Styling by Ginny Branch · Photography by Chia Chong · Text by Libbie Summers
I remember meeting Ginny Branch’s cotton candy pink bicycle before I met her. I had chained my own retro bicycle to the same “Loading Zone Only” sign as hers. Ginny was a student at Savannah College of Art and Design and was applying for a part-time job at a lifestyle store I was struggling to help open. The Paris Market and Brocante is arguably the most eccentric, thoughtful hipster dream store in the United States. The tastes of it’s owner, Paula Danyluk, inform 5,000 square feet of international luxury and whimsy, and for a student to get a job there they had to be special, the kind of girl that rides a pink bike –Ginny was both.
I’ve blocked out a lot of my first and only foray into the world of retail store management (let’s just say it was not my calling) but I remember Ginny. Funny, talented, hardworking and stylish. I adored her and for the first and last time in my life, I tried to set my son, Anthony, up on a date –with Ginny. I will apologize to both of them now as they will certainly read this.
Anthony and Ginny are the same age. He was on a break from UNC-Chapel Hill when I insisted he come up to the store under the guise of spending time with his Mom. Ginny was working. Without shame, I had even asked Ginny to help me pick out a shirt for Anthony from the men’s clothing store across the street. For some reason I just knew these two were soul-mates. They were not. Anthony was no match for the wanderlust of this pink bike rider. Ginny was on her way to New York City and Anthony was happy just going fishing. She talked about fashion and he still wore whatever his Mother picked out for him. Basically, Ginny chewed him up and spit him out in the 15 minutes I insisted he stay to avoid rudeness. I laugh about it now –the crazy shit Mothers will do.
I’ve followed Ginny’s career over the past few years and I’m so proud of her. She is quickly becoming a highly sought after editorial stylist known for her layered careworn international approach. The once student, Ginny Branch, is now Ginny Branch Stelling. A married woman. Last week, as the new Ms. Stelling styled the romantic breakfast table you see here she told me a little about her husband, Ed…the love of her life. Her eyes glistened and she blushed just a little as she spoke his name. As I watched Ginny set the rusted key she had tied with a satin ribbon gently down on a pewter plate (never missing a beat as Chia’s camera continued to click) I thought how lucky I was to have reconnected with her. How the talent of people who have come in and out of my life continues to inspire me. How happy I am that I have the maturity to applaud the talents of other women and how very very happy I am that Ginny rode a pink bike.
P.S. Both Ginny’s pink bike and my blue bike were stolen.
For Ginny’s portfolio of work visit her professional website
Follow Ginny’s column, Inside Your Toolbox, on Design* Sponge
Keep up with Ginny on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest
Marry Ginny? No, she’s already taken.
