We all know that toting along a bouquet of flowers, an extra bottle of bubbles and maybe a plate of appetizers or a crusty baguette goes a long way with holiday hosts, but you know what goes a long way with fellow guests? A few good questions. Party tip #406: Ask people about themselves. Be interesting and interested. Get folks to open up-about their lives, their work and the year we're all about to put behind us.

While we weren't in a darkened room celebrating with Malone Souliers' creative heads Mary Alice Malone and Roy Luwolt (above), just eyeing their killer heels and iconic booties is a party, so bear with us here. We lobbed a couple of conversation-worthy queries about 2015 their way, and we're sharing them here so that you might take our lead and run with it-and learn something along the way.

The Thread: What's the best thing that happened to you and your business in the last year?

Roy Luwolt: Malone Souliers hit early puberty and broke multiple milestones at least four years sooner than projected, from staff and product development to global penetration and sales targets.

Mary Alice Malone: Also, Michelle Obama loves and wears our shoes, so there's that!

Malone Souliers' Maureen pointy-toe mule What are your resolutions for the year ahead?

Mary Alice: Our very product, now being in the major markets and retailers we hoped for when we were founding the business, challenges and informs us, particularly from a design perspective, and as to the sensitivities of the needs of our consumer, per culture and persona. To that end, I can't afford to be that wide-eyed wishful designer, but one who informatively caters to the challenges of our competitors. It's grow-up time, pre-2016 and beyond.

Roy: What she said, plus, we're about to launch three critical collaborations: one with a most exquisite, most idolized philanthropist, another with a showstopping (rather literally) international luxury ready-to-wear label, and the third with a global athletic brand. Each of these is a different yet adjacent marriage to the very innovation of Malone Souliers-as MA said, a bar-and-a-half raised.

What if you had to pick three words to describe your approach for 2016, professionally and otherwise?

Mary Alice: Sharp, established, self-aware.

Roy: Discontent, finesse, unexpected.

SHOP: Malone Souliers