2012 has now begun. Oh, and by the way, Happy New Year to all of you!

Chinese New Year is just around the corner. And to all celebrating, this means... NEW CLOTHES!

Last year, I blogged about the history of the cheongsam and a couple of dresses I wore for the celebrations. This year, a few girlfriends and I went boutique hopping around our local stores to shop for Chinese New Year.

Gotta say it was a pretty good 'hunt' and we all bought something from some of the stores.

Our first stop was at I-Style in Serusop, and some of you might remember that I blogged about this store some time ago. We spend about an hour and a half at this store trying on a lot of stuff - clothes, hairbands and jewelry.

Check out the pics I took below.

It was a pretty fruitful haul for me. So, for those who are looking to get some new duds for the upcoming Chinese New Year, I recommend for you to check out I-Style. 

For its location, check out my previous post and scroll right to the bottom.

We checked out a couple more stores that night, but I wasn't able to take pictures of the clothes there. I did manage to snap a few shots and upload them to my Instagr.am, so you can check those out below.

If you're looking for perfectly tailored and excellent material clothes, you definitely should drop by UrbanChic. 

However, I warn you. Most of the clothes I loved here has over $100 price tags. I actually don't mind spending that much money on a really good quality dress, but since I was on a budget, decided to give this a miss.

But I definitely will be back if I'm looking for a snazzy dress for a big function.

A much more affordable boutique than UrbanChic and quite large in space too. D'Brandon also stocks footwear, accessories and men's clothing. Although I didn't find something I really liked here, my friends did.

We ended our night of shopping at Lau Di Fang (The Old Place) at Gadong Central. This halal restaurant serves Chinese food, but the most interesting thing about this restaurant is its decor.

It's designed like a kopitiam of the past, with vintage items here and there. You'll also find old pictures of Brunei and the Royal Family hanging on the walls. Very nice place with good food.

So, that's it for this night of shopping. We'll probably go on one last shopping outing for Chinese New Year, probably to Gadong as I plan to drop in to Deseo's new Gadong branch.

Til next time, Xing Nien Quai Le to all who are celebrating!