be the best me that I can be. Sometimes that's a good thing. It's important to me to be constantly improving, so I have a long list of things that I'm always working on in different areas of my life, including education, career, fitness, mental health, strengthening my relationship, friendships, my personal style, etc. However, by being so goal-oriented, I think I sometimes forget to appreciate who I am, where I am, and what I have right now.

For example, I am incredibly grateful that I have been blessed with overall good health. Obviously, I have a few minor conditions just like everyone else, but nothing so serious that it impacts me on a daily basis. In fact, I can only remember a few times in my life when I have been sick for an extended period of time. Once was when I injured (and re-injured) my upper back for several months. The first few weeks afterwards were miserable, because I could neither sit up nor lie down without agonizing pain. Also I had to go to physical therapy a couple times a week, and I kept re-injuring the same spot just doing daily activities, so the recovery time was very slow. That was an awful experience. Another time was when I had bronchitis for over two months. I would cough myself awake 5-10 times a night. I couldn't do any of the things I like to do normally, and I was too sick to see any friends. No fun at all. During both of those times, I slipped into temporary depression, so I can only imagine how people who have serious health conditions cope.

Recently I was hanging out with some friends when the conversation turned to personal health. One friend is currently struggling with an undiagnosed health issue. She and her husband are very frustrated with the situation, because she is in pain all the time and has zero energy, yet none of her doctors seem to have any idea why. As they continue to search for an answer, the condition has started to severely limit her life and even impact her normally cheerful disposition. Another friend revealed that she has moderate to severe scoliosis (curved spine), so she suffers from chronic back pain. There are some activities she just cannot do, because she knows it would aggravate her back. The only cure is surgery, but there are also significant risks that she's unwilling to take. I feel so much empathy for both of them, and I hope that things will get better. At the same time, it makes me realize I have been taking my own good health for granted, and it's important to appreciate it now while I still have it.

Some other things I feel grateful for: my boyfriend, friends, and family; having enough money to pursue a PhD while living a comfortable lifestyle; living in a first-world country that is (relatively) stable; how much progress I have made towards better mental health; being lucky enough to not have student loans or personal debt; having hobbies I enjoy and the money/health/time to pursue them. I am also grateful that I have this space to write down my thoughts, and I am grateful for all of you who take the time out of your day to read my posts and comment on them. There are more things of course, but these are the biggest ones I can think of at the moment. The next time I feel sad or angry or disappointed or frustrated, I would like to take a moment to think about what I already have and feel grateful.

What are you grateful for? Have you taken a moment to express your gratitude lately?

My Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Picks + Book Recommendations

July has been a crazy month for sales. First, there were summer clearance sales and Amazon Prime Day. Now the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale has opened up to the public. I am mostly sitting this one out, because I already overspent this month.  However, I still want to highlight a few gems that I think are actually a good value for those of you who are shopping. (Keep in mind that some items may be made specifically for the sale. For more info, check out Xin's post. As far as I can tell, my recommendations seem to be retail items.) My sale picks include these classic stud earrings (I bought mine a few years ago and wear them constantly), these high-waisted leggings (I own 3 pairs of the regular ones), these pretty bow flats (I tried them on in person and found them to run at least half a size large), and these waterproof heels. Personally I bought a lipstick and eyeliner set, which contains one of my favorite eyeliners and a bonus lipstick for the same price as it would normally cost to just buy the eyeliner. I also reordered one of my favorite workout tank tops in white. I wear my red one all the time, and it'd be nice to rotate them.

If you're all shopped out, I have a few book recommendations. When the weather gets too hot, I feel lazy, so I've been spending a lot of time indoors reading my Kindle. The books I enjoyed most recently are:

• The Outsider by Stephen King - I'm a huge Stephen King fan, even though I don't normally like horror as a genre. He's the master of suspense, and this was no exception. I found the first half of the book to be very thought-provoking with its social commentary on our criminal justice system as well as trials in the court of public opinion, similar to during the #metoo movement. The second half is standard Stephen King sci-fi/horror with more sci-fi than horror. Definitely worth a read.
• Ready Player One - I really enjoyed this young adult sci-fi/fantasy! Apparently it got made into a movie recently, which I didn't realize until after I finished the book. Anyway, the characters are a little flat, but the plot is very entertaining and fast-paced enough to make this a quick read. As a nerd, I enjoyed all the references to classic sci-fi/fantasy media as well as 80's pop culture. I guess I'm getting old enough that some of the things I liked as a kid are now retro!
• Crazy Rich Asians - I actually read this book a while ago but have to mention it here, because the movie is coming out on August 15. I'm already planning to go see it in theaters, because it's really one of the first Hollywood movies with a predominantly Asian cast. Anyway, the book is super fun and lighthearted with lots of glamour, fashion, and drama. Definitely a guilty pleasure summer read.

Are you shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale? Have you read any of these books? Have a great weekend!