Staying on trend and up to date with the latest trends and styles can be headache inducing and incredibly time consuming. Knowing whether, for example, gladiator sandals are in this month or not or whether wedges are more stylish than heels takes a lot of hours studying Vogue and other fashion magazines. The best tip, then, is to actually just ignore all the latest seasonal fashion advice that is thrown at you by style writers and find a comfortable and classic style that transcends the fickle whim of fashionistas.

The best dressed men and women in pop culture are usually the ones that ignore the direction of the tides of the latest trends and cultivate a look they know will never look dated. Whereas George Clooney or Marion Cotillard look fantastic today, would have looked fabulous eighty years ago and have cultivated styles that will never appear dated, celebrities who blindly follow fashion, Chris Brown and Victoria Beckham amongst them, will no doubt blush over photos of themselves in years to come. In keeping with this, it is best to look to timeless fashion advice when concocting your outfits.

Some tips that will never go out of style include making the most of layers. No outfit can look any worse without a subtle or elegant application of a well-considered layer. One example of doing this is adding a scarf to an ensemble. A bright, bold scarf is a fantastic and easy way of adding splashes of color to an ensemble and can make a tired outfit apart to be full of zest and vibrancy. Whereas animal print is currently on trend, someone looking to look just as cool this year as next is advised to go for a more timeless style – a simple plain, but colorful, scarf can have all the desired effects of adding colour to an outfit but will not look as dated in fifteen years as a Dalmatian print alternative would for example. Another simple way to accessorize and add a touch of glamour to an outfit is by simply adding a belt – they can enhance figures without drawing attention to themselves and are an item that will always be part of any outfit.

Shoes are another great example of style trends that can go in and out of fashion and it can be easy to be left behind in the style stakes unless great care is made. For example, thong-toed sandals are apparently in this year, whilst gladiator sandals are not the popular force they were of a couple of years back. Like other articles of clothing, the key when it comes to footwear is to not over complicate the matter. Whereas prints and colour blasting are the in-style right now, in the future they could look as ridiculous as Miami Vice style cream jackets, once high fashion, look today. The clue for transcending this is to pick items that will always remain cool. For men, sleek Oxford lace-ups, in black or tan, have been in style at least since the Golden Age of Hollywood whereas a pair of black high heels is to women what the LBD is; an item that will now and always tell others that the wearer is a sophisticated and classy dresser. On the other hand, the more an outfit screams “look at me” or tries to differentiate itself from the past, the more likely it will to be a fad. So, rather than spending lots of time and money on reading the latest fashion tomes, the best thing is to find a timeless style that suits you and run with it.

Author Bio: Kieron Casey is a fashion writer who blogs regularly for Barratts shoes. He recomends their timeless collection of mens shoes.