Would You Monogram Your … Jeans?
About six years ago, I went through a period I call my Monogram Years. It was around the time of my wedding, and my husband and I were registering for gifts. But not just any gifts! Monogrammed gifts. Our towels from Bed, Bath & Beyond? Monogrammed! Our sheets and pillowcases? Monogrammed! I remember feeling an intense wave of nausea when I realized that if I used my personal monogram (not our joint monogram) it would be EGG. As in scrambled. Needless to say, we proceeded with our joint initials—EGJ, the ‘G’ large in the center, a typographical symbol of our love. When my best friend got married, I rattled off the list of things I could get monogrammed for her. “I have a contact,” I told her cryptically. If you overheard our conversation, you’d probably have thought we were discussing where to score meth. It took her weeks to finally spit it out, in a fit of desperation: “I don’t like monograms!”
Admission: I’m over monograms, too. (This is a shame, because now nearly everything in our house has a stupid letter on it.) So I initially balked when I came across this DIY tutorial for monogramming a pair of jeans on Anthropologie’s blog. Really, Anthro? I thought. You’re cute, and you certainly have a knack for merchandising, but now you’ve really gone over the edge. And then I saw the monogram: a teensy trio of letters just above the pocket. And the DIY part isn’t even really for crafters of the Martha Stewart variety. It’s a do-it-yourself that is actually, well, doable. (They give you options for painting or sewing the letters on.)
Other items this would work on beautifully:
1. Cloth napkins. A smaller block-letter monogram feels less grandma and more chic.
2. T-shirts. I’d paint or sew this at the bottom hem of the tee. Subtle perfection.
3. Button-up shirts: Slightly off-center on the pocket.
Now, be rid of the stodgy old monograms of yore and embrace this new version! And a note to my best friend: I will be doing this on every onesie I buy for your new baby. Long live the monogram!
