The winter season is upon us.

Snow falls in pretty little speckles from the sky, lining all the streets and roofs with its fluff. The chill makes our noses and cheeks blush We bundle up with scarves and hats to keep ourselves from freezing in our boots. But, often times, we lose sight of the most treasured accessory of them all; the belt.

Belts and corsets have been all over the runway and general fashion scene throughout the summer and fall. Long tee shirts with a corset belt became almost as popular on models and Kardashians as over-the-knee boots. They help to perpetuate an hourglass figure through unshapely clothing, accentuating natural curves or creating ones where there weren’t prior, working for all body types.

As the cool creeps up on us even more, though, the sexy tee shirt and corset combo becomes even less attainable without freezing our legs off. There is only so much sacrifice one can make for fashion without losing a finger to frostbite. This means yanking out those big and frumpy winter coats from the back of our closets and layering an endless supply of sweaters and flannels in between, especially when walking down the streets of Boston to get to class. And with that, many put their belts back into hiding until first sign of spring. But, really they shouldn’t.

Part of the reason we wear sweaters and flannels is to combat the arctic breeze that tends to drift up our coats. One could use a camisole, but other than that, there’s nothing between the bitter cold and our skin. Cinching or corset belts are the exception.

Unlike regular corsets, these belts are less structured, allowing for more lumps and softness in the pieces layered underneath. With a belt at the waist over at least one of the layers, the sweater or top can stay sealed against our backs and allow for the warmth to stay in, and even possibly diminishing the number of layers. It’ll be noticeably cozier.

And just because the seasons change doesn’t mean that the properties of clothing have to. With a cinching belt, it’ll make the overall outfit less frumpy and mal-fitting, perpetuating an hourglass figure through the unshapely mess that often times becomes us as the snow hits the pavement. One can even wear it over the entire ensemble like in Isabel Marant’s Fall ‘16 collection. It might even make that favorite dress of yours warm enough to dress up with tights and long suede jacket. The possibilities are endless.

So rather than looking like Joey from The One Where No One’s Ready, use a cinching belt as the days get chillier and combat looking like a blob beneath the snow.

The story of the belt is not yet ending in 2017. Make sure to make it a part of your wardrobe this winter, if it isn’t already. In fact, it may be only the beginning.