Olivia Palermo rocking a long, belted scarf

The arrival of cooler weather often leads people to find out how to best stay comfy and cozy with their clothing choices. The lazy individual will reach for a sweatshirt and some boots and call it a day, but we fashionistas know better. There is, after all, a way to stay comfy and cute.

And so the fashion gods decided shearling would be the trendy texture of the season. Thank goodness! Ugg boots are almost acceptable again (keyword: almost) and there are plenty of options if you are looking to add some shearling to your look.

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Are you ready to give shearling a try, or is this a trend that you'll watch from afar?

Bottega Veneta | Thankoon | Tracy Reese | Christian Dior | Wes Gordon

Most of the items from the Spring 2015 collections won't be available for another six months (if you ignore the fact that brands like Moschino and Burberry released pieces immediately following their runway presentations, or that sites like Moda Operandi allow eager fashionistas to pre-order the spring collections) but that doesn't mean we have to wait until next year to start wearing the trends.

The floor-length coat gained a lot of traction during the marathon fashion month, with models at Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Dior, and elsewhere dusting the floor with their maxi coats. The coat styles themselves were quite varied—from Tracy Reese's classic trench coat loosely belted around the waist to Raf Simons' structural outerwear at Christian Dior—so there are varied ways to wear this style.

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For fall, a monochrome shirt-and-pants combination or a sweater dress can go wonderfully with a longer coat. Especially if your coat is heavy or printed, a monochrome inner layer creates a slimming effect and keeps a larger coat from drowning you.

Come spring, however, play with proportions! Peter Som and Tracy Reese threw floor-length coats over form-fitting bodysuits. Margiela used a belted coat as a top, strategically cinching it at the waist and pairing with shorts. Thankoon and Emilia Wickstead showed minidresses with long coats, creating a high-low hemline effect.

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Image Source: Style Du Monde

It's October 3rd (On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was. It's October 3rd). The smell of pumpkin spices wafts through the air and girls everywhere are preparing their loose-knit sweaters and infinity scarves for the moment that the leaves start to change and they can instagram nature at its most beautiful. Yes, it seems that fall is officially upon us.

Here in Los Angeles there aren't many trees that fade into oranges and reds before the winter, and sweater weather is still a long ways away–its supposed to be in the 90s all weekend, after all–but still there is a part of me, even, that waits with anticipation for the seasons to change, because the beginning of fall means one thing for me: boots.

I love boots. Flat boots, heeled boots, long boots, short boots, black boots, brown boots. Call me the Dr. Seuss of close-toed footwear. Boots are actually great. And the best part is, with the right styling tools you can wear them long before the mercury dips below 60 (which is as cold as it will ever get here in southern California anyways).

What styles am I most fond of for 2014, you may ask? My current pick is the over-the-knee boot, a tricky style that when worn right makes any outfit look sultry and sexy. I always think of a chic Soviet spy in a James Bond movie, a femme fatale in skin-tight black suede boots that hit at mid-thigh, with a sliver of skin showing between the top of her boot and her black silk cocktail dress. But I digress.

The main point is, over-the-knee boots have the power to make you look really, really cool, so if there is one boot to invest in this fall/winter, make it this style.

Here are some of my favorite over-the-knee boots to shop from: