I have to admit, since moving to sunny SoCal, I’ve been craving a good winter outfit. Yet, whenever I have to find a coat, I find myself reminiscing on the hot summer days of tank tops and lace-trimmed shorts. Still, that doesn’t mean that winter has to get boring. It’s been a hot minute since I made a trend prediction for you all, and seeing that the weather has started to get a little more chilly, I thought it was only appropriate to bestow upon you my utmost wisdom.

This is exclusive and coming straight from my heart — and shopping carts. I’m not here to state the obvious, like trench coats and knee-high wool boots. So, with my self-admitted-pretty-good track record, let’s see if I can continue to deliver on my promise — and my third eye. Pay attention, fellow reader, — there may or may not be a quiz at the end. 

Starting strong, layering will be majorly in, mostly due to the spreading effect of the slickback. Feeling particularly inspired by those high-exposure photos where everything seems ethereal and angelic, soft, hazy, opaque, off-the-shoulder cashmere shirts over tank tops or sheer jelly, wet-sequin textures will be all the rage to add a little something to your dinner date fits. 

Look for nude sequins or shimmery fabrics — not sparkly, there’s a difference — and you’ll be turning heads all day and night. Look for physically layered, constructed pieces, too, like Helmut Lang’s scarf dress with the peeking hem or SourceUnknown’s mini skirt with a sheer midi-length overlay. What a dream — if only I got it while it was in stock. 

Speaking of layering, I’m calling it now: Tights are coming back. Whether they’re under your jeans to keep you warm or under that really cute miniskirt you just bought — even though it’s getting colder — it’s time to make them a part of your outfit as a whole. While I see potential in solid color tights, particularly reds, emeralds or leopard prints, I feel more strongly about the resurgence of textures. 

I recently bought a pair of gray, glitter-striped tights from PROD but have been saving a lot of black lace, specifically in the patterns of roses from Calzedonia. If you’re someone who likes to have a little secret, Betty has a series of sheer black tights with text like “kiss here” printed on the hips or flames on the calves. I love the idea of something private for you, and it’s such a fun spin on the “lucky you” print on the inside of the zipper in Lucky Brand jeans. 

On the topic of blue jeans, the next hot color is navy. It’s regal, it’s elegant, it’s classic, and it’s an underappreciated, timeless sibling of the cream-black-gray family. Not only is navy making its way ’round town again, but it’s coming hand in hand with an underrated pairing: chocolate brown. We’ve seen brown start to pop up this summer in bags first, particularly in leather and in suede editions, such as the Miu Miu aventure bag, but now brown boots are less orange-tinted. 

What makes both of these such a good pairing, though, is that they complement each other with their cool and warm undertones, creating a perfect neutral visual balance. Even better, because of this, either color — paired together or not — looks good on virtually everyone and, therefore, the colors can be paired with both silver and gold jewelry. 

On the topic of shiny, fun jewelry, metallic eye looks are taking the cake. With more lip combos playing it cool with mauves, browns, pink nudes and natural wines, more and more star power has been moving up the face and onto the eyelids. 

Not only do I believe part of this came from the spew of “Victoria’s Secret Bombshell makeup” tutorials either made in prep or in response to their recent fashion show, but a quick trip to Sephora will tell you that your eyes are begging for their 15 minutes of fame. 

Makeup by Mario, Huda Beauty, Natasha Denona and Patrick Ta have released eyeshadow palettes, all donning various shades and degrees of sparkle from shimmer to glimmer. Don’t forget to nod toward some of the OGs, including Byredo’s oyster or Isamaya Beauty’s Industrial palettes, as you unleash your inner artist. 

Something else getting a major upgrade? Buttons. No, zippers and wrap ties aren’t necessarily coming back — but more interesting closures on your jackets are. 

I’ve had my eye on mother-of-pearl buttons since this summer, but my three contenders for the next it-button are brooches, frog closures or buckles. Brooches are incredibly chic; I don’t care if you think they’re for past lifetimes. Not only are vintage brooches a great way to accessorize a bag, sweater or skirt, but using them to tie close a shawl or cover the top button of an open cardigan adds an extra focal point to the ensemble. 

Frog closures, especially with stand collars, are such a fun play on the strengthening obsession with knots in fashion right now. I personally love them because they’re seen a lot on Asian clothing and remind me of my summers in Shanghai, but I think the 3D knots add some playfulness to the jacket itself without having to rely on shape, structure or fabric type to make it interesting. The same goes for clasp-style buttons, but I believe we’ll only see those on heavier-weighted, boxy, canvas Carhartt-style jackets. 

A runner-up is the toggle button, but I left it out because I actually think that it will be seen on coats and wool skirts, especially skirts that take on a fringed wrap shape, like a scarf. The new Prada collection features a mini and midi skirt in this style, both enclosed with a brooch. 

But a toggle-button hybrid is the closure of my mom’s vintage Max Mara skirt that I’m planning to debut soon, and I think it’s going to be a hit. Sure, the wrap skirt isn’t for everyone, mostly because the shape can be finicky, but let it do all the talking with a body-hugging top (bonus points for mid-short sleeves or three-quarter sleeves for dimension) and some Mary Janes/T-strap pointed-toe heels, and you’ll look killer. 

So, if you were feeling in a rut, I hope this puts your mind at ease. Or, if you’ve been trying to remain unique, you know what to avoid. While I’ve decided to spare you from your final exam of winter do’s and don’ts, just know I’m still assigning extra credit for wearing whatever you decide with confidence and poise. 

Hadyn Phillips is a senior writing about fashion in the 21st century, spotlighting new trends and popular controversy in her column, “That’s Fashion, Sweetie,” which runs every Wednesday.