By Rachel Felder

Designer Interview: Shoshanna's Guide to Holiday Dressing

Sure, you can wear that little black dress to all your holiday parties, but why would you? The holidays are a perfect excuse to shine in pretty dresses made for celebrating. Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, who's been designing party dresses for nearly a decade, shared her tips with StyleList for finding your perfect style for every holiday function.

What makes a great party dress?

The most important part of choosing a party dress is that you can party in it -- that it's comfortable. The worst party dress is the kind where a girl has to sit in the corner the whole night because she can't dance or run around the room.

What's your ideal dress?

I love a strapless dress with a fitted waist and a full skirt -- it's most flattering for my shape. Each woman has to figure out her perfect party dress, whether it's a slip dress shape or something with more coverage.

We love your silver frocks -- what's the best way to pull off metallics?

Think outside the box. Instead of going with a black or metallic shoe, play around with color. Silver looks great with hot pink, and I love gold with shades of orange and even red. The holidays are the best time to put all these different color combinations together.

What's an appropriate style for an office party?

I would wear a dressed up version of what you'd wear to work: great hair and makeup, an up-do and some great jewelry. It is an office party, so you're still at work technically.

What's the best dress to wear when you're meeting your future in-laws?

You're probably going to be a little nervous, so you want to wear what you're the most comfortable in. Wear something that makes you feel pretty that is not too sexy or too short, but also reflects who you are -- be a toned down version of yourself.

How do you survive the holidays in style?

Holiday dressing is all about cheerfulness and fun. I look back to old movies with Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren -- this is the time to be glamorous. Go get your hair done or your makeup done at a cosmetics counter. It's about elegance and comfort and really shining on the inside.

Learn more about Shoshanna's style and find links to her designs at www.shoshanna.com.