Etiquette Boss: Getting monograms right

October 30, 2013 Phillipa Morrish

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MONOGRAM ETIQUETTE

The holiday season is upon us, and you may wish to purchase a gift of personalized stationery, towels, a bathrobe or even a cap for a relative or friend. Here is a guideline that would help you to avoid a mistake I made a few years ago, when I bought a personalized box of stationery.

A single initial monogram for an unmarried woman would be her first name initial. For example, Sharon would be S. However, a single initial monogram for a married woman would be her husbands last name initial. For example: Mrs. Phillipa Morrish would be M. I had incorrectly selected P for my stationery.

To kick it up a notch, you may desire a monogram for that single friend instead of an initial. This is a little more complex, because the initial of the first name goes to the left, the first initial of the last name is placed in the center ( make it larger) and the first initial of middle name goes to the right.

For example, Jessica Olivia Pratt would be JPO. A couples monogram may be desired for a wedding or anniversary gift. In this instance, the first initial of the womans name would be first, placed to the left. The couples last name would appear in the middle and the husbands first name, to the right. For example, Phillipa and Lawrence Morrish would be PML.

YOUR BEST APPEARANCE: Brigitte Bardot once said, Its sad to grow old, but its nice to ripen. I dont know about you, but I want to ripen instead of grow old. Here are some exercises to help us ripen as they delay the muscle sag that occurs with aging.

Pretend you are a turtle. Push your neck out as far as it can comfortably go without moving your shoulder. Hold for six seconds and slowly pull back your neck as far as it can come toward your throat. Hold for six seconds. Repeat six times.

Purchase a lightweight terry (hand) towel and dip in warm water. Moisturize your skin and twist towel into the shape of a rope. See-saw it gently under your chin with upward and outward motions. Go easy and stop if you feel discomfort.

Phillipa Morrish is the president of Etiquette Training International.