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Monday, December 17, 2012

Monogrammed Gifts Spell Thoughtfulness

This holiday season, when stumped about what to get someone, consider the wise words of Emily Post. According to the authority on proper etiquette, "gifts marked with a monogram or anything else specific to the recipient(s) are all the more special."

A visit to Bespoke Home (855 El Camino Real; www.bespokehomeshop.com ) in Palo Alto's Town Country Village quickly proves this. Proprietor Molly Gibbons holds up a Belgian linen tote bag with leather handles. The plain side is, well, plain. She turns the bag to reveal a three-letter monogram in a style called Ivy League ; a center letter embroidered in orange thread is flanked by chocolate brown letters.

"It's like a whole different bag," observes Abby Durban , who opened Bespoke with Gibbons in October 2011. Indeed, it's amazing what a little colorful stitching can do. In addition to an array of bags, Bespoke stocks bed, bath, kitchen and table linens; home accessories such as candles, cutting boards and picture frames; and gift items for babies and children - all of which can be given that extra-special touch with some personalization.

One of the store's best-sellers is the wool felt iPad sleeve, which retails for $50; add a monogram for $15. Because the embroidery is done on site - using a Tajima machine in a room just behind the shop - the turnaround is about two weeks. While Bespoke offers a selection of typography and colors, clients can also collaborate on custom designs. The type, color and placement of the lettering can dictate the style of a piece - making it anything from preppy to rustic chic to modern.

For Marta Benson , monograms "connect us with our past," she says. "I have always been nostalgic for family history, and love sifting through old things: letters, photographs and treasures. My grandfather's pocket watch, Dad's leather cuff-link box and Mom's engraved stationery - each marked with their initials - help keep their personal stories alive."

Two decades ago, Benson received a gift - a matte gray rock adorned with her name in a sage green script font - from an art director friend. The mundane object that had been transformed into a beloved keepsake has occupied a spot on her desk for years. And it was that rock that partially inspired Benson to launch a new brand for San Francisco-based Williams-Sonoma.

This fall, Mark and Graham ( www.markandgraham.com ) was unveiled. The company's name is a play on words, "about creating one's own mark or monogram," explains Benson, who serves as senior vice president of strategy and brand development.

The collection, which is currently available only online, includes mostly merchandise that can be customized - such as a linen and grosgrain wine bag for the gracious host, an apron for the cook, Tcho chocolates for those with a sweet tooth, or a glass paperweight for a colleague. Mark and Graham's holiday line includes stockings, ornaments, a menorah and even a gingerbread house. (An assortment of packaging supplies helps complete the gift-giving endeavor.)

Because personalized items usually cannot be returned, a go-to gift - one that's sure to please even the pickiest person on your list - can come in handy. Summer Tompkins Walker of Walker Valentine Custom House ( www.walkervalentine.com ) suggests her handmade traveling cosmetic cases, which are available in three sizes ($120-$160).

For kids, she recommends nightgowns and pajamas either monogrammed or embroidered with a child's name. Walker Valentine's monograms - which range from simple to fanciful - are all developed in house. "We find timeless classics," says Walker, "and we do hybrids or take old heirlooms and make them modern in great colors."

Over the years, monogramming has become much more than a way to identify an individual or family (it was a practice once reserved for those with status or wealth). Benson, of Mark and Graham, speculates that monogramming has experienced a resurgence because of "a growing appreciation for design and typography," she says, "and people's desire to have something distinct in the face of mass homogenization."

Anh-Minh Le is a freelance writer in Portola Valley. E-mail: home@sfchronicle.com

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