Diamond-Cut Life

As some of you know, I struggle not just with a weakness for Haagen Dazs, but some clothes-horse tendencies, as well. While I can proudly report 17 days of abstinence today from any ice cream (and I don’t feel deprived, I feel fine), I confess to a little shopping episode at Patagonia before I left the high desert town of Bend on Friday.

At least the running top and short outdoor skirt I bought have recycled content, and will last a long time. My husband is especially intrigued with how I look in the skirt, and has been generous with compliments and physical affection . . . . all of which points up the fact that women get a lot of  positive reinforcement for wearing well-chosen clothes. Which doesn’t mean we need large quantities of them. European women seem better than U.S. women at choosing quality over quantity.

But my purpose in today’s post is actually about introducing Jean Baumann to Diamond-Cut Life. You’ll be seeing more of her here as the summer unfolds. Since she is my friend (we met, predictably, at a sustainability event) it’s best to quote someone else’s appraisal of Jean. I’ve heard Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder, a major Portland-area player and possibly the next Metro President, say that Jean is  “Ms. Sustainability”.

Among other projects, Jean does a series called Go Green With Jean for a local TV channel. Please enjoy her lively, six-minute segment on the joys and green aspects of consignment clothing. Jean excels at focusing on practical solutions, rather than bemoaning problems. She’s a doer, not just a talker, which is what makes her series so fun and useful.

My final thought today on clothing is that the strong attraction some of us have to it can be channeled into sociability and building community, rather than shopping and consumption. Consider organizing your girlfriends this summer into a Naked Lady party.

Related Posts:

• Looking Forward To . . .
• Enchanted With What I’ve Already Got, Part I
• Sex And The City, Portland style