You are ready to bid adieu to 2009 and eagerly waiting to welcome 2010. By now you have probably decided on your New Year’s Eve party, but if you are still fretting over what to wear, don’t lose hope. There’s good news. The city has fashion designers who are ready to guide you.

For some designers, the black dress that hangs inside your closet wins hands down as the colour never goes out of fashion and is always a hit for any event. Lina Tipnis, who retails at Cypress, Bandra, says: “A trench coat worn over a jewelled little black dress would be the perfect choice to ring in the New Year.” She feels one should invest in a classic black dress that could team up with jewelled brooches or even a scarf.

Sharing Tipnis’s thoughts, Deepika Gehani, who has an eponymous store at Kemps Corner, says: “Short cocktail dresses are the trend this year with lots of shimmer and sequence. Black, but also gold and silver, are making their way into people’s wardrobes.”

However, many designers are breaking from the conservative look and opting for bright colours. Azeem Khan, who has a boutique by the same name at Colaba, believes that the New Year will be marked by grand celebration since the slowdown has eased and people are in a mood to party. “So bright dresses and shirts are the way to greet the New Year,” says Khan. “People should break away from usual shades. Bright colours like orange, pink or even off-white cream should do the trick.”

Another supporter of the bright-and-gay look is Anna Singh, who makes elaborate designs for Bollywood productions. “This year, there is a trend of cocktail dresses, like last year. But unfortunately because of 26/11, many didn’t celebrate last time, which is why the style didn’t catch on. Not so now,” says Singh. “With cocktail dresses, tunics are the second-best choice.”

An interesting trend is that as women’s New Year wear is getting more defined, men’s style is becoming more casual. “Indian-inspired jackets are back in fashion, especially the Nehru collar, which can be worn over jeans,” says Gehani, while Khan considers men to be boring and non-experimental.

“Men tend to stick to their usual, safe colours and styles. This at times becomes monotonous,” he says. “Men too should experiment with colours.”

Tarana Masand, who retails at Aza and Ensemble, both at Kemps corner, has a word of advice for those experiencing budgetary concerns since December, being a festive month, leaves finances in disarray. While store hopping is not wise, multi-designer stores are a safe bet. “You will find things across all ranges and can pick what suits your budget,” says Masand.

One can also try out export surplus stores. Sabbah Sharma, who has an eponymous store in Juhu, says: “You can get really lucky if you rummage through these stores. You never know what you may find and it will be super cheap.”

Dresses are fine, but not so without accessories, which play such an important part in how one looks. Varsha Bhawnani, who owns Vinegar, Bandra, says: “You can experiment endlessly with accessories. It really depends on your outfit. But be careful to not overdo it.”

Khan believes that if the dress is simple, one must spend on jewellery. “Big chunky jewellery or even embroidery jewellery will look fabulous,” he says.

Since there can never be one stop to shop from, the golden rule of shopping, according to Masand, is: “It doesn’t matter where you shop; just be sure of what you’re picking and what suits you the best.”

So dress like a diva on New Year’s Eve and feel like a queen. After all, as the belief goes, whatever happens at midnight on December 31 happens throughout the year.