Okay, here’s the deal, Christmas and NYE means one thing to me. Pardon? Spending time with family? Oh, yes…that too, but I was referring to all the parties, and therefore, the shopping I have to do! So feeling neither defeated nor daunted by the task ahead, I weave through SoHo in search of the perfect party dresses.

My first stop was Capuccini on Staunton Street, where you really need to be patient in order to unearth what you might otherwise miss if you rush through all the racks of tightly packed garments, and after about ten minutes of excavating, I spotted a ruffle dress in cherry red. Normally, I’m not a ruffles girl, but something about the shape of this dress caught my eye.

However, not quite ready to commit and not wanting to limit my options, I trudged up the hill towards Fang Fong on Peel Street. Here, I was greeted by the wonderful salesperson who directed me to a strapless tulip mini dress in a tropical patterned Thai silk that I could not resists pairing with a cream and black obi belt.

Definitely on a shopping high by now, I continued my mission and spied a black outfit in Crochet that epitomizes what I like to call a “faerie gone bad”. It’s a little punk, a little princessy, a little modern and exemplifies wickedness! The faux suede bodice against the charcoal grey mesh skirt set a nice contrast, but my personal rule to avoid dark colours as much as possible drew me out of the store and down towards Lyndhurst Terrace.

Namu carries a much more ladylike variety, and soon I found a pale pink layered dress that reminded me of mermaids; it’s a beautiful dress, but I’m after something a little more vibrant, so I made my last stop in Azelia, which is just next door and found an impressive array of party dresses. Including a purple empire-waist dress with gold embellishments peeking out from behind the floral and sequins that I rescue it from, which turns out to be an interesting blend of elfin and bohemian, with just a pinch of Bollywood.

I stumbled upon some real gems this afternoon, and now I find myself with the dilemma of making a decision!  I’m leaning towards the tulip dress in Fang Fong; I wonder if they have it in my size...