Winter is my least favorite time of the year, and not just because it’s freezing and miserable outside, but also because I feel extremely limited in my wardrobe. Who doesn’t? With comfort and warmth at risk, is it worth planning an elaborate outfit if we’re going to be shivering in school? There are  people out there who don’t get cold wearing a t-shirt in the halls at this time of year, but if you are one of the many who aren’t so lucky, keep reading.

Remember scarves being a good accessory? Well, they also keep you warm, and the thicker they are, the better job they do. Infinity scarves (scarves that are connected at the ends and are usually worn wrapped around your neck twice) are a great winter accessory for both indoors and out.

One of my staple wardrobe items for the winter is the the oversize sweater. They look great with skinny jeans or leggings and boots, and, personally, that’s how I wear them. Patterned, solid, retro, it really doesn’t matter. You can almost never go wrong in this case.

Most people bring out the thick, wool socks for winter, right? Well, aside from being extremely accommodating for the cold weather, they look great peeking from boots. However, stay away from bright colors and silly patterns, as they can easily look childish, and remember that if you’re hesitating even in the slightest bit, it probably doesn’t work.  Obviously, only wear them with shorter boots (combat or similar styles). One thing that I’ve noticed lately is high socks with…Uggs. As I resist the urge to rant, I just want to make a couple points. One: Uggs are warm, so clearly those wearing them with high socks are not doing it to fend off the cold weather.  Two: I cannot stop anyone from wearing this duo, but I will say that if you feel the need to do this, stick to dark colored socks, so it doesn’t create as much contrast.

Now that we’re on the topic of my absolute favorite winter staple, boots, let’s have a central, guiding question: what kind? Yes there are the quintessential  favorites–Uggs. But haven’t we had enough of that? There is no clear choice when it comes to which boots to wear this season, but there are some definite favorites out there. The Chelsea boot is one to pay attention to. It can be done in the most classic way, as this style is derived from menswear, yet there are many variations out there. After slowly growing on the street style scene, they have reached their peak this year. For further inspiration and examples, tumblr is always here to help.

A more extravagant, yet just as popular, style of boots is western. No longer exclusive to cowboys, I’ve come to think of this year-round style to be accommodating to many different types of outfits. They’re a great way to make a dressy outfit look less serious while simultaneously bringing charm to casual outfits. For an introduction, click here.

Finally, we arrive to riding boots, which have some relation to but are not the same as western. These boots have trickled down to a younger demographic (us) these last few years, and I am not surprised. They’re classic and comfortable, and what more do you need really? If you want a boot that will go with just about any outfit, sweat pants being the exception, I would recommend this style.

Apart from coats of course, socks, scarves, sweaters, and boots are the most basic pieces to a winter wardrobe, and this idea has been around for many decades. What changes, though, is the what each generation does with these staples. I’ve chosen a few of my favorite, specific styles and ways to wear them, and I hope that some will use them. The main goal, however, is to just stay warm, right? Because not doing so will make winter even worse.