When I was little, one of my favorite books was The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. If you’ve never read it, it’s a story about a boy and a tree who are the best of friends. As the boy gets older, he spends less and less time with the tree, only to return at subsequent intervals to lament his life and seek happiness. The tree gives and gives of herself to the boy…from her apples, to her branches, leaving nothing but a stump at the end for the boy to sit on. But, with each gift, it ends with the line “And the tree was happy.” Even though it’s clear the boy never was happy in his constant quest for more.
When you break the story down, the tree represents endless altruism, while the boy represents true selfishness. Despite getting older and realizing some of the problematic implications of staying in a toxic relationship, there was something beautiful in this story to me as a child. Through the lens of an 8-year-old, it was a story about kindness and generosity. Finding happiness in giving unto your friends. That there is joy in being the giver and not the recipient.
Awhile back, I happened upon an old listing for a stunning vintage skirt at Cheshire Vintage. It already had the dreaded *RESERVED* sign on the listing, but I pored over the images, wiping drool off my chin, because I’d never seen anything like it before. Festooned in hearts dripping from her branches, I immediately dubbed it The Giving Tree skirt, literally sprouting love and goodness. Luckily, she’s passed between the closet of two of my favorite gals on IG, Bekah and Amy, so I knew the original was in good hands.
But I never got it out of my head…
The Inspiration
Awhile back I shared an incredible collaboration with MEO-C.28, who was able to reproduce a beautiful daisy skirt for me with stunning precision. I knew if The Giving Tree skirt could be recreated, Marah would be the one to do it. After a flurry of back and forth emails (and some photos of the original very kindly provided by the amazing Amy), we were once again off to the vintage-inspired races!
The Design
We started with a yellow circle skirt, which I had sent to MEO-C.28 based on my measurements from Hearts and Found (if you haven’t discovered them yet, their custom made dresses and skirts are to die for). While I could have made the base skirt myself, a flurry of madness at work made it easier and more time efficient to outsource – especially given the quality of Hearts and Found is impeccable.
I went with the Lindy skirt in “I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter” in a 28″ waist and a 29″ length, and waited for it to make its way across the sea to Marah.
Marah sent me progress shots over the next month, which is always one of my favorite parts. She started with a sketch of the print, which I asked to have offset from the center front, with two trees growing hearts from their branches, stretching up to the sky and meeting at the waist. Daggers circled the hem, as if to remind us that love doesn’t come without the danger of heartbreak.
We settled on a color story that came as close to the original as humanly possible without actually owning the original paints. And then MEO-C.28 started to work her magic.
Little by little, the print came to live before my eyes. I can’t even tell you how talented MEO-C.28 is, with each detail looking so close to the original I would have thought she invested in a time machine. But, to really make her mine, I asked Marah to carve Mr. Dressedapp and my initials into the tree, making it a true original.
After a few minor adjustments with color, this beauty sailed across the country and into my mailbox. I opened the parcel and was completely blown away by her perfection. The colors were so bright and vibrant and it could not have more perfectly matched the original inspiration.
The Debut
When I finally got to slip this beautiful skirt on and twirl around my garden, it felt like love was blooming all around me. I suppose it was a fitting skirt to debut this week, which feels like it’s brimming with new hopes and new possibilities. This week both Mr. D and I reached fully vaccinated status and found ourselves slowly re-entering the world again. Tiptoeing our way back, finding our comfort zone in this new normal. Wondering if it will ever be what it was before. And realizing it can’t be – because we are the ones who are different.
I guess like any art, how you view it and what it means to you changes as your lens shifts. As you layer on your experiences, you can’t expect to ever see something in the exact same way. An old favorite book. A walk around your city. There is something quietly sad about going back to an old favorite and realizing it doesn’t quite hold the same magic for you it once did. That, not unlike the book, time moves on without our permission. We grow and change and gain new perspective. We have to be willing to let the world become older and wiser, and rediscover our place in it.
Love is like a tree,
it grows of its own accord,
it puts down deep roots
into our whole being.
Victor Hugo
Despite the new perspective I gained flipping through the pages of this story as an adult, I’m grateful for what it meant to me as a kid. When I was young, for me the book reminded me to be good and kind. And subconsciously, to remember I only had control over my choices, and not the ones someone else makes. But maybe now I see it a little differently. I wonder if this book isn’t about a boy and a tree, but the struggle we have within ourselves. Between the parts of us that want to endlessly give, and the parts of us that want to endlessly take. And maybe true happiness lies in the space between, where we can find a balance. Because neither wins at either extreme.
There are definitely lessons to be learned from this story viewed through my today-shaped lens. Truth be told, the last nearly 8 weeks have been absolutely insane at work. All things outside of work-related tasks had to be pushed aside, as student needs and deadlines and paperwork forced their way to the foreground. And while I love my job, these last several months served as a good reminder that I need to get better at saying no. Because being so busy that I barely look up from my computer, get to see my husband, talk to my family, or even get to cross the threshold to my sewing room, isn’t really something I’m okay with. I think there is always a tendency to give and give and give more. To push yourself. Be the one who can be relied on to always get it done. But the truth is, there is nothing wrong with stopping once in awhile and realizing if all you do is give, eventually there will be nothing left but the sad stump of a once glorious tree.
While there is a lot of joy in giving, it’s important to remember that holding tight to some time for yourself isn’t selfish. It’s necessary. So, with the dust settling on the semester and some major deadlines met, I’ve taken the week off to recharge. I still have a flurry of emails coming in…requests for a quick meeting, things I could just cast my eye over. And my first instinct is to shoot back a yes. To step up and please.
But, this week I stopped. I didn’t answer my emails. I didn’t meet anyone else’s demands. I did a bit of sewing. I took a nap (which felt blissful). I ventured out of my house and had an adventure with Mr. Dressed for the first time in 15 months. I let myself breathe in the world again.
And this tree was happy.
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Top: Vivien of Holloway
Skirt: circle skirt from Hearts & Found, hand painted by MEO-C.28
Necklace: ASOS (similar)
Handbag: La Belle Vintage (similar here & here)
Shoes: Irregular Choice (found a pair here)
Lip Color: Dior Rouge 634
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Any items marked with a “c/o” (courtesy of) a retailer mean I was provided with an item for free in exchange for a review and/or feature on my blog. I always provide my honest opinion of any item I’m reviewing, regardless of whether it was sent to me as a courtesy item or if I purchased it myself. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links or ads on this site, I may make a commission from that click and/or purchase at no cost to you, which helps with the day-to-day running costs of my blog.