The best winter trends to keep you toasty yet stylish

A quick glance at that one festive-themed aisle in Mainsbury's (what do they display there when there is no feasible upcoming festivity to shamelessly capitalise upon?) will tell you that, now that Halloween has been dispensed with, it is basically winter. I know, I know – how is it possible for Cambridge to get ANY COLDER? I (quite literally) shudder to think.

The upside to this is that winter trends are now upon us, and – luckily for those of us quaking (quite literally) in our boots at the thought of an even more Antarctic daily treck to our 9ams – the emphasis this season is on warmth, thanks to a tidal wave of berets, corduroy, faux fur, and layering. For a glance at the best trends of the season paired with the warmest styles, look no further…

Outerwear & Coats

Puffer jackets were as ubiquitous on the catwalk last season, from Balenciaga's ski-like offerings to Marques Almeida's veritable duvets, as they are now on the Sidgewick Site. This one from ASOS takes the warmth and cosiness of the puffer and pairs it with the glossy iridescence of jacquard, a fabric which brings together this year's trends for satin and embroidery. It will be cropping up everywhere this season.

Faux-fur is increasingly becoming a staple for AW17 – but as the season gets colder, the focus is shifting to faux shearling, as seen on Marni and Prada runways, which is moving away from its inner-lining origins to take centre stage. This Forever 21 hooded jacket is cosy and soft, but thin enough to layer under an extra coat if need be (and if you're anything like me, there will be need).

If you fancy something EVEN warmer, and happen to be going on Varsity (or you just really want to commit to keeping warm), you might also want to check out Topshop's (kind of amazing) ski suits-slash-parkas-slash jumpsuits from their new SNO collection.

Layering

Corduroy is this season's surprise act – previously only seen on Geography teachers and in unmemorable Friends episodes, it's hard to walk along Kings' Parade without seeing someone in that one red corduroy jacket that literally everyone has. My favourites, however, are these pinafore dresses – in colours ranging from holly-bush red to this icy blue number which I'm absolutely obsessed with. These dresses come alive over a big jumper and a good pair of tights – they're cosy, endlessly wearable, and they have pockets to warm your hands/hide snacks/tell everyone that your dress has pockets.

I actually hesitated to include this dress from Urban Outfitters, because it is the love of my life and I don't want anyone else to know about it because it is PERFECT and MINE. But in the name of being your favourite neighbourhood fashion columnist, I decided to stop being selfish and share with you the joys of even more floral jacquard. While not appearing particularly warm on its own, this dress lends itself to layering like no other – pop over a white t-shirt, pair with a good faux-fur crop, and actually, no, don't do those things, because this is MY dress, get your own.

Accessories

As everyone knows (even if it may or may not be true), most of your body heat is lost from your head – so it only makes sense to go all-out for this season's favourite new headgear, the beret, and this one from Urban Outfitters is lovely. See it on every model at Maria Grazia Chiuri, or think Audrey Hepburn, Bonnie & Clyde, or Eddie Izzard's pro-EU stance.

We still love fishnets, but as the days grow (somehow) even colder, they become less and less practical – but do not fear, you do not have to go back to black tights just yet. Lace tights are warmer, prettier, and are everywhere from Nina Ricci to streetwear. These ones from ASOS are gorgeous, and also come in red, which some are calling this season's replacement of a certain ubiquitous colour trend of yesteryear (although, to paraphrase Elle Woods, whoever said red was the new Millennial pink was seriously disturbed).

And lastly, if your creativity/your budget/your effort levels fail, remember that one of this year's AW17 trends was the duvet coat, and so it is very avant-garde and socially acceptable to show up to lectures in your actual duvet.