I always go into a new year feeling like it is time for some sort of change. My husband and I are in the throes of redecorating our house, and have been having long (and sometimes tense) conversations about what EXACTLY we would call our style. Contemporary? Transitional? Modernist?

In the end, we went with Pottery Barn, which seems to be working well.

It can be tough to describe your style; the temptation is often to describe the style you WISH you had, rather than what you’re REALLY working just now. But it is important to identify you style, both your current style and your fantasy style, in order to make the most of any shopping you do. This month, we’re going to talk about strategies for honing your personal style.

Finding your style isn’t an overnight thing; you can begin to identify your current groove (or rut, if you will) by looking at what you have and what you actually wear, but you also need to think carefully about what you hope to look like in the end.

I would like to look like this in the end.

To really hone your style, you need to change the way you shop. The road to enlightenment — or good personal style — is a long one, and requires patience and introspection. Surprisingly, it does NOT necessarily require a lot of shopping. in fact, real style comes from understanding that less can indeed be more, if you have the right things to start with.

So what are the basic rules of shopping for your personal style?

Shop mindfully. Think about what you have and what you need and what size you are and what flatters you. Buy only what REALLY works. Pay full price for it if you have to; one full-price dress that fits and flatters is a better deal than five clearance rack dresses that don’t hang right.

Shop purposefully. If you are home with kids all day, buy clothes that you can wear home with kids all day. If you live where it is cold, buy clothes for cold weather. If you go to an office every day, buy jeans that are office appropriate.

Shop your closet. Go on a shopping fast and give yourself time to really see what you have and what you wear. Stop shopping for a week, ten days, a month — whatever it takes to get a good sense of what is really in your closet.