Page 154 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2023

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Smocking & Monogramming: Southern Style Legacies
story by Barbara Travis
Southern style is often described as classic, elegant, refined, and perhaps a bit eccentric with flashbacks to the past. Whether it be tailored dresses in cotton, eyelet, or gingham and signature scents for ladies, bow ties and seersucker suits for men, or wearing school colors with pride, Southerners – and Mississippians in particular – embrace fashion that reflects their history, background, and culture. A couple of endearing legacy favorites are smocking and monogramming.
SOUTHERN MOMS LOVE SMOCKING
SOUTHERNERS MONOGRAM EVERYTHING
Southern women love to dress their children in smocked outfits. It honors and respects the handcrafted tradition of manipulating beautiful fabric into delicate pleats and embellishing those pleats with finely designed custom embroidery.
Smocked garments are a work of art, and often become treasured family heritage pieces handed down from one generation to another. Though smocking is occasionally incorporated into women’s fashion design, its strength and tradition is well-established in children’s clothing. Smocking is most often and probably best displayed on babies and toddlers at church, birthday, and family celebrations, and
sports events. Ladies may like and love it, but children wear it best. Generational photos from parents, grandparents,
and great-grandparents show how smocking has held an enduring place
in timeless Southern style.
Lisa Hawkes, former president of
the Smocking Arts Guild of America, says it’s a respect for history and tradition: “Smocked clothing allows children to look like children while they are children. There will be plenty of time for them to dress like an adult.”
Southerners also have a penchant for putting names and initials on anything and everything. They always have and always will. The original practice dates back to Greek and Roman times when letters and numbers were stamped on coins for identification, but its Southern roots evolved during the Civil War when monogramming played a significant role in Southern culture. Items were often preserved as family keepsakes with old school charm when embroidered with personal designs.
Today, monogramming remains a popular and stylish way of personalizing belongings, whether they be clothing, towels, shower curtains, pillows, baby items, luggage, front door
wreaths, or phone chargers. Monograms make an instant fashion statement with minimal expense. A little
imagination and creativity in your choice of design and thread color are all it takes to customize your
wardrobe, add special touches to your home, and make your belongings truly unique.
154 | October 2023
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