By NASA MARIA ENTABAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

THERE never is a better time to be fashion-inspired than now. It’s already mid-January and stores are full of bright colours and spring/summer trends.
Chinese New Year is next week, and we’re pretty sure you can’t wait to hit the shops for some last-minute buys.

Malls may be overcrowded and frustrating to go to this week, but we promise it will be totally worth it when you see the new trends our favourite labels have to offer.

While we encourage everyone to embrace the latest styles and trends, do remember to be respectful to your hosts and guests, dress appropriately and save the red leather pants for a night out instead of your family’s reunion dinner!

Here are a few pieces you can pick up for that much-awaited reunion dinner, catch-up sessions with friends, or visiting relatives and friends this festive season.

Long, sheer skirt

Gossip Girl star Blake Lively and supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whitely both rocked this sheer long skirt look on the red carpet not too long ago.

It may be a trend that’s a little difficult to accept at first, after all, it looks like you’re having trouble deciding on whether to go with a long skirt or short, and just wear both.

Blake Lively in a sheer skirt

The sheer long skirt looks best in soft materials like chiffon, lace and even organza. You can wear them with shorts or a short skirt of the same colour, inside. If you’re superstitious, avoid wearing something black or white during Chinese New Year.

The rule which says you can’t wear high heels with a long skirt doesn’t apply here, as this is a chic and sophisticated look with a daring spin, so it actually requires you to wear elegant footwear.

For taller and slimmer girls, pleats add some shape to their frame, while curvier ladies should just go with a plain skirt.

Brogues

Whether you’re into pretty dresses, miniskirts or trousers, these are a type of footwear you can pretty much pair with anything for a casual and comfortable visiting session.

As is customary in Malaysia, you’ll be removing your shoes a whole lot when it comes to going to open houses, so rather than struggle with tedious straps, slip on a pair of brogues.

The Oxford brogue

They come off easily and since you’ll probably have a lot of ground to cover with driving and walking, they’ll be a more comfortable option compared to heels.

You can go with a preppy look by combining cotton trousers in a light colour with a tomboy shirt and finishing off with a pair of brogues in a contrasting colour. Otherwise, choose a knee-length floral print dress with neutral-coloured brogues.

Shift dresses

The weather is usually quite unforgiving during Chinese New Year – it can get pretty hot sometimes, so piling on thick clothes may ruin your day. If you’re use to wearing a pair of jeans and a top, why not surprise everyone by wearing a dress?  We can’t get over how the shift dress is already appearing in every fashion magazine, website and blog you can think of, and the short, loose style is perfect for this festive season.

The popular shift dress

Go out and get one in a bright colour – candy, coral, orange and turquoise are everywhere right now, and pair it with chunky accessories and neutral-coloured pumps or flats.

q Check out some of the trends celebrities wore to Monday morning’s 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards at rage.com.my/nasassistic.