With its associations of celebration, festivity and new beginnings, the millennium is proving to be infinitely inspiring for international designers. Many top-name design houses have created special collections in honour of Y2K: Celine recently unveiled its millennium line, which is made up predominantly of holiday/cruise wear - ideal for those who are going to celebrate in swanky resorts instead of at an all-night rave.

But for those who are going to be doing the social circuit, the stores are full of rich, ornate party clothes. While designers have been providing plenty of colour - bright reds, baby blues, deep plums - black still remains a firm favourite for the festive season. And embellishment has never been more important: beads, sequins, fur, feathers, crystals.

Stores also seem to be stressing the importance of comfort - with perhaps the exception of those killer-high shoes: bootleg pants and fitted sweaters, long, easy skirts and floaty tops, or a full-length stretch dress have all the makings of dusk-till-dawn party wear. But be warned: given the exuberance of millennial fashions, they are priced to match. This is, after all, predicted to be a bonanza time for fashion retailers. Here, our picks of what fashion-savvy women will be wearing.