Amelia Diamond always knows what she’s talking about. She’s one of the OG writers of my favorite blog, Man Repeller, and also happens to be obsessed with monogramming the shit out of everything she owns. According to her, it’s what separates the weak from the strong, the amateur from the expert, the child from the teen. I couldn’t agree more. I’ve become certifiably obsessed with the look of thin, gold monogram letters against beautiful, buttery black leather.
As a Madewell Insider (which is free to join, offers free monogramming on all of their leather products, and includes a $25 gift card during your birthday month), I can get just about anything imprinted with my initials for free and have it shipped to my door in a matter of weeks. My new obsession comes as sort of a shock since I never fell into the dark whole of “southern belle” monogramming with curly-cue font and mismatched letter sizing. That monogramming always felt dated, immature, and a little tacky to me. But with Madewell’s sleek and chic font size and varying color choices, I feel like I’m stylish New York young professional who’s actually got her life together. No more florals or cursive fonts. My monogrammed cardholder says “financially secure,” my personalized phone case screams “this woman takes important calls,” and my M-O-I clad Transport tote yells “you’re looking at the HBIC” to everyone who dares walk within 20 feet of me. I may not act like a real adult, but at least I look like one.