[Photo provided to China Daily]

What to wear for Xmas and the New Year? Xu Junqian in Shanghai highlights some of the season's most elegant wardrobe items.

Dressing up like a Christmas tree in clashing green and red is usually seen as a fashion faux pas, so how should we be kitting ourselves out for the festive season?

My feeling is that red does still work best around this time of the year, but you need to be choosy about what you pair with it.

The red ballerina gown from Dior's Christmas collection not only protects the wearer from winter chills but at the same time has a lissome look with its light, fluffy skirt.

Another rosy winner is the one-piece, long-sleeved outfit from Max & Co that nails the stylish and comfortable look.

As Percy Bysshe Shelley once put it in his Ode to the West Wind: "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" Dolce & Gabbana has picked up this theme with its winter collection, which features straight skirts, headbands and distinctive eyewear.

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