Fashion: Vs on Her Fingers, Cs on Her Toes

Once, all a girl needed to get a monogram was a first and last name. Today, it is likely to cost her as much as $30 (imprinted on a scarf) to $475 (on luggage), and the initials aren't even her own.

But then her own never got her so much as an honorable mention on the best-dressed list, whereas a simple YSL (for Yves Saint Laurent) or a pair of Bs, back to back (for Bill Blass) spell instant class. No more fidgeting about in the theater, making sure the oldfashioned, inside-the-coat, Norman...