I have two sets of friends. I have my urban friends, and I have my suburban friends. The two groups rarely mix. I like to take a Costanzian approach to social circles. In other words, I don’t mix my friends. I do this not because one set of friends is better than the other, but because it’s just easier this way. It’s about controlling the situation; it’s about the like-mindedness of the people in a group; it’s about fearing that my city friends are going to tell my suburban friends the story about how we got whacked on Absinthe one night and ended up eating dry Trix at a late-night party thrown by some guy named Handsome in Tacoma’s Theater District. Like I said, it’s easier this way.



Meet one of my favorite urban friends — Donna X.



Her dress is Vintage X-press purchased at Value Village on Hosmer Street. She was pondering tossing it on her eBay shop (Chiffon Lounge), but I talked her out of it.



Donna claims she bought her tights from a little Guatemalan woman named Floray. Good one.



The coat — Sears. The shoes — vintage I. Magnin.



She had her hair done, awhile ago, by Trish at Embellish Multispace Salon in downtown Tacoma. She claims the color is “funky cherry, Hail Mary, Ben & Jerry temporary.” Whatever.

You can see why I keep her away from my suburban friends.



The earrings?



“Grandma’s,” claims Donna. “Actually they are Kimberly Kay, but it’s more fun to say they are Grandma’s since I’ve been hanging out with Kimberly forever.”



Underneath it all?



“Under things by Floray, the Guatemalan woman.”



No more friends for this column. — Suzy Stump