ModernGear Women: You & Me, Rachel

This is a tale of two designers and a difficult choice I had to make between them. Once upon a time (about a year and a half ago) I went to one to my favourite stores in Vancouver, Moulé, knowing full well that this was dangerous territory. It's easy to over-spend in such a fabulous store, but I wanted to check out what was new and wonderful.

I discovered two amazing pieces by Rachel Mara and Yumi Kim, and lo and behold, they both fit perfectly. What was I to do? I wanted something special for our upcoming honeymoon and had set a little money aside for such a purchase. I found myself on the horns of a dilemma... a decision had to be made...

I was choosing between a Rachel Mara blouse that I can't find a picture of, but it was the cut of this "Scoop" blouse:
in this fabric:

and a Yumi Kim dress, 100% silk:

What would you have done, dear reader? Tossed a coin? Thrown caution to the wind and bought both?! Aaah, not me, sensible spender that I am.

Well, I ended up with...the Yumi Kim, seen below on a stop in our European honeymoon at Lake Como, Italy!
I really liked the Rachel Mara blouse, but I LOVED the Yumi Kim dress, so that is what I left with. The good thing is I LOVE it every single time I wear it, though it's usually reserved for special occasions.

My husband and I got married in February but we had a reception for friends and family in our home town later on, in the summer, and I also wore the dress that night. A lovely older woman working at the place we hosted at, asked me where my beautiful dress was from. I said, "It's Yumi Kim." And she replied, "Oh, You and Me Kim, very nice."

But back to the clothing. The happy news, since I am currently Rachel Mara-less, is that there are some equally lovely blouses by her on sale at RachelMara.com right now so even though the one I liked at the store isn't available, I can still get one that is very much like it, like:

Beverly Yoke Blouse on printed silk Habotai, was $195, on sale for $97.50
and the Beverly V-Tunic in the same fabric, was $210 and is now $110.
Jessica Yoke Blouse in printed silk crepe de chine, originally $195 and now $97.50
And then there's the Blanc Scoop Blouse in Top Swiss Finish cotton, was $195, now $97.50
Active Endeavors also has a really pretty one, the Yoke Back blouse, on sale for $136 from $194

It seems like it might be a bit more difficult to add to my Yumi Kim collection, though, as their web site hasn't been updated and some of the styles in online boutiques are sold out. Here is what I like but that is unavailable, as well as some potential options.

From singer22.com:
Violet Lucy Floral Joey Top
$145 but SOLD OUT!
Butterfly Joey Top in Fuschia
$145 but SOLD OUT!
However, you can get this dress of the same fabric, from southmoonunder.com:
Jeanette Butterfly Dress
$208
And there's a similar, darker one at luvcharlie.com:
Navy Lurex Jeanette Dress
$215
And they have the Joey top in a dark fabric as well:
Joey Boho top (navy lurex, though black is shown)
From revolveclothing.com:
Zoe Aztec Top in Grey
$138
Christine Tulips Top in Cream/Red
$138
And in case you'd like one like mine, shopmissbehavin.com has one in black, but only the size L is left.
Flower Dress in black
$185
shopmaluka.com also has a few - it says XS and M on their web site but when I phoned they said they actually have a S and an M, on sale for $158.40.
Now that I have my favourite Yumi Kim dress, I'd like to add a little Rachel Mara into my closet but I am quite tempted by this black dress...and so the dilemma rages on...